Sydney Bucksbaum is a writer at Entertainment Weekly covering all things pop culture – but TV is her one true love. She currently lives in Los Angeles but grew up in Chicago so please don’t make fun of her accent when it slips out.
John F. Kennedy Jr.’s nephew Jack Schlossberg isn’t feeling the love for Ryan Murphy’s upcoming series American Love Story, which will dramatize the high-profile marriage and untimely deaths of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
On Thursday, Schlossberg spoke out against the FX limited series in a video posted to his Instagram Stories as he drove on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, saying that his family was never consulted about the project.
“Lately, my news feed has been filled with pictures of my uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., a great man,” Schlossberg said in the video. “For those wondering whether his family was ever consulted, or has anything to do with the new show being made about him, the answer is no, and there’s really not much we can do.”
Schlossberg went on to explain that “the right to privacy, which includes the ability to control your own name, image, and likeness, doesn’t survive death in the state of New York. And for that matter, he’s considered a public figure, so there’s not much we can do.”
But, he said, “I hope those making this show about him take seriously what he stood for in his life, all that he achieved in it, and that they donate some of the profits [from] what they’re making to the John F. Kennedy Library.”
Schlossberg went on to note that he’s not against a project that celebrates JFK Jr., as long as it’s done with the right intentions. “For the record, I think admiration for my uncle John is great,” he said. “What I don’t think is great is profiting off of it in a grotesque way.”
Representatives for Murphy and FX didn’t immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s requests for comment.
First announced in 2021, American Love Story will follow the courtship and marriage of JFK Jr. and Besette. According to an official description for the series, “What started out as a beautiful union for the young couple, widely regarded as American royalty, began to fray under the stress of the relentless microscope and navel gaze of tabloid media. The pressures of their careers and rumored family discord ended with their tragic deaths when his private plane crashed into the ocean on a hazy summer night off the coast of Massachusetts.”
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Last week, Murphy shared a first look at the series and revealed the cast: Paul Kelly will play JFK Jr. and Sarah Pidgeon will play Besette. Other stars include Naomi Watts as JFK Jr.’s mother, Jackie Onassis, and Grace Gummer as his older sister Caroline Kennedy.
“We started shooting this week in New York City and can’t wait until you see the romantic and tragic love story between America’s prince, JFK Jr., and fashion icon Carolyn Bessette — out Valentine’s Day week of 2026,” Murphy wrote in an Instagram post. “I am thrilled to introduce you to Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn and Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. Over a thousand actors auditioned for each of these roles, and we absolutely found the perfect choices.”
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