'Love Story': All the celeb characters in the JFK Jr. extravaganza
There are many things to love about the new FX series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette; the performances by Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon as the doomed couple, the carefully curated early '90s soundtrack, and the respectful exploration of celebrity, love, and societal expectations. Also worthy of adulation is the series' devotion to recreating 1990s glamour, from the sleek New York offices of Calvin Klein — where Bessette worked before marrying Kennedy — to the chic models and movie stars with whom both Kennedy and Bessette interact.
Show creator Connor Hines (and, ok, executive producer Ryan Murphy, too) deserves credit for his accuracy to the time period, employing spot-on references to '90s phenomenons like Heather Locklear and Brad Pitt. Other celebrities featured on Love Story are full-fledged characters who drive the narrative forward, including Daryl Hannah, Kate Moss, and Annette Bening.
We've compiled the most notable celebrity characters and mentions below, leaving out others mentioned only briefly, like Jason Priestley, Keanu Reeves, Michael Jackson, and Saddam Hussein (!). We're also not including members of the Kennedy and Bouvier families who appear on the show, like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Caroline Kennedy, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Edwin Schlossberg, and Lee Radziwill, since they operate in the family and political spheres rather than Hollywood or fashion.
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Mickey Rourke
The 9½ Weeks actor has the honor of being the first celebrity name-dropped in Love Story, when, in 1992, Carolyn Bessette’s co-worker at Calvin Klein humblebrags that she ended up in a ball pit with the actor at legendary ’90s nightclub Tunnel. The Rourke reference suggests that Carolyn and her coterie of friends operate on the fringes of America's elite.
Calvin Klein
Next up is the fashion designer himself (played by Alessandro Nivola), who is first seen getting into an elevator with Bessette. Klein is a major character in the series and a big supporter of Bessette.
Kelly Klein
Calvin's wife is a confidante and advocate of Bessette's. Klein (Leila George) expresses reservations about marrying her famous husband, warning Bessette of the pitfalls of being attached to "shiny people."
Demi Moore
Oscar-nominated legend Moore is briefly mentioned in the pilot when Bessette is reprimanded by her CK boss for not pressing and bagging clothes for Moore, who, post-Ghost, was one of the biggest movie stars of the time.
Annette Bening
Another Oscar-nominated actress who loves Calvin Klein, Bening is fitted by the designer for the premiere of Bugsy, her film with husband Warren Beatty. Bening, depicted as sweet and gentle by actor Megan Channell, doesn’t love her dress but is guided by Bessette to a different, gender-bending look. Bening is besotted with Bessette, which impresses King Klein and sets the saleswoman up for her promotion to CK's publicity department.
Madonna
Oddly enough, Bening is followed by Madonna, who may or may not be the subject of the Queen of Pop’s 1993 song "Thief of Hearts," which went viral in 2026. Madonna, who dated Kennedy in the late '80s, is mentioned as part of a crude joke by one of Kennedy's football buddies. Madonna is referenced again in the series (see below).
Daryl Hannah
The Splash star and on-again/off-again partner of JFK Jr. is a major character in the series, first mentioned at a dinner with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her grown children. Hannah, portrayed as kind, sensitive, and a bit hippie-dippy by actor Dree Hemingway, is not Jackie's favorite, possibly because she evokes memories of her first husband's affair with another famous blond actress. Hannah is a three-dimensional character in the first two episodes of the series, but her portrayal in episode three is less nuanced.
Pope Paul IV
We get a brief mention of Pope Paul IV when JFK Jr. claps back at his judgmental mother by pointing out that the pope had condemned her 1968 marriage to Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis (though it was more akin to disapproval of Jackie marrying a divorced man).
Michael Bergin
This '90s model is a major character in the series, as he had an on-again, off-again relationship with Bessette (the latter claimed the relationship continued even after her marriage to Kennedy). When we first meet Bergin (Noah Fearnley), he's hustling his way through New York, working as a bellhop and cater waiter, pining for something more serious with Bessette. Their relationship grows more serious, at least in the show, after JFK, Jr. rekindles his relationship with Hannah. Afterwards, Bessette works to elevate Bergin, sending his nascent modeling career into orbit when he becomes Calvin Klein's new hot male face (and body), thanks to her advocacy.
Cindy Crawford
The supermodel is referenced a few times in the early episodes of the series. First, Klein is considering making her the face of his line, but Bessette pushes for the then-relatively unknown Kate Moss. The next is history, as Moss skyrockets to stardom via her CK campaigns. Crawford is mentioned again when Kennedy is pitching his new political magazine, George, to investors; Crawford famously served as the publication's first cover model, styled in George Washington drag.
Kate Moss
In Love Story, Bessette is depicted as one of the first people to see potential in the British model. Bessette tells Klein that Moss has the elusive and guarded nature that drives people mad with desire, a subtle reference to Bessette's own worldview, at least according to the series.
Mark Wahlberg
No celebrity comes off worse in Love Story than Mark Wahlberg, then known as rapper Marky Mark. As a Calvin Klein underwear model, MM's future with the label is in doubt after he gets into a fight with Madonna's entourage and uses an antigay slur. Bessette calls MM a purveyor of "shitty hip-hop," and the whole CK team sours on him after discovering he doesn't like the gay male attention he received because of the underwear campaign. With Bessette's urging, Marky Mark is dumped by Calvin.
Marlon Brando
An ailing Jackie Kennedy burns her personal letters in the days preceding her death, including one correspondence from the Oscar-winner where he recalls a wild night out where they danced and partied together.
Neal joined Mashable’s Social Good team in 2024, editing and writing stories about digital culture and its effects on the environment and marginalized communities. He is the former editorial director of The Advocate and Out magazines, has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, Curbed, and Los Angeles magazine, and is a recipient of the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for LGBTQ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association (NLGJA). He lives in Los Angeles with his family.
