John F. Kennedy Jr’s nephew slams ‘grotesque’ TV portrayal of uncle’s death
John F. Kennedy Jr's nephew, Jack Schlossberg, has spoken out against Ryan Murphy's 'grotesque' TV portrayal of his uncle’s life.
Last month (13 February), Murphy's limited series dramatising the romance and tragic deaths of JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette hit our screens, with the show quickly becoming very popular amongst FX viewers.
Titled Love Story, which is inspired by Elizabeth Beller’s book, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the nine-parter stars Paul Anthony Kelly as JFK Jr. and Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn.
The show is set in the 1990s, chronicling how John first crossed paths with Carolyn, who was working at Calvin Klein at the time.
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Take a look at the official trailer here:
For anyone not familiar with what played out between the pair, here's a quick synopsis.
JFK Jr was the son of the 35th US President, John F. Kennedy, and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
He and his wife, Carolyn, tied the knot back in September 1996, but before this, in February of the same year, they were filmed by paparazzi, arguing in New York City’s Battery Park, and John seemingly pulled the engagement ring off Carolyn's finger.
Nevertheless, they went ahead and got married; however, they suffered a tragic fate and died on 16 July 1999.
John, Carolyn, and Carolyn's older sister Lauren lost their lives when a plane that John was flying crashed off the coast and into the waters of Martha's Vineyard.
Love Story has proved to be quite the controversy for Kennedy family members, especially Schlossberg, who is the son of Caroline Kennedy (JFK Jr's sister).
The 33-year-old, who is currently running for Congress in New York’s 12th district, shared his thoughts on Murphy and the show during an appearance on CBS's Sunday Morning, where he hit out: "If you want to know someone who’s never met anyone in my family, knows nothing about us, talk to Ryan Murphy.
"I would just want people who do watch the show to watch it with one letter in mind, and that’s a capital F for fiction."
Schlossberg continued: "The guy knows nothing about what he’s talking about, and he’s making a ton of money on a grotesque display of someone else’s life."
He then urged Murphy, who has also worked on the Monster series, to 'donate some of the millions of dollars of profit that he’s making to some of the causes that John championed' and 'to help keep President JFK’s memory alive'.
"This is not a documentary," Schlossberg outlined.
Elsewhere in the interview, he resolved: "If Ryan Murphy really cares so much about the Kennedy family, my uncle John, maybe he would try to do something about getting Trump out of power."
Schlossberg has previously slammed the show, writing on his Instagram Stories last summer: "For those wondering whether his family was ever consulted, or has anything to do with, the new shows being made about him, the answer is no."
Nina Jacobson, an executive producer for Love Story, confirmed this, stating that the Kennedy family were not approached in order to keep the 'multiplicities of view'.
Tyla has reached out to Ryan Murphy's representatives for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, TV And Film, Politics, US News
Rhiannon Ingle