Ryan Murphy reacts to Kennedy family firestorm over his new JFK Jr. show

Ryan Murphy thought it was “very strange” when John F. Kennedy Jr.’s nephew Jack Schlossberg called him out over his upcoming show American Love Story.

The FX limited series dramatizes the marriage and deaths of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, and Schlossberg had previously shared his fears about the show “profiting off of it in a grotesque way.”

Sitting down with the governor of California on the This Is Gavin Newsom podcast, Murphy said he was shocked by Schlossberg’s comments about the project.

“I thought it was an odd choice to be mad about your relative that you really don’t remember,” said the Glee creator, noting that he was hurt by the criticism.

Referencing Schlossberg’s remark that his family wasn’t consulted, Murphy pointed out that there have been 88 films and television shows about the Kennedys, none of which have been authorized by the family.

“I never even thought they wanted to do that,” Murphy said. “Ours is based on a book that’s very sympathetic to both people with Paul [Anthony Kelly] and Sarah [Pidgeon] playing their hearts out.”

In his past comments, Schlossberg expressed his desire for the show to “take seriously what [JFK Jr.] stood for in his life, all that he achieved in it, and that they donate some of the profits [from] what they’re making to the John F. Kennedy Library.”

Murphy said that the family has not read the script, but emphasized that it was “not a takedown.”

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American Love Story will follow the high-profile nuptials between JFK Jr. and Bessette, along with the stress, tabloid frenzy, familial drama, and fatal plane crash that defined their union. The series is expected to be released in February 2026.

After Murphy shared a first look at the production, he received some backlash from fans about the wardrobe and hairstyling of his characters.

The producer took the feedback seriously, including comments about actress Sarah Pidgeon’s hair, which was a wig, being far off from Bissette’s natural blonde locks. He said they made the decision to dye Pidgeon’s real hair, which was an improvement.

“We rolled up our sleeves and we listened to people and corrected it,” he said. “And I like doing that.”

Listen to the full episode of This Is Gavin Newsom with Ryan Murphy below.