The Daily | "Our Enduring Fascination With the Kennedys"

Date: March 29, 2026
Host: Rachel Abrams
Guest: Alexandra Jacobs (Culture writer, The New York Times)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into America’s enduring fascination with the Kennedy family, using the explosive popularity of Hulu’s miniseries "Love Story"—a dramatization of the romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette—as a cultural touchstone. Host Rachel Abrams is joined by journalist Alexandra Jacobs to explore why this series is hitting such a nerve, how it blends fact and fantasy, and what our continued obsession with the Kennedys and Cinderella stories says about American culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Phenomenon of "Love Story"

• The East Village restaurant Panna 2, featured in the series as JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's date spot, suddenly sees a surge in visitors attracted by the show's depiction ([00:33]-[02:00]).
• "Love Story" is now Hulu's most-streamed limited series ever, with 40 million viewing hours and a massive cultural ripple effect across TikTok, fashion, and beyond ([07:04]).
• Retailers are capitalizing on the show’s influence—vintage Calvin Klein and Prada are trending, and iconic NYC locations shown in the series are experiencing renewed hype ([07:04], [07:49]).
• The show is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, known for dramatizing real-life figures in a heightened, sometimes "cartoonish" style ([08:14]-[09:39]).

America’s Fascination with the Kennedys

• Alexandra Jacobs suggests the Kennedys endure in cultural attention because, as a family, they represent "the closest thing to royalty we've ever had in America" ([02:35]), and because new generations keep them in the spotlight—RFK Jr., Jack Schlossberg on social media, etc. ([04:04]).
• The family’s narrative is continually renewed by their ongoing presence in politics, business, and social media ([15:18]).

The Series as a Cinderella Story

• "Love Story" taps into the classic American fascination with Cinderella tales: an ordinary woman entering a realm of glamour and privilege ([13:50]).
• Alexandra Jacobs:
  "The feeling was, if he could choose her, then someone like him could choose me. What did she do to get a guy like him so entranced with her?" ([14:27])

Carolyn Bessette: Glamour and Enigma

• Little is known about the real Carolyn Bessette, allowing the show’s creators to cast her as "elusive, ambivalent, private, and ambitious" ([18:14]).
• Jacobs:
  "She seems glamorous. And what is glamour? You know, it's mysterious. She seems glamorous and mysterious and unknowable." ([18:59])
• This mystery allows audiences to project their desires and fantasies onto her character, reinforcing allure ([18:54]-[20:23]).

The 1990s Nostalgia Factor

• The show's styling—minimalist, high-end basics—and portrayal of pre-digital 1990s New York City are a huge draw, especially for younger audiences who find that world aspirational or exotic ([21:19]-[24:31]).
• "Nostalgia for a time before iPhones... when creative people could afford to live in Manhattan... and writing for magazines or working for a fashion designer seemed like a viable career path." (Alexandra Jacobs, [23:35])
• Rachel Abrams draws parallels with the enduring appeal of "Sex and the City," where the city and its era are as captivating as the characters ([25:23]).

Cultural Backlash and Ethical Questions

• Sharp criticism from Jack Schlossberg (JFK Jr.'s nephew) and Daryl Hannah (JFK Jr.'s ex-girlfriend) centers on the show’s liberties with real people’s lives:
  • Schlossberg accused Ryan Murphy of exploiting his family without consultation ([29:44]-[30:26]).
  • Murphy retorted:
    "I thought it was an odd choice to be mad about your relative that you really don't remember." ([30:26])
  • Daryl Hannah's op-ed in The New York Times:
    "The character Daryl Hannah portrayed in the series is not even a remotely accurate representation of my life, my conduct, or my relationship with John."
    "When entertainment borrows a real person's name, it can permanently impact her reputation." ([32:06])
• The pair discuss the ethical boundary between creative license and respect for real people, ultimately noting that fame complicates both the vulnerability to exploitation and the power to respond ([33:55]-[36:18]).

The Streisand Effect and Modern Attention Economy

• Abrams points out the "Streisand effect": controversies and bans often intensify public interest ([34:43]-[35:30]).
• "The number of people who have refused to watch the show because they side with Jack Schlossberg or Daryl Hannah is less than the number of people who are watching it because they wanna be in the conversation and know what all the fuss is about." (Rachel Abrams, [35:30])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Fashion as Cultural Rebirth:
  "It's the best thing that happened to Calvin Klein since Brooke Shields in the jeans."
  – Alexandra Jacobs ([08:06])

• 90s Style Through Two Lenses:
  "Carolyn Bessette's style on this show is a Rorschach test... Either you look at her and you think ... this looks like the Gap ... or your reaction is this is the chicest thing I've ever seen."
  – Rachel Abrams ([22:31])

• Cultural Recurrence and Renewal:
  "For years, [the Kennedys] embodied a realization of the American dream ... while, yes, also having tragic elements that give it that Shakespearean quality."
  – Alexandra Jacobs ([15:57])

• On Carolyn Bessette’s Enduring Appeal:
  "She seems glamorous and mysterious and unknowable."
  – Alexandra Jacobs ([18:59])

• On Entertainment and Ethics:
  "If you want the press when it's time to get your side of the story out ... but then you don't like it if other creative entities ... that's challenging."
  – Alexandra Jacobs ([35:30])

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Introduction & Panna 2's sudden fame ([00:33]–[02:51])
• Why 'Love Story' resonates right now ([02:59]–[07:04])
• The Kennedy dynasty’s lasting grip on culture ([04:04]–[06:24], [15:18])
• Carolyn Bessette, enigma of the series ([17:30]–[21:19])
• Nostalgia for 1990s NYC & style ([21:19]–[25:57])
• America’s love of Cinderella stories ([13:50]–[15:00])
• Cultural criticism and controversy ([29:04]–[36:37])
• Reflections and sign-off ([36:43]–[36:59])

Conclusion

The episode expertly unpacks the Kennedy mythos, the latest media interpretations of American royalty, and why certain stories—especially those woven through glamour, tragedy, and nostalgia—maintain an unbreakable hold on the public imagination. Through discussions of audience fascination, fashion, cultural memory, and ethical boundaries in dramatizing real lives, listeners gain a multidimensional understanding of why the Kennedys remain, as Jacobs puts it, "creatures of glossy magazines" and why "Love Story" has become the rare, zeitgeist-defining TV event.