- - See the Cast of “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” Side-by-Side with the Real People They Play

Ariana QuihuizFebruary 14, 2026 at 6:15 AM

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Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. in 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'; John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette in 1999

FX; Tyler Mallory/Getty

It’s been over 25 years since John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s romance ended in tragedy.

The couple captured the attention of the nation when they started dating in 1994. They met two years earlier in the VIP fitting room at Calvin Klein, where Carolyn worked as the brand’s publicist. By 1995, Carolyn and JFK Jr. — son of President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jackie Kennedy — were engaged and later married in an intimate ceremony on Georgia’s Cumberland Island.

On July 16, 1999, JFK Jr. piloted a plane to Martha’s Vineyard with his wife and her sister Lauren Bessette on board. All three passengers died when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 7.5 miles from their destination.

The first installment of Ryan Murphy’s Love Story anthology chronicles JFK Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn's (Sarah Pidgeon) whirlwind romance over the course of nine episodes. The series — which premiered on Feb. 12 — is inspired by Elizabeth Beller’s book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.

Here are the stars of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette side-by-side with their real-life counterparts.

01 of 09

Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr.

Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. in 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'; John F. Kennedy Jr. in New York City

Eric Liebowitz/FX; Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty

Paul Anthony Kelly plays John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jackie Kennedy.

In December 2025, Kelly opened up to Interview Magazine about how he prepared to play the late magazine editor in his first major acting role.

“Read several biographies, including Rosemarie Terenzio’s book,” he said. “I watched everything I could. YouTube is great. I also listened to Jr. read his father’s book Profiles in Courage every day before work to get into his cadence and vocal style. He was a very well-documented individual. There’s just so much to take in, so once I got this, I was just a sponge.”

02 of 09

Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette in 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'; Carolyn Bessette in 1999

Eric Liebowitz/FX; Evan Agostini/Getty

Sarah Pidgeon portrays Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, JFK Jr.’s wife, who worked as a fashion publicist at Calvin Klein.

After receiving backlash about her portrayal, Pidgeon told Variety in July 2025 that playing Carolyn has been a "fulfilling and incredibly special" experience.

“I know how special Carolyn is to me and I understand how widely beloved she is, so this role comes with a lot of responsibility — and I’m not surprised that people have strong opinions about it,” she said. "That’s what makes her such an interesting person.”

Pidgeon added, “I mean, not only how she dressed, but the woman who worked at Calvin Klein and the person that JFK Jr. fell in love with. She’s a human being beyond just these pictures. She really resonates with a lot of people, and she certainly does with me.”

03 of 09

Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis

Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis in 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'; Jackie Kennedy Onassis in 1990

Eric Liebowitz/FX; STAFF/AFP via Getty

Naomi Watts plays Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the former first lady and JFK Jr.'s mother. Carolyn never met Jackie before she died in May 1994.

At the premiere of the show in February 2026, Watts spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the “daunting” task of portraying Jackie on screen.

“A lot of pressure. Very daunting indeed, but it helps when you’ve got Ryan Murphy leading it, and you’ve worked together multiple times before and had a successful experience,” she said. “You know, despite my fear and self-doubt, him saying, ‘You can do this, you’ve got this,’ does alleviate a lot of that and makes you feel like you could probably pull it off.”

04 of 09

Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy

Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy in 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'; Caroline Kennedy in 1999

Eric Liebowitz/FX; George De Sota/Liaison/Getty

Grace Gummer plays JFK Jr.’s older sister Caroline Kennedy. Caroline had a close relationship with her late brother, but has rarely spoken about him publicly.

Presidential historian Steven M. Gillon told PEOPLE in January 2026 that JFK Jr. was one of the only people who understood the personal tragedies Caroline faced.

“It's this contrast between this incredibly private person and this very public tragedy that is striking,” he said. “Caroline suffered the same losses that John suffered, except that she also suffered the loss of her brother."

Gummer is the daughter of Meryl Streep, and her acting credits include Mr. Robot, American Horror Story and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.

05 of 09

Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein

Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein in 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'; Calvin Klein

Eric Liebowitz/FX; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Alessandro Nivola portrays renowned American fashion designer Calvin Klein.

In February 2026, Nivola spoke to MEA WorldWide about using Calvin’s Bronx background to inform his portrayal of the designer.

“At this time that I was playing him, he still had a kind of a bit of Bronx in his voice, but there was also this kind of like lilting sound of somebody who’d spent time around Paris fashion shows,” he said. “So, that was important to me to have that both in the voice and for it to like infect every part of my behavior and emotional psychology as well.”

06 of 09

Leila George as Kelly Klein

Leila George as Kelly Klein in 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'; Kelly Klein in 1994

Eric Liebowitz/FX; Steve Eichner/WireImage

Leila George plays Kelly Klein, a photographer and the ex-wife of Calvin Klein. Kelly became friends with Carolyn when she started working for the iconic fashion brand in the ‘90s.

George is known for her roles in Animal Kingdom, Disclaimer and The Beast in Me.

07 of 09

Dree Hemingway as Daryl Hannah

Dree Hemingway as Daryl Hannah in 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'; Daryl Hannah in 1999

Eric Liebowitz/FX; J. Vespa/WireImage

Dree Hemingway plays Kill Bill actress Daryl Hannah, who dated JFK Jr. for five years in the early '90s.

Hannah first met JFK Jr. in the early 1980s, before reconnecting again at the 1988 wedding of his aunt Lee Radziwill to director Herb Ross. They broke up in 1994.

Hemingway is an actress, model and fashion designer and the great-granddaughter of author Ernest Hemingway.

08 of 09

Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette

Sydney Lemmon at FX's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" Red Carpet Premiere held at Carnegie Hall on February 03, 2026 in New York, New York.

Adela Loconte/Variety via Getty

Sydney Lemmon portrays Lauren Bessette, Carolyn’s sister, who was also killed in the 1999 plane crash.

Lemmon previously starred in Succession, Firestarter and Helstrom.

09 of 09

Constance Zimmer as Ann Messina

Constance Zimmer at FX's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" Red Carpet Premiere held at Carnegie Hall on February 03, 2026 in New York, New York.

Adela Loconte/Variety via Getty

Constance Zimmer plays Carolyn’s mother, Ann Messina.

Speaking with PEOPLE in February 2026, Zimmer opened up about her emotional role as Carolyn's mom.

"At the core, love and grief is universal, so whether you are a mother or aren't a mother, it's like, we all can relate to falling in love and the struggles that come with it, and the part of it that is the hardest is the other side of this story," she said. "I think for me, as a mom, it's even more devastating, but I think it's just devastating across the board.”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”