Ryan Murphy’s ‘American Love Story’ Facing Criticism Over Casting and Carolyn’s Iconic Style

From casting actors to hair color to Carolyn’s style, American Love Story —superproducer Ryan Murphy’s upcoming series about doomed couple John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy — is already facing criticism.

The Leads

On June 13, Ryan shared a first look at the stars of the series, due in 2026: Paul Kelly as JFK. Jr. and Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn.

Online commenters quickly weighed in. Huffed one on X, “Usually the actors are better looking than the real people. The opposite is true here… How sad!”

Family Reacts

JFK Jr.’s nephew, Jack Schlossberg, 32, sent a message to Ryan on Instagram: “Admiration for John is great but maybe consider donating profits to the Kennedy Library,” he commented.

Ryan responded, “I absolutely will.”

Carolyn’s Colorist Takes Issue

Fans branded Sarah’s hair too platinum. Carolyn’s real-life colorist, Brad Johns — who created her buttery blonde look using his signature “chunking” technique — deemed it “totally wrong,” telling Vogue, “No one would believe that Carolyn in the ’90s would ever have that color from me. It’s too 2024.”

Ryan told Variety initial photos showed Sarah in a temporary wig, not her final look.

Fashion Flubs

After critics took aim at Sarah-as-Carolyn’s wardrobe in the first-look photos, Ryan explained to Variety that the pieces were for camera and lighting tests and won’t appear in the show.

He’s tapped a 10-person “style advisory board” to help costume designer Lou Eyrich source Carolyn’s on-screen wardrobe, which includes some pieces that once belonged to her.