What JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Were Really Like

Amy Odell sits down with Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio, authors of JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography (https://amzn.to/4ueOTWi), to discuss the real romance between Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. that inspired the FX show ‘Love Story,’ executive-produced by Ryan Murphy. Terenzio assisted JFK Jr. in the 90s at George magazine, and McNeil covered him as an editor for People. For their book, they interviewed 150 people who knew him. They share personal encounters with the couple and people in their inner circle, talk about what John would have made of the frenzy over his style today, and explain what in 'Love Story' is pure fiction. PART TWO, including discussion of how the Kennedy family deals with relentless press and the REAL reason for that famous fight in the park, is available to Premium subscribers of ⁠Back Row. Sign up at https://www.backrow.net/ for full podcast and newsletter access, or through Apple Podcasts or Spotify. CHAPTERS 00:00 Why everyone is talking about JFK Jr. and Carolyn again 01:25 What the FX show “Love Story” gets right (and wrong) 06:10 Why Gen Z is suddenly obsessed with them 07:10 The truth about JFK Jr.’s style 12:10 What drew John and Carolyn together 21:00 What Carolyn Bessette was really like 29:30 Carolyn’s struggle with paparazzi 35:30 The iconic wedding dress 39:15 What the show said about the famous park fight Links & Resources: Partner message: Go here: https://beehiiv.link/kimein and use the code AMY30 to get 30 percent off a subscription to beehiiv. Back Row Newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/ Back Row Podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0wpDOgc... Amy Odell — Instagram:   / instamyodell   JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography: https://amzn.to/4ueOTWi Liz McNeil — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizmcneil6/... Rosemarie Terenzio — Instagram:   / rmterenzio   This episode was produced by Amy Odell. Audio editing by Joyce Ciesil. Video editing by Jonathan Voytko. JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessette, Love Story FX, 90s fashion, paparazzi, celebrity culture, JFK Jr. style, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, New York 90s, fashion icon, George magazine, Ryan Murphy, podcast, celebrity gossip, intimate oral biography, Liz McNeil, Rosemarie Terenzio, celebrity relationships, fashion history, press and privacy, 90s nostalgia, iconic couple, behind the scenes, true story vs. dramatization, New York City culture