‘Love Story’ Creator Defends Not Consulting the Kennedy Family: ‘It Allows You to Be a Lot More Objective’
“Love Story” showrunner Connor Hines is defending the decision not to consult the Kennedy family for the latest installment of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series, which explores the marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and fashion publicist Carolyn Bessette.
“As a writer, it’s more healthy and effective to have some distance from the subject matter,” he told Variety at the show’s New York premiere. “It allows you to be a lot more objective in how you approach the material, versus when you’re talking to people personally, you feel a sense of responsibility of relaying exactly what they’re telling you because they’ve given you their time.”He concluded, “It’s an incredibly large family as well. So if you were to talk about consulting them, where would you even begin?”
#LoveStory creator Connor Hines defends not consulting the Kennedy family on the FX series:“As a writer, it’s more healthy and effective to have some distance from the subject matter. Not so it can give you permission to slander them by any means, but I think it allows you to… pic.twitter.com/2ryxGKufAQ
The series drew intense criticism from Jack Schlossberg, nephew of JFK Jr., who accused the production of “profiting off” his uncle’s life in a “grotesque way.” He posted multiple videos on social media while the series was being shot in New York last summer, in which he called on Murphy and Hines to donate part of its proceeds to the John F. Kennedy Library.
“I am going to donate,” Murphy told Variety in June 2025. “I also like Jack’s Instagram when he just lip syncs to ’90s girl groups stuff. I want more of that. But I think it would be really hard if your relatives are always in the media.”
This isn’t the first time a Ryan Murphy production has clashed with the estate of its subject. The producer did not seek authorization from the Versace family before moving forward with “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” swearing by Maureen Orth’s book “Vulgar Favors” as its creative foundation. The Versace family publicly disowned the series as “a work of fiction” upon its release in 2018, claiming the investigative reporting published in Orth’s book relied on “second-hand hearsay” and contained “contradictions.”
One rare instance where Murphy consulted a real-life subject was during the development of “American Crime Story: Impeachment,” which reexamined the story of Monica Lewinsky. Lewinsky served as a producer on the series.
“Because I was a producer, I didn’t think I should get a pass,” she told Variety in 2021. “It was trying to flush those things out: ‘I might say something more like this or I probably wouldn’t have said that because of X, Y and Z. Or I think Bill might have said something this way.’ And I felt very heard. But there were a lot of notes that they didn’t take, and I had to learn to respect that process too.”
Despite not consulting the Kennedy’s, Hines and Murphy paused development at FX for three years to better understand its central subject. While Bessette’s marriage (and the couple’s shocking 1999 plane crash) were widely documented, she remained fiercely protective of her private life. The producers opted to wait until Elizabeth Beller’s in-depth biography, “Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,” was published in 2024, which serves as the credited inspiration for the series.
“This is a woman that was rendered by a lot of these narratives in a way that felt really unfair and devoid of context, devoid of empathy,” Hines said.
“Love Story” stars Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette, Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. and Naomi Watts as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.“She really protected her privacy — and understandably so,” Pidgeon explained. “I think there’s a lot to be said for protecting your privacy. Some things aren’t for everyone. They’re for yourself.”
“Love Story” is now streaming on Hulu.
“As a writer, it’s more healthy and effective to have some distance from the subject matter,” he told Variety at the show’s New York premiere. “It allows you to be a lot more objective in how you approach the material, versus when you’re talking to people personally, you feel a sense of responsibility of relaying exactly what they’re telling you because they’ve given you their time.”He concluded, “It’s an incredibly large family as well. So if you were to talk about consulting them, where would you even begin?”
#LoveStory creator Connor Hines defends not consulting the Kennedy family on the FX series:“As a writer, it’s more healthy and effective to have some distance from the subject matter. Not so it can give you permission to slander them by any means, but I think it allows you to… pic.twitter.com/2ryxGKufAQ
The series drew intense criticism from Jack Schlossberg, nephew of JFK Jr., who accused the production of “profiting off” his uncle’s life in a “grotesque way.” He posted multiple videos on social media while the series was being shot in New York last summer, in which he called on Murphy and Hines to donate part of its proceeds to the John F. Kennedy Library.
“I am going to donate,” Murphy told Variety in June 2025. “I also like Jack’s Instagram when he just lip syncs to ’90s girl groups stuff. I want more of that. But I think it would be really hard if your relatives are always in the media.”
This isn’t the first time a Ryan Murphy production has clashed with the estate of its subject. The producer did not seek authorization from the Versace family before moving forward with “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” swearing by Maureen Orth’s book “Vulgar Favors” as its creative foundation. The Versace family publicly disowned the series as “a work of fiction” upon its release in 2018, claiming the investigative reporting published in Orth’s book relied on “second-hand hearsay” and contained “contradictions.”
One rare instance where Murphy consulted a real-life subject was during the development of “American Crime Story: Impeachment,” which reexamined the story of Monica Lewinsky. Lewinsky served as a producer on the series.
“Because I was a producer, I didn’t think I should get a pass,” she told Variety in 2021. “It was trying to flush those things out: ‘I might say something more like this or I probably wouldn’t have said that because of X, Y and Z. Or I think Bill might have said something this way.’ And I felt very heard. But there were a lot of notes that they didn’t take, and I had to learn to respect that process too.”
Despite not consulting the Kennedy’s, Hines and Murphy paused development at FX for three years to better understand its central subject. While Bessette’s marriage (and the couple’s shocking 1999 plane crash) were widely documented, she remained fiercely protective of her private life. The producers opted to wait until Elizabeth Beller’s in-depth biography, “Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,” was published in 2024, which serves as the credited inspiration for the series.
“This is a woman that was rendered by a lot of these narratives in a way that felt really unfair and devoid of context, devoid of empathy,” Hines said.
“Love Story” stars Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette, Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. and Naomi Watts as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.“She really protected her privacy — and understandably so,” Pidgeon explained. “I think there’s a lot to be said for protecting your privacy. Some things aren’t for everyone. They’re for yourself.”
“Love Story” is now streaming on Hulu.