The FX series *Love Story* has reignited public fascination with John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, but the show takes significant liberties with the real history. For those seeking the full story, Maureen Callahan’s book *Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed* offers a far more grounded account of the couple’s relationship.
Callahan’s reporting is based on direct conversations with friends and family of John, Carolyn, and even John’s former girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah. The book paints a much less flattering picture of John than the romanticized version often seen on screen. It suggests that growing up as a Kennedy male came with constant reinforcement of his own greatness, making it difficult not to become self-centered.
The end of John’s long relationship with Daryl Hannah is a key example. The FX series portrays Hannah as desperate and clingy, but Callahan’s research tells a different story. According to the book, John was walking Hannah’s beloved dog when he let it slip away. The dog ran into traffic and was killed. For Hannah, that was the breaking point. The loss of her pet, which she treated like a child, was the final straw in a relationship where John’s inattention had taken a toll.
The show also frames Hannah as unreasonable for asking John to travel to California during his mother’s illness to retrieve the dog’s ashes. While it is true that Jackie Kennedy was terminally ill at the time, the book suggests Hannah genuinely wanted her dog’s remains. The series simplifies this into a story of a demanding girlfriend, but the reality was more complex.
Carolyn Bessette’s portrayal in the show also diverges from the historical record. The series suggests Carolyn was not initially interested in John, but Callahan’s book indicates she was very much pursuing him. The two dated casually and intermittently for years before becoming serious. During one break, Carolyn’s mother reportedly sent her a newspaper clipping of John and Daryl Hannah with a note asking her to stop chasing him.
When Carolyn re-entered John’s life, she was more assertive. The book describes how she refused to tolerate his habit of showing up late or treating his time as more valuable than hers. On one occasion, Carolyn was delayed at her job at Calvin Klein and missed a Broadway show. John sat alone as the lights dimmed, but rather than being angry, he became more impressed with her.
The book also details John’s reckless streak. A former girlfriend, Christina, described a harrowing kayaking trip where she nearly died. She told Callahan that John seemed to enjoy the danger and gave her little choice in the matter, essentially telling her that keeping up with him was the price of dating him.
This pattern extended to Carolyn. She was terrified of flying in John’s small plane. She had flown with him and an instructor before, but she remained frightened. On July 16, 1999, the couple departed late for a wedding. The weather was dark and foggy, and John was not experienced enough to fly under those conditions. The crash was ruled pilot error. It was John’s mistake, not Carolyn’s.
Callahan’s book also raises questions about the couple’s living situation. They remained in an apartment at 20 North Moore Street in Manhattan, a building with no doorman. This made them easy targets for paparazzi. Callahan suggests that if Carolyn truly hated the attention, she would have moved somewhere with more privacy. The choice to stay in such an exposed location seems strange, and Callahan implies Carolyn may have enjoyed the attention more than she let on.
The book also offers a less flattering view of Carolyn herself. She was not the perfect, put-together figure often depicted. Callahan describes Carolyn as emotionally manipulative with some of her friends, sometimes crossing into physical aggression. One anecdote involves Carolyn demanding a ticket to a high-profile event from a friend, only to be refused. The friend had already begun distancing herself after Carolyn made strange, probing questions about her personal life.
Carolyn also reportedly had a difficult time with her ex-boyfriend, Calvin Klein model Michael Bergen. After seeing him light a cigarette for another woman, she attacked him on the street, even though they were no longer together. The book suggests Carolyn struggled with a need to always be right.
There are also claims about Carolyn’s struggles with substance use and weight. She reportedly smoked heavily to stay thin and lost a significant amount of weight when she began dating John seriously. In the months before their deaths, John reportedly told friends about their marital problems, including that Carolyn was in therapy five days a week.
The book paints a picture of a relationship that was far from the fairy tale often presented. It was marked by John’s self-absorption, Carolyn’s fierce ambition, and a shared inability to escape the pressures of his name. The FX series may be entertaining, but for the true story, Callahan’s book remains a far more reliable source.