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John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s romance was tragic. It wasn’t a tragic love story because of some great betrayal. The pair was reportedly deeply in love from the early days of their romance until the day they died. The tragedy lies in the way they were hounded by the media in life and in death. The couple’s romance, both the good and the bad, is being explored in Ryan Murphy’s series, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette. Let’s take a look back at how their ill-fated relationship started.

Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s meeting is still a bit of a mystery

Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s love story might be the focus of Ryan Murphy’s Love Story, but their initial meeting is still disputed. In one retelling, Calvin Klein introduced JFK Jr. and Carolyn at a fundraiser for the Amazon Rainforest. As the story goes, they were immediately smitten with each other. The story makes sense given the couple’s high-profile relationship. Meeting at a charity event certainly feels regal. It’s the meeting Love Story opted to focus on.

In a different retelling of events, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette met in a much more mundane way. According to that story, they met when Bessette was tasked with helping him find a suit. Then, working in publicity for Calvin Klein, Carolyn Bessette was sent out to help JFK Jr. find a suit. According to People, Kelly Klein and Calvin Klein played a role once again. Allegedly, they chose to task Bessette with helping JFK Jr. because of her personality. According to the outlet, it worked. JFK Jr. left with tailored clothing and his eventual wife’s phone number.

Why did ‘Love Story’ opt for the fundraiser tale?

While there are competing stories about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s initial meeting, Love Story opted to focus on the fundraiser meeting. It might seem like that story was a bit more cohesive with JFK Jr.’s high society upbringing. As it turns out, that isn’t the reason why the anthology series focused on the fundraiser angle of their love story.

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The executive producer of Love Story, Brad Simpson, revealed exactly why they opted for the fundraiser storyline while chatting with USA Today about the series. Simpson told the outlet that after speaking to multiple friends of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, they heard multiple stories about how the couple met. Still, more people than not agreed that they first laid eyes on each other at a fundraiser for the Amazon Rainforest. Because the story was the most prominent, they went with it. It really was that simple.

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, a limited series, is currently airing on F/X and Hulu. The first three episodes of the series are now available for streaming. Additional episodes will be released every Thursday. The ninth and final episode will air on March 26.

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