FX’s Love Story has been making rounds for its insight into the romance of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette. Their love story was cut short after they boarded the fatal flight in 1999. The limited series recently released episode 3, and since then, it has raised more questions among viewers.
Like episodes 1 and 2, which also debuted on February 12, 2026, episode 3 offers insight into the family’s lives before it was cut short. In the first few minutes, ‘John’Â (Paul Anthony Kelly) reads a card from the numerous bouquets well-wishers have sent to ‘Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ (Naomi Watts) following her diagnosis with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
‘Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ helped secure a book deal about Michael Jackson?
Our episode begins with ‘John’ reading a card that reads, “You’re in my reflections…Michael Jackson?” To which ‘Caroline Kennedy’ (Grace Gummer) tells her brother that “Mom secured his book deal”, which was actually true. The former first lady did help arrange that book deal. According to Reuters, ‘Jacqueline’ was working as an editor at Doubleday in 1978. Stephen Davis further confirmed that she was the only person in the USA who could reach MJ by phone. Stephen also collaborated with Michael on his memoir, Moonwalk.
What happened to ‘John F. Kennedy Jr.’ in 1974?
Another incident that has been making headlines since the episode premiere concerns a scene in which ‘John’ tells ‘Carolyn’ that he was jumped by a goon in the park when he was a teenager. However, viewers are unsure about whether the incident is true. According to The New York Times, an incident reported in 1974 stated that ‘John’ was 13 and riding his bike through Central Park en route to a tennis lesson, when a man “grabbed both the bike and the tennis racket and rode off into the park.”Â
‘Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ surprise letters to ‘JFK Jr.’ before her demise
Another incident that has left viewers in contradiction is when ‘JFK Jr.’ received a letter from his mom after her death. The letter acknowledges the pressure he might feel as a ‘Kennedy’ and assures ‘JFK Jr.’ that he is more than “anyone, has a place in history”. The letter continues to tell him that no matter what path he takes in life, all ‘Jacqueline’ wants for him is that he “continue to make Caroline, the Kennedy family, and most importantly yourself proud.”
William D. Cohan wrote about a letter to JFK Jr. in his book Four Friends: Promising Lives Cut Short, which closely matches the one mentioned in Love Story. The statement in the book could be read as:
“A few days before Jackie Kennedy Onassis died, in May 1994, she wrote a letter to her son John, to be opened only after her death. ‘I understand the pressure you’ll forever have to endure as a Kennedy, even though we brought you into this world as an innocent. You, especially, have a place in history. No matter what course in life you choose, all I can ask is that you and Caroline continue to make me, the Kennedy family, and yourself proud.'”
‘Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ burns the letters she received before her death
While ‘Jacqueline’ left a letter for her son, she did toss some letters into the fireplace. In one, The Godfather star, Marlon Brando complimented her dance moves, saying he hoped to see her again soon. In the series, she tells ‘John’ that she doesn’t need her “personal correspondence memorialised in the Smithsonian”. ‘Jackie’ further very clearly asserts that she doesn’t want them to be preserved “publicly or privately.” In real life, as well, ‘Jacqueline’ lit up letters from her collection, J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of Jackie: Public, Private, Secret, learned from architect, John ‘Jack’ Warnecke.
John Warnecke is the same man who designed President Kennedy’s resting place in Arlington National Cemetery and who also became romantically involved with ‘Jacqueline’ in the mid-1960s. According to J. Randy Taraborrelli, she would take a trusted friend or family member with her every night and burn the letters. She stated:
“Every night that week, she was inviting a trusted friend or family member to her home to take part. Jackie untied the yarn and took a letter from the stack. She read it before placing it into the fire.”
‘Daryl Hannah’ gave a surprise visit to ‘JFK Jr.’ at his mom’s wake
Another surprising scene in Love Story is when ‘Daryl Hannah’ (Dree Hemingway) shows up at ‘Jacqueline’s’ wake at her NYC apartment. While she attempts to connect with him about grief, bringing up the loss of her dog, ‘John’ seems to resent her presence and the insinuation that they could rekindle their relationship. The interaction is once again questioned by viewers. However, Carole Radziwill’s JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography says she helped ‘Daryl’ pick a proper “funeral dress. I could see it was over. John could barely look at her. I think she knew, too.”
‘Daryl’ attended ‘Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s’ funeral on May 23, 1994. However, ‘JFK Jr.’s’ close friend, ‘Sasha Chermayeff’, in the Oral Biography openly talked about how he dreaded dealing with ‘Daryl’, and she kept comparing ‘JFK Jr.’s’ loss of his parent to her sick dog. He was quoted as saying:
“I’m thinking, oh, my God. I’m sorry that you have an old dog who’s sick. But your partner − whatever it is right now − he’s downstairs in the kitchen. His mother died.”
Did ‘Caroline Kennedy’ plant m**ijuana in her mother’s garden?
Episode 3 of Love Story also showed that ‘John’ and ‘Caroline’ were both overwhelmed after greeting the mourners at their mother’s wake. In need of a reprieve, they take a beat in their mother’s bedroom. Having a comment to themseleves, ‘John’ asked his sister, “Remember when she found your weed plant? In the garden at Hyannis?” To which ‘Caroline’ scoffed that ‘Jacqueline’ didn’t find it, but the police did. “Didn’t you tell her it was a zucchini?” John asks, but Caroline corrected him and said, “Parsley. Her voice dropped into that really scary octave.”
Further, Kate Storey, in her book, White House by the Sea, also recounted the incident when ‘Jacqueline’ found m**ijuana growing in her garden. It was her assistant, Kathy McKeon, who went to investigate the garden after becoming curious about why “the teenage Kennedy cousins” were there. She brought over Jack Dempsey, a former lieutenant of the Massachusetts State Police, who was “often hanging out in the Secret Service trailer.”
What are your thoughts on Love Story Episode 3? Let us know.
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