Vicious paparazzi, a public fight dominating the front page,
and a fatal final flight. Dubbed "The New Jackie Kennedy" by an unrelenting press,
here's the tragic story of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy got a taste of life under the spotlight when she
started dating John F. Kennedy Jr.. Kennedy was the country's most eligible bachelor,
and people wanted to know everything about the woman who managed to steal his heart.
"He's kind of an American prince. He's sort of the closest thing we have to royalty."
The press followed the couple everywhere, and by the time Bessette was spotted
moving in with Kennedy, reporters were eager to feed the frenzy,
with no regard for her privacy. Dubbed the "new Jackie Kennedy," Bessette couldn’t even get
her hair done without making headlines, and the pressure just kept increasing.
She never once spoke out publicly; she refused to be interviewed and politely declined requests to
appear on glossy magazine covers. The press was left with scraps as Bessette had lived a very
private life up until that point, and there was practically nothing to dig up. Journalist Richard
Fink, a friend of Bessette's, told The Guardian that, while she had expected the media attention,
she found the press onslaught challenging, and she thought that staying out of the
spotlight would eventually make them lose interest. Instead, the opposite happened.
The press started to retaliate, publishing derogatory stories about Bessette and hounding her
in public whenever they got the chance. At times, they were downright rude. RoseMarie Terenzio,
who worked as Kennedy’s assistant, wrote in her book "Fairy Tale interrupted," that
when going out Bessette would often be called derogatory and demeaning names.
Terenzio reflected on how Carolyn retreated into herself as the stories got meaner. The
media criticized how Bessette chose to spend her money and questioned her
relationship with Kennedy, making a big fuss whenever the two appeared
to be at odds. But despite all the vitriol, Bessette remained silent.
Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr. were hit hard with the reality of their new life as
a married couple when, still high on honeymoon bliss, they came home to a crowd of paparazzi
on their doorstep. No marriage is perfect, but in addition to adjusting to being a new wife,
Bessette also had to navigate the constant chatter about her marriage in the papers. Naturally,
this put some strain on the couple's relationship, and it wasn't long before
rumors started swirling that the Kennedys were dealing with marital issues. Edward Klein,
author of the book "The Kennedy Curse," explains that in many ways, Kennedy and Bessette wanted
different things in life. Bessette wanted to live a peaceful life out of the spotlight;
Kennedy, who was used to public attention, did not share her desire to live under the radar.
Their differences eventually led to them living apart, fueling rumors of an imminent breakup.
There was also the issue of children: Kennedy wanted them, but Bessette was adamant that
she didn't want to bring a child into what she referred to as a fishbowl life. Kennedy did not
understand her reluctance, and per Klein's book, it was a major factor in their crumbling marriage.
"They were constantly bickering and fighting over a whole series
of things - whether or not to have a family."
As if all the rumors about their crumbling marriage were not enough, the media soon
started speculating that Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was cheating on her husband with ex-boyfriend
Michael Bergin, a former Calvin Klein model. Although Bessette was still staying out of the
public eye as much as possible, that didn't keep the tabloids from making assumptions. In his book,
"The Other Man: A Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette, & Me," Bergin alleges
that he and Bessette did indeed have an affair barely a year into her marriage with Kennedy.
He writes that the two of them fell back into their old rhythms easily,
and he reminisces about one time when Bessette stayed at his place for more than a week.
There were rumors that John F. Kennedy Jr. was being unfaithful to his wife as well,
but it's not clear whether these allegations had any truth to them. Bergin mentions in his
book that Bessette once confided in him that she suspected Kennedy of having an affair,
although she didn't provide him with any details and just said that she had a gut feeling.
Even before Bessette and Kennedy Jr. were married, the press had a field day when
the couple engaged in a public fight in New York’s Washington Square Park. Footage of the
incident showed Carolyn and John shouting at each other. The fight became physical,
and Carolyn eventually took off her engagement ring and furiously flung it in John's direction.
The very public spat went down in history as the New York Daily News managed to squeeze
eight pages of coverage from the incident. Bessette was painted as overly emotional
and accused of making her future husband incredibly unhappy. While this very public
disagreement did not look good for either of them, the fight actually ended with a kiss,
something most outlets decided to omit from their coverage of the incident.
The conflict did not ease after marriage. Many of their arguments could have been traced back to the
media pressure and the fact that Bessette simply couldn't find a way to deal with it. However,
RoseMarie Terenzio revealed in her book "Fairy Tale Interrupted" that Bessette
was often upset because she didn't get to spend quality time with her husband.
Bessette confided to Terenzio on one occasion that she didn’t feel like a
priority and admitted that she yearned for time with her husband. Even when she went
out of her way to make this happen, Kennedy didn't seem to realize it. Terenzio wrote -
"John's insensitivity was the biggest catalyst of their arguments."
All these little annoyances accumulated, and eventually, an outburst would follow. Per Edward
Klein's book, "The Kennedy Curse," the couple's disagreements sometimes got very heated and ended
in physical altercations, including slapping and throwing things at each other. One of these
violent arguments reportedly resulted in nerve damage to Kennedy's wrist, which was so severe
that it warranted a trip to the ER, according to some of Klein's sources. Klein wrote in his book -
"John told friends that he felt trapped in an abusive relationship."
At the same time, it appears Kennedy never told friends outright that
Bessette physically harmed him, so all they had were their suspicions.
The media circus and her marital troubles started to take a toll on Carolyn Bessette Kennedy as the
years wore on. Edward Klein's book, "The Kennedy Curse," reveals that Bessette's
tendency to isolate herself from the outside world had her friends worried, and they suspected
that she suffered from depression. Bessette eventually turned to drugs as a means of escape.
Speaking to NBC, Klein tiptoed around the drug use allegations in his book,
saying that Bessette likely only used cocaine on occasion. He claimed
that John F. Kennedy Jr. was aware of rumors that his wife was using drugs,
yet he wasn't prepared when he caught her in the act. Klein told the outlet -
"He came home one night, found her sprawled on the floor in front of the sofa conked out
with cocaine, and according to somebody who was there, he lost it and yelled at her."
Other sources claim Kennedy was no stranger to drug use himself. In his book "The Kennedy
Heirs," J. Randy Taraborrelli claimed that Kennedy had been doing acid and ecstasy with
his friend John Perry Barlow for years, which Barlow confirmed. Kennedy also occasionally
used drugs alongside his wife. An unnamed source told Taraborrelli that they once walked in on
Bessette and Kennedy both doing cocaine in their living room while winding down after a tough week.
No one could have foreseen the tragedy that befell Carolyn Bessette and Kennedy Jr. on July 16,
1999. The couple was set to fly to Martha's Vineyard to drop off Bessette's sister,
Lauren Bessette, after which they would make their way to Port Hyannis,
where Kennedy's cousin Rory Kennedy was set to get married. Kennedy was still a rookie
pilot and misjudged the bad weather, causing the flight to end tragically.
At first, Bessette didn't want to attend the wedding, but Kennedy's assistant,
RoseMarie Terenzio, managed to change her mind after a disgruntled Kennedy confided in her
about the situation. In her book, "Fairy Tale Interrupted," Terenzio recalls the
conversation she had with Bessette where she convinced her that she needed to go with him.
"So what did you say to her?"
"So I said, 'You have to go!' I said, 'You have to go to the wedding, come o-' I said,
'Come on don't, don't be silly this is crazy."
Bessette said she would, but on the condition that her sister came with. The three of them
were traveling in Kennedy's light aircraft. His inexperience, mixed with the bad weather,
is widely believed to have been the cause of the crash. According to reports, many pilots
postponed their flights that evening due to the weather, but Kennedy didn't follow their lead,
as he was confident that he could handle the treacherous conditions. He likely overestimated
his abilities and lost control of the aircraft, which went down over the Atlantic Ocean.
After news of the tragic crash reached the public, there was an outpouring of tributes. At the same
time, the media was looking for someone to blame. Many people, including former Air Force mechanic
Craig Henne, criticized Kennedy Jr. for flying in such bad weather conditions. Henne told the
media that Kennedy had been utterly careless, adding that he should've taken into account
the spatial disorientation that can occur while flying over the ocean in the dark.
Others, like author Edward Klein, blamed Bessette for the tragedy. Klein learned that Bessette got
a last-minute pedicure before the flight. She reportedly asked the pedicurist to redo her
nails three times before she was happy with the result. This made her and the rest of her party
late for their flight. When interviewed by NBC's John Hockenberry, Klein suggested that Bessette
partially contributed to the crash. He admitted that Kennedy's decision to fly was a reckless one,
but kept circling back to Bessette and the part he believes she played in the tragedy, saying -
"Well, John was responsible for it, of course,
but he was certainly made later than he otherwise would have been by his wife.”
No amount of blame could bring the couple back,
however, and the tragic end to their story continues to haunt those left behind.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse,
you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.