Brendan O'Connor The real-life drama surrounding TV show ‘Love Story’
Mar 22, 2026
Jen Gannon, culture journalist and TV critic, unpacks the Disney+ drama about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. She discusses why the story fascinates, the backlash from real people like Daryl Hannah and family members, and Ryan Murphy’s pattern of fictionalising recent events. Short takes on 1990s nostalgia, public image and the ethics of dramatizing living figures.
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The Burden Behind JFK Jr.'s Public Image
- JFK Jr. carried a public persona shaped by his childhood image and a struggle to live up to his father's legacy.
- Jen Gannon points to his failed bar exams, the George magazine venture, and media labeling him as directionless as defining details.
Carolyn Bessette's Calvin Klein Influence
- Carolyn Bessette emerged as a fashion insider who reshaped Calvin Klein's cool image in the 1990s.
- Gannon recalls Carolyn selecting Kate Moss and moving the brand into a trendier direction as a concrete example.
Fictionalising Real People Sparks Anger
- The series fictionalises living people's lives in ways that can feel like character assassination to those portrayed.
- Daryl Hannah's New York Times op-ed condemns her depiction as a shallow 'California airhead' contrary to her real activism and seriousness.