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'Love Story' revisits JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. It's stirred some backlash

With just a single photo released from their wedding day, much of the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette remains shrouded in romanticized legend: the courtship between the fashion publicist and thescion of an already much-mythologized family,the private nuptials and, just three years later, their deaths in a tragic plane crash.

The new FX andHuluseries premiering Thursday, "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette," attempts to fill in the gaps andchronicle their life together.It details a meet cute at a party and culminates in the deaths of the couple and Bessette's sister Lauren Bessette on July 16, 1999, when a small plane piloted by Kennedy crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

Jack Schlossberg,Kennedy's nephew, spoke out against the series last year, saying it was profiting off his family "in a grotesque way" accusing executive producer Ryan Murphy of "making millions" off Kennedy's legacy. Murphy retaliated onCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom's podcast, saying it was an "odd choice to be mad about your relative that you really don't remember." Schlossberg, now running for Congress in New York, took to social media to share memories of his uncle.

Murphy was absent from the recent press circuit for "Love Story," but executive producer Brad Simpson — a veteran of Murphy's based-on-a-true-story"American Crime Story"projects — told The Associated Press that the creative team is "fully aware that there are real people and real tragedies often at the heart of these stories."

"I'm not going to pretend like on some level we're not making an entertainment product out of it, but we've tried to be ethical and we've tried to be incredibly sincere," Simpson said.

Paul Anthony Kelly andSarah Pidgeon,who portray Kennedy and Bessette in the series, say they took care in playing the couple, but do respect Schlossberg's opinion.

"I don't know what it's like to have a TV show or a movie or a book written about my family, and I understand his sensitivities, and I fully support him speaking his mind," Pidgeon said.

Added Kelly: "We tried to have as much integrity and love going into this and retelling that I hope that people see that."

The series is based on the book "Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy" by Elizabeth Beller. Episodes detail Bessette's ambition, rising through the ranks of Calvin Klein, to Kennedy's struggles keeping George magazine afloat.

We see Grace Gummeras Caroline Kennedyand Naomi Watts as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, nearing the end of her life and disapproving of both the magazine and Kennedy's on-again, off-again relationship with Daryl Hannah (Dree Hemingway). As the series tells it, Kennedy and Bessette had a magical first date that went nowhere for years because, shortly after, the tabloids reported he was back together with Hannah.

Pidgeon admits she worried the project would be more salacious than sincere, but quickly realized that wasn't the case.

"I felt a fear that we were going to sensationalize this. And then as I got on board the project that could not be, in my experience, further from the truth."

The show's creator, Connor Hines, is adamant that it's "extensively researched."

"We obviously had Elizabeth's book, but I read every single newspaper article that was written about them, every tell-all," said Hines. "Obviously, all of that material has to be taken with a grain of salt, and you have to be very judicious in terms of how you extract some of this information, because people have their own memories, people have their own slights, but we were exhaustive and diligent in how we approached this and I think that will ring true when people watch it."

"Love Story" isn't the first show about the Kennedy family that has faced criticism. In 2011, The History Channel dropped a miniseries starring Greg Kinnear as President John F. Kennedy andKatie Holmes as Jacqueline Kennedy,saying the finished project didn't fit the network's brand after Kennedy associates complained about script inaccuracies. "The Kennedys" ended up airing on Reelz Channel.

And it's not the only show about the Kennedy family coming soon:Netflixhas announced its making "Kennedy," a series focused on the political dynasty's origins and based on Fredrik Logevall's "JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917–1956." Michael Fassbender will play Joe Kennedy Sr., the family patriarch.

byAdministrator

in

February 12, 2026

'Love Story' revisits JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. It's stirred some backlash

With just a single photo released from their wedding day, much of the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carol...

Ilaria Urbinati/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

James Van Der Beek's stylist, Ilaria Urbinati, honored the late actor with a touching Instagram post on Thursday, Feb. 12
The actor died on Feb. 11 at 48 after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023
In her message, Urbinati praised Van Der Beek for his dedication to his wife, Kimberly, and their six kids

James Van Der Beekwas the ultimate family man.

In a tribute to the late actor,who died at the age of 48 on Wednesday, Feb. 11after a journey with cancer, his longtime stylist, Ilaria Urbinati, remembered his legacy. Alongside a series of photos — which captured candid moments of Van Der Beek over the years — Urbinati shared a heartfelt message.

"15 years of friendship. Years of memories and fittings and kids (and more kids), of weekly baby music classes, life events, bonding over ups and downs, of sage parenting advice that shaped me as a parent like no one else has," she wrote onInstagramon Thursday. "Over a decade of fittings - the way he loved clothes! The way he was endlessly amused at my bossiness. He had the deepest, best laugh."

Urbinati went on to highlight theDawson's Creekstar's relationship with his wife of nearly 16 years, Kimberly Van Der Beek, with whom he shared six children: daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, and Gwendolyn, 7, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 4.

View this post on Instagram

"The way he and Kimberly took me in as a friend first and foremost, and eventually as family - like they have with so many," Urbinati wrote. "The way I remember every single one of their kids as babies. The flowers he sent me every birthday (a class act he was). The way they shared their spirituality, their love of family, their love of health. And set an example for everyone. I don't even know where to begin to explain the kind of person James was. Warm. Generous. Open. Self deprecating. So at ease in vulnerability."

"I have never seen anyone love and adore his wife and kids like he did. Or be so forthright with his affection - he would send the warmest texts out of nowhere," she continued. "I got to see him a lot this last year, he was working hard for his family."

The stylist concluded by writing, "I don't think i will ever again come across anyone so serene and joyful through such adversity. He could make you believe in a miracle. If anyone deserves a miracle it was him and his incredible family. And it's hard not to feel how unfair this is. But the truth is that his beautiful life and the way he touched so many, was its own kind of magic. I love you James. Thank you for all of it."

Kimberly confirmedthe news of her late husband's death on Instagramon Wednesday. "Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," she shared. "He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."

James Van Der Beek/Instagram

Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023 andannounced the diagnosis publicly in an exclusive interview with PEOPLEin November 2024. At the time, he said he had been "privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family."

"There's reason for optimism, and I'm feeling good," he added.

The cancer was discovered through a colonoscopy Van Der Beek had in afterexperiencing symptomshe said did not seem concerning. "It was just a change in bowel habits," he told PEOPLE. "I thought, I probably need to change my diet a little bit. Maybe I need to stop coffee. Maybe I need to not put cream in the coffee. And then I finally took that out of the diet, and it didn't improve, and I thought, all right, I better go get this checked out."

"I felt really, really good as I was coming out of anesthesia that I had finally done it and looked into it," he continued. "And as I was coming out of the haze, the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — itiscancer."

He noted that while it was a "shock" and a "full-time job" to have cancer, one of the hardest parts was sharing the news with his loved ones. "Telling people required a lot of energy," he explained. "I'm an empath. I like to take care of everybody. I'm a provider, and especially at that point, I was trying to be Superman and be all things to all people and be a dad and a provider. And so to have to tell people and my father and my siblings and my kids, it was really tricky."

TODAY/YouTube

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Van Der Beek made hisfinal public appearance in an interview withToday's Craig Melvin on Dec. 19, 2025, when he said he was feeling "much, much better than I did a couple months ago."

"It's been a longer journey than I ever thought it would be. It's required more of me — more patience, more discipline, more strength than I knew I had," he confessed. "I knew I was strong — I didn't know I was this strong. But I feel good."

He also called cancer "a gift" in many ways, and shared how he remained optimistic. "One of the things I was really lucky about was when I heard the news, I was like, 'This is gonna be the best thing that's ever happened to me,' " the actor said at the time. "I had this little voice in my head that said, 'You're gonna make changes in your life that you would never, ever make if you didn't have this extreme of a diagnosis, and it's gonna add healthy, happy years to your life.'"

Throughout his career, Van Der Beek became well known for both films and television, including his starring roles inVarsity Blues(1999),Dawson's Creek(1998-2003) andDon't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23(2012–2013) and more.

He most recently appeared in the comedy seriesOvercompensatingand is set to star inElle, the newLegally Blondeprequel series premiering later this year.

Shortly after the news of his death became public, aGoFundMe was created by Kimberly's friends, which stated that the family is struggling financially and asked for support to help "cover essential living expenses, pay bills, and support the children's education."

Read the original article onPeople

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February 12, 2026

James Van Der Beek Was 'Working Hard for His Family' in the Last Year of His Life, Says His Longtime Stylist

Ilaria Urbinati/Instagram NEED TO KNOW James Van Der Beek's stylist, Ilaria Urbinati, honored the late actor with a touching Instagr...

Ryan Gosling is returning to host 'SNL' — Get the details

Ryan Goslingis returning to "Saturday Night Live!"

The "Barbie" star, 45, will be back in Studio 8H for the sketch comedy series' March 7 episode, NBC has announced. He'll be joined by musical guestGorillaz.

This will be Gosling's fourth time hosting "SNL." He most recently did so in 2024, when he was promoting his action-comedy "The Fall Guy."

Gosling's 2024 "SNL" episode was a hit with fans and featured the viral "Beavis and Butt-Head" sketch, in which he and Mikey Day played two members of an audience who unintentionally derail an event due to their uncanny resemblance to the cartoon characters. The sketch was so popular thatGosling and Day reprised the rolesat the Los Angeles premiere of "The Fall Guy."

Ryan Gosling speaks onstage at CinemaCon on April 2, 2025, in Las Vegas.

Gosling's latest "SNL" hosting stint will come ahead of the release of his new science-fiction movie"Project Hail Mary,"which is based on the Andy Weir novel and hits theaters on March 20. Gorillaz will be making their debut as an "SNL" musical guest. The band's latest album, "The Mountain," will be released on Feb. 27.

'SNL': Ryan Goslingsings Taylor Swift to say goodbye to Ken, Chris Stapleton performs

After almost a month off, "SNL" will return on Feb. 28 with "Heated Rivalry" star Connor Storrie as host, coming off the massive success of the hockey romance series. He'll be joined by musical guest Mumford & Sons, whose upcoming appearance marks their fourth on the show.

The Academy Award winning actor Ryan Gosling first catapulted to fame after appearing in the 2004 romantic drama "The Notebook" alongside Rachel McAdams. The star continues to act in iconic roles and films and will soon star in "Project Hail Mary" and "Star Wars: Starfighter."

Here, Gosling attends the premiere of "The Fall Guy" at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on April 30, 2024.