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American Love Story is the newest Ryan Murphy show on the scene, and Sarah Pidgeon's transformation into Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is truly uncanny. True crime fans have been all over Ryan Murphy and FX's American Crime Story, an anthology series chronicling everything from O.J. Simpson's trial to the Monica Lewinsky & Bill Clinton sex scandal. And it won't be long before we're able to tune into the new anthology series that follows different public romances that gripped the world. Up first: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. And thanks to Vanity Fair, we just got our first look at the cast, including Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy!
Here's everything we know about Ryan Murphy's American Love Story, starring Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, before the show drops on FX.
What is the plot of American Love Story Season 1?
American Love Story is FX's next anthology series based on true love stories the world can't get enough of (hopefully we'll see a Princess Diana season soon!). The first season will follow John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, who worked as Calvin Klein's director of publicity and began dating JFK Jr. in 1994. They got married on September 21, 1996.
After some super intense and extensive media & paparazzi attention, their relationship began to feel some tension that ultimately ended in tragedy when John's private plane crashed into the ocean off Martha's Vineyard in 1999. Both John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette died in the crash, along with Carolyn's sister Lauren.
The show is sure to capture Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's incredible fashion.
One part of TV shows that I always love to see is the costuming, and this show is no exception considering how incredible Carolyn's wardrobe was. From the first look images alone, it's clear the show is leaning into the sleek minimalist style from the 1990s with white button downs and black slip dresses.
These choices also make the show resonate even more with a 2026 audience because those pieces are trending again today! (Although let's be real, they're timeless so they're always trending). There's a good chance we'll see a whole new emphasis on 90s style after American Love Story premieres and I'm not complaining.
Although...some people did have some complaints after the very first photos from set leaked onto the internet during the summer of 2025. And Sarah Pidgeon responded to the backlash.
“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 told Variety. “That’s what makes her such an interesting person. 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.”
"There were comments like, ‘I hate that coat, Carolyn would never have worn that,’” Ryan Murphy added. “That was just a coat we threw on for color. People were writing, ‘How dare you use the No. 35 Birkin bag? She wore a 40!’ Yes, we have a 40 but we just threw on a bag from another costume department because that was the sound stage we were on.”
Who is playing JFK Jr.?
- Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
- Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr.
- Naomi Watts as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
- Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy
- Leila George as Kelly Klein
- Noah Fearnley as Michael Bergin
When does American Love Story premiere?
Harold Feng/Getty Images
American Love Story is coming to FX soon. Check back here for the official release date!
Is Carolyn Bessette Kennedy alive?
Diane Freed
No, sadly Carolyn Bessette Kennedy passed away in a plane crash on July 16, 1999 off the coast of Massachusetts. At John F. Kennedy Jr.'s memorial his uncle Ted Kennedy said, "We dared to think, in that other Irish phrase, that this John Kennedy would live to comb gray hair, with his beloved Carolyn by his side. But like his father, he had every gift but length of years."
"For a thousand days, he was a husband who adored the wife who became his perfect soul mate," Ted continued. "John's father taught us all to reach for the moon and the stars. John did that in all he did -- and he found his shining star when he married Carolyn Bessette."
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