Love Story Creator Defends Not Connecting With Kennedy Family on FX Show
Creator of FX’s Love story he doesn’t regret not consulting with the Kennedys before doing it John F. Kennedy Jr. again Carolyn BessetteRomance is the main focus of FX’s new scripted series.
“As a writer, it’s healthier and more effective to have some distance with the subject,” EP Connor Hines told Variety on Friday, February 13, following the show’s premiere.
Despite facing some backlash, Hines preferred to be slightly removed from JFK Jr. and Bessette’s family.
“It allows you to be more intentional in the way you use the story, compared to when you talk to people in person, you feel responsible for conveying what they tell you because they gave you their time,” he commented. “Here is an incredibly large family.
A Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette premiered Thursday, February 12, and explores “the undeniable chemistry, whirlwind courtship and high-profile marriage of one of the most iconic couples of the 20th century,” according to the synopsis.
The FX series is the first installment in the Ryan Murphy‘s Love story anthology and inspired Elizabeth Bellera book Once Upon a Time: The Fascinating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Sarah Pidgeon you play Bestette, while Paul Kelly featuring JFK Jr. The couple died in 1999 after a plane crash.
Before Love Story premiered, Murphy, 60, was criticized by the Kennedys for his plans to make a drama about the lives of Bessette and JFK Jr.. In June 2025, Kennedy Jr’s nephew Jack Schlossberg charged Murphy with “surprisingly[ly]” benefiting from the death of his late uncle.
“Lately, my news feed has been filled with pictures of my uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., a great man,” Schlossberg, 33, wrote on Instagram at the time. “For those wondering if his family has ever been shown, or if he has anything to do with the new programs being made about him, the answer is no. And there’s not much we can do.”
Ryan Murphy has found success in adapting true crime stories and high-profile events, often leading to backlash for his shows. Murphy’s prolific TV career began with shows like Nip/Tuck, Glee and American Horror Story. As the producer continued to find success, he expanded by taking on projects that highlighted originality […]
Schlossberg continued: “Therefore, [JFK Jr. is] he’s considered a celebrity, so there’s not much we can do. I hope that those who make these shows about him take seriously what he stood for in his life, everything he gained from it. And that they donate some of the profit [that] they do.”
In response, Murphy called the criticism “inflammatory”, especially considering it came before the show’s release.
“I thought it was a weird decision to be mad at your relative that you don’t really remember,” Murphy said on Gavin Newsom’s “This Is Gavin Newsom” podcast in July 2025.
That same month, Murphy elaborated on Schlossberg’s response. “I also love Jack’s Instagram where he just remixes 1990s girl group stuff. I want some of that,” she told Variety. “But I think it can be really difficult if your relatives are always in the media.”
New episodes of Love story airs Thursdays on Hulu.
