Episode 7 of Love Story depicts a fight between Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister-in-law Caroline Kennedy.
The Gist
The argument was indeed a "tense" moment between the two women in real life.
It happened at a dinner party shortly after John and Carolyn's top-secret wedding on Cumberland Island, Georgia.
ThoughLove Storyis a fictionalized account ofJohn F. Kennedy Jr.andCarolyn Bessette-Kennedy's legendary romance, critics of the show have been quick to point out discrepancies between its script and the late couple'sreal-life relationship. First there was the uproar about Carolyn'shairandwardrobe; most recently,Daryl Hannahhad to set the record straight regarding her "not even remotely accurate representation." On the other hand, some scenesarehistorically accurate, for the most part—including the fight between Carolyn and her sister-in-lawCaroline Kennedyin episode 7.
The scene takes place during a dinner party hosted shortly after John and Carolyn'stop-secret weddingon Cumberland Island, Georgia. When one of Caroline's kids starts getting rowdy, Carolyn takes her downstairs to chill out. It's not clear if the girl is supposed to beRose or Tatiana, but in real life, it was actually Caroline's sonJack Schlossberg, not one of her daughters.
Tensions rise from there. Ahead, a reminder of what happens next inLove Storyand how Murphy's fictionalized retelling compares to the real thing.
The fight took place at a dinner party hosted by JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
After John and Carolyn said "I do" in a secret ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia, the couple returned to NYC and hosted a small dinner for some friends who didn't make it to the wedding. Caroline Kennedy, her husband Edwin Schlossberg, and the couple's three children came along, though they were present at the nuptials (her son Jack was the ring bearer and her daughters Rose and Tatiana were flower girls). JFK Jr.'s friend Jack Merrill later remembered the evening as a "classic Park Avenue dinner party," perPeople.
It was related to one of Caroline Kennedy's children.
Caroline's kids were small at the time and thus "rambunctious." In her 2024 bookJFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography, John's former assistant RoseMarie Terenzio wrote that Jack in particular was "running around and a little restless." Carolyn subsequently took him "in her arms" and "went downstairs with him into the lobby." (InLove Story, it's one of Caroline's daughters, not her son.)
Given the presence of paparazzi gathered outside the building, however, Caroline was "upset" and felt that Carolyn was being "irresponsible," according to Terenzio.
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Things between Carolyn and Caroline got "tense."
Recounting the exchange, Terenzio wrote that Carolyn was "shocked" that Caroline thought she would "go downstairs and intentionally expose Jack to that."
"She was like, 'I would never do something like that—I would never take him outside in front of the paparazzi,'" the author wrote, noting that the building was secure thanks to three doormen and security guards. "Carolyn said, 'It's not like I took him outside. I took him down the elevator and back up. I wasn't parading around the lobby with him.'"
"She was surprised at the reaction," Terenzio added. "It was tense."
After the fight, they were "a little distant, but respectful."
Following the argument inLove Story, John has lunch with his sister to smooth things over, telling her that he's had a "stressful" few months and that "not talking" hasn't made things easier. In real life, however, the duo were famously close. A friend of the family toldPeoplethat the two siblings and their respective spouses were "a little distant, but respectful" in the aftermath of the fight, but that's it.
"They would go over to Caroline's for dinner every few weeks," the source added. "Carolyn would always bring gifts for the kids. [...] And she always picked something special for Caroline."
Read the original article onInStyle