Daryl Hannah is being dragged back into the spotlight after the release of FX’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.”
Since the release of the first few episodes of the series on Feb. 12, fans have quickly noticed how show creator Ryan Murphy decided to portray Kennedy’s ex. According to some social media users and Vogue, “Love Story” seems to be painting the “Splash” star in a negative light.
An opinion piece produced by Vogue stated, “‘Love Story’s’ portrayal of Hannah as a whiny, coke-obsessed prima donna doesn’t quite ring true. Indeed, if I were Hannah, I’d consider suing.”
Reddit users quickly weighed in on their opinions of Hannah from the “Love Story” producer’s perspective.
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“Watching the show all I kept thinking was damn these writers hate Darryl Hannah,” one user wrote. Another added, “The casting of Hannah – they did her dirty.”
“I think the Darryl Hannah actress is horrible. They were together a long time. He really cared for her. the show makes it seem like she was irritating,” another added.
Hannah and Kennedy had a long relationship before he went on to marry Bessette. The pair first met in the early 1980s before making their relationship official at the end of the decade. They had a tumultuous, tabloid-centered relationship until eventually calling it quits in 1994 (the same year he began dating Bessette).
In the first three episodes released in the series, Hannah is seen attempting to reconcile with Kennedy as he pursues a relationship with Bessette. The series also made it clear that Kennedy’s mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, did not approve of her son dating Hannah.
Nina Jacobson, a “Love Story” producer, told Gold Derby that they did not reach out to Hannah prior to creating the series. Instead, they used Elizabeth Beller’s 2024 book, “Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,” as the source material for Hannah’s storyline.
“It’s very hard [to reach out] because you feel an obligation [to them]. We want to find these characters from the inside out, and it’s hard to serve a bunch of agendas when you to the real people. So we tend not to do that except in rare cases,” Jacobson said.
Below is a complete break-down of Kennedy and Hannah’s on-and-off relationship that captivated the public for over five years.
Hannah and Kennedy first met in the early 1980s while their families were vacationing on St. Martin, an island in the Caribbean.
They reconnected in 1988 at Kennedy’s aunt’s wedding. Lee Radziwill tied the knot to Herb Ross, the director of “Steel Magnolias,” which Hannah starred in.
By the 1990s, Hannah and Kennedy’s relationship was hot tabloid material.
Hannah recalled to Entertainment Weekly in 1993 that she was being hounded on questions about their potential wedding.
“It’s getting really annoying. I get asked about it all the time. This morning I call up my plumber, and even he asks me. Oh, brother, I’m just trying to get my pipes fixed. Why can’t people talk about something else?” she told the outlet at the time, according to People.
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The pair were often seen strolling New York City together, riding bikes in Central Park and dancing in their underwear.
A neighbor told People in 1993 that she spotted Kennedy in just his boxer shorts and Hannah in a night dress dancing on a rooftop one early Sunday morning.
“They were doing this little love play. He was tickling her, and she’d run away. Then he’d catch her, and they’d dance around. Even if you didn’t know who they were, you’d be entranced,” the neighbor told the outlet at the time.
“Love Story” depicts Kennedy’s mother not approving of his relationship with Hannah, who was a major actress at the time. In one scene, Kennedy brought Hannah to dinner at his mother’s house, and she refused to come to the table.
Sue Wexler, Hannah’s stepmother, previously denied these rumors to People.
“The stories I’ve heard are just unbelievable. Daryl told me [Onassis] has been very warm and affectionate,” Wexler said.
Dree Hemingway, the actress who portrayed Hannah on screen, told Town & Country she tried her best to portray the actress as someone trying to win over the Kennedy family.
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“Daryl so badly wants to be accepted into this family because she loves John so much,” she told the outlet. “I think she wants to have this connection, and she’s so badly wanting to settle down and be more to this person, but there’s a conflict there. He’s met somebody who he has these sparks with.”
Hemingway continued, “I think her heart is what I want people to take away. I really felt that while I was studying Daryl, and it’s what made me fall for her.”
Hannah and Kennedy split for good in 1994.
Kennedy went on to marry Bessette in 1996. The couple sadly died in a plane accident just years after tying the knot. Kennedy was 38 and Bessette was 33 when their single-engine plane went down in 1999. Bessette’s sister, Lauren, was also aboard the flight. She was 34 at the time of the crash.
Hannah continued her career as an actress following her split from Kennedy. She eventually married singer Neil Young in 2018.
Hannah’s representatives did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.