Every 'American Love Story' Controversy, Explained

Ryan Murphy knows how to get people talking.

The man behind dramas like Glee, Pose, and, most recently, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, is at it again with American Love Story, a new FX series that focuses on the tragic romance between Carolyn Besette Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. The show doesn’t debut until Valentine’s week 2026—in fact, it’s barely started production in New York City—but is already mired in controversy. Here’s why.

Public outcry hit a fever pitch in mid-June after Sarah Pidgeon, who plays the late fashionista and PR executive, was spotted on set wearing a handful of very un-Bessette outfits. There were black Converse (Bessette did wear her fair share of Chuck Taylors, it should be said), a silk satin midi skirt, and a selection of outerwear that many likened to something you’d find hanging on the racks of a fast fashion retailer. The costumes were the subject of immense criticism from major fashion magazines—but Murphy responded to the outcry by telling Variety “It’s very interesting that people become so inflammatory.”

Converse and faux leather coats weren’t the only hot topic, though. Bessette-Kennedy’s former colorist, Brad Johns, criticized Pidgeon’s blonde dye job, telling Vogue that the hue was “Totally wrong, the opposite of what we were going for.” Murphy was quick to brush off Johns’s comments, saying that Pidgeon was wearing a wig.

The fervor continued when Murphy shared test shots to the show’s Instagram profile on June 13. One image of Pidgeon dressed in a khaki trench coat and holding an Hermès bag was the subject of particularly negative commentary. Bessette fanatics pointed out that the publicist preferred a Birkin 40, not the smaller 35 model that Pidgeon was holding. Murphy clarified that they do have a Birkin 40 ready to use for filming, but decided to have the 35 on hand just for test shots.

“We have multiple pairs of Manolo black heels and sandals from 1992 to 1999,” the producer clarified in an interview. “We have the Manolo boots she wore in black and brown. We have her Prada tall boots. We have her Prada bags. We have the Birkin No. 40 that we have taken to a specialist to scruff it up so it looks identical to the one she would wear half-open on the subway.”

Murphy likened the negative reception to Pidgeon to what Bessette experienced back in the day. “They’re doing to our Carolyn, what they did to the real-life Carolyn. It’s not fair.”

Internet fodder is one thing, but what do the Kennedys actually think about the whole thing?

Well, Jack Schlossberg, the son of JFK Jr.’s older sister, Caroline Kennedy, is already not a fan. The 32-year-old law school grad and frequent social media pot-stirrer shared a post on Instagram, captioning a photo of Paul Kelly (who plays the late businessman in American Love Story) with the words “See you on set Ryan,” written over top.

It remains to be seen if Schlossberg will surprise the cast on set (he does live in Manhattan, where the series is being filmed), but he did have another, perhaps more reasonable, solution to the whole ordeal. In response to Murphy announcing the roles of Pidgeon and Kelly on Instagram, Schlossberg commented “Hey Ryan — admiration for John is great but maybe consider donating profits to the Kennedy Library thanks.”