WavePod Logo

wavePod

← Back to The Nerve with Maureen Callahan
Podcast cover

The Sanitized Tale of JFK Jr.'s Failures, Diver Reveals JFK Jr's Crash Details, and 'AJLT' Bombshell

The Nerve with Maureen Callahan

Published: Tue Aug 26 2025

Maureen goes way deep into the last episode of CNN's watered-down narrative around the final years if JFK Jr's life featured in their "American Prince" docuseries . She points to CNN's usage of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal as filler, the glossy story telling of JFK Jr.'s failed media venture "George," and how everyone seemed to be accountable for its downfall but him. She also slams Carole Radziwill for making JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette's death all about her. Then Maureen showcases a different interview that involves a navy diver who offers new details of what was recovered from the plane crash site. She then switches gears to read Troublemaker feedback, reveal some 'AJLT' spilled tea, expose another cultural offender and to make a special announcement. Aware House: Visit https://awarehouseshop.com/discount/THENERVE & use code THENERVE for 15% off your first order. OneSkin: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code NERVE at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod The Fresh Pressed Olive...

Summary

The Nerve with Maureen Callahan – Episode Summary

Episode Title: The Sanitized Tale of JFK Jr.'s Failures, Diver Reveals JFK Jr's Crash Details, and 'AJLT' Bombshell
Date: August 26, 2025
Host: Maureen Callahan
Podcast: The Nerve

Overview

In this episode, Maureen Callahan delivers her signature sharp and irreverent dissection of pop culture, media myths, and uncomfortable truths. The focus is on the recent CNN docuseries about John F. Kennedy Jr., which, according to Maureen, glosses over his failures and the catastrophic plane crash that killed him, Carolyn Bessette, and Lauren Bessette. Maureen breaks down the sanitized narrative, exposes untold facts—including firsthand, graphic accounts from a Navy diver who recovered the bodies—and contextualizes the fallout from both the tragedy and its ongoing romanticization in American culture. She also touches on the cancellation of HBO's “And Just Like That,” lambasts celebrity privilege, and reads thought-provoking listener emails before ending with a big show announcement.

Key Topics & Segments

1. Grievances with CNN’s JFK Jr. Docuseries

Timestamp: 01:10 – 07:28

  • Maureen is highly critical of CNN's "The Final Summer" (part 3).
  • Accuses the doc of mythmaking and whitewashing.
    • "We are taking it apart ... doing what the good Lord ... put the nerve on this planet to do: real talk about fake people." (01:14)
  • Asserts CNN shifts blame to the public for elevating JFK Jr. without merit.

Notable Quote:
"This thing, I took so much offense to this on so many levels ... We're doing real talk about fake people." — Maureen Callahan (01:12)

2. The Myth of JFK Jr.’s Flying and ‘Final Summer’

Timestamp: 07:28 – 15:03

  • Examines rationalizations for JFK Jr.’s risky flying:
    • Friends claim flying was his only escape. Maureen calls it “moronic.”
    • Criticizes Carol Radziwill’s statements for their lack of self-awareness and reliance on “woke lexicon.”
  • Maureen debunks the docuseries narrative about JFK Jr.’s magazine George and points out its commercial failure.
    • Calls JFK Jr. an “unqualified, constant success” by virtue of fame, not substance.

Notable Quote:
"He was a moron, so it's pretty easy." — Maureen Callahan on JFK Jr. flying, after quoting his friends’ rationalizations (08:01)

3. The Failures and Hubris of George Magazine

Timestamp: 13:09 – 18:33

  • Analysis of George magazine’s failures and CNN’s spin:
    • Carol Radziwill tries to rebrand the magazine’s demise with Silicon Valley jargon.
    • Maureen dismisses such attempts as dishonest and condescending.
  • Critiques Tina Brown’s excuse that John was “too much of a gentleman” to cover Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal; Maureen responds with an explicit JFK Jr. quote from Billy Noonan’s book.

Notable Quotes:
"He didn't want to go there because he was too much of a gentleman. A gentleman who we're talking about killing his wife and her sister. That's a gentleman." — Maureen Callahan (15:17)
"Hey, Billy, I've been under that desk and there's barely enough room down there for a three year old, never mind a fat ass like Monica Lewinsky." — Quoting JFK Jr., via Billy Noonan (16:10)

4. The Dysfunction Inside George Magazine

Timestamp: 18:33 – 41:47

  • Maureen exposes chaos and infighting at George:
    • On-air begging for magazine subscriptions. (37:15)
    • Physical altercations between JFK Jr. and business partner Michael Berman.
    • The presence and disruptive influence of Carolyn Bessette in the office.
  • Ginsburg calls the relationship a "fucking disaster" (39:13).
  • Maureen highlights the dissonance between privileged, coddled reality and public image.

Notable Moment:
"His battles with Michael Berman culminated in a shoving match where John ripped Michael's shirt... This is what magazine professionals are having to deal with." — Maureen Callahan (38:00)

5. Rewriting Death and the Kennedy Family Aftermath

Timestamp: 41:13 – 47:44

  • Illuminates the Kennedy family’s cold, domineering behavior after the crash.
  • Excerpts from Maureen’s book "Ask Not":
    • Details the ruthless handling of the Bessette sisters' remains.
    • The Freeman family (Carolyn & Lauren's mother) was marginalized and bulldozed by Kennedy interests.
  • Critiques Carol Radziwill for not standing up for the Bessettes or Lauren’s memory.

Notable Quote:
"If Carol's really this close to Carolyn, how is she not talking about how wronged her best friend/sister-wife's mother was done by the Kennedys? ... We don't talk about that, do we Carol?" — Maureen Callahan (24:39)

6. Laying Bare JFK Jr.’s Recklessness & The Crash

Timestamp: 43:38 – 54:18

  • Presents testimony from Navy Diver Joshua: graphic details about the recovery of the bodies.
    • Asserts John was grossly unfit and reckless; posits the crash was akin to a murder-suicide.
    • Describes horrifying physical state of the bodies and the extreme measures to keep details and images from the public.

Notable Quotes:
"Trust me, if JFK Jr. hadn't been JFK Jr., none of those people would have ever gotten in a plane with that guy at the helm, ever." — Maureen Callahan (44:03)
"The bodies ... had meshed with the metal on impact and they had to take it apart underwater to get whatever of the remains they could get." — Maureen Callahan (54:18)

Diver Joshua’s Reveal (Navy Diver):
"We found the kneecap in the cockpit dashboard ... they were horribly mangled, very, very kind of distorted to see ... had to remove via cutting the seat belts." (53:01)

7. Takedown of the Ongoing Kennedy Myth

Timestamp: 55:09 – 57:49

  • Exposes further secrets from the recovery, including unrecovered remains, and how some evidence was deliberately left behind to shield the Kennedy image.
  • Maureen: "That’s why the nerve is here... because it completely obliterates the kind of fantasy, the bullshit fantasy that CNN is shilling..."

8. Listener Feedback & Pop Culture Roundup

Timestamp: 60:52 – 74:57

  • Reads and discusses nuanced emails on “The Biggest Loser,” food addiction, and the psychology of reality TV.
  • Praises her audience for the civil, thoughtful debate (contrasted with online toxicity).
  • Other topics:
    • Barry Weiss and The Free Press rumors
    • Psychic Tyler Henry and skepticism versus belief
    • Nepo baby warning: Mingus Reedus’ violent behavior escalates (74:57).
    • The “And Just Like That” cancellation saga (SJP’s denial and costuming evidence).
    • Obituary and appreciation for legendary book editor Starling Lawrence.

Notable Quote:
"If his parents want to pretend that this is just a misunderstanding... they can't say they haven't been warned." — Maureen Callahan on Mingus Reedus (74:57)

9. Special Announcement – Live Stream

Timestamp: 79:15 (approx.)

  • Maureen announces The Nerve’s first ever live-stream event for September 14, Emmy Night.
  • Invites listeners to submit name ideas for the event, touts special guests and interactive format.

Notable Quotes (w/ Timestamps & Attribution)

  • "He was a moron, so it's pretty easy." — Maureen Callahan on JFK Jr. (08:01)
  • "He didn't want to go there because he was too much of a gentleman. A gentleman who we're talking about killing his wife and her sister. That's a gentleman." — Maureen Callahan (15:17)
  • "Trust me, if JFK Jr. hadn't been JFK Jr., none of those people would have ever gotten in a plane with that guy at the helm, ever." — Maureen Callahan (44:03)
  • "We found the kneecap in the cockpit dashboard... had to remove via cutting the seat belts... they were horribly mangled." — Navy Diver Joshua (53:01)
  • "That's why the nerve is here. And that's why I wrote 'Ask Not.' ...Yeah, you did. Yes, you did." — Maureen Callahan (57:49)
  • "Your husband was still alive ... and she's like, I'm the only one left." — Maureen Callahan mocking Carol Radziwill’s self-centered reaction (48:19)
  • "She can't get over it. She was this close ... she thinks she'd be in the White House." — Maureen Callahan, skewering Carol Radziwill's ambitions (49:16)
  • "If his parents want to pretend that this is just a misunderstanding ... they can't say they haven't been warned." — Maureen Callahan on Mingus Reedus (74:57)
  • "You want to be Persona non grata. You want to upset the powers that be by telling the truth." — Maureen Callahan, quoting Michael Lewis's tribute to Starling Lawrence (Report on Lawrence, 75:56)

Tone and Style

  • Biting, irreverent, and unfiltered. Maureen skewers public figures, media elites, and sacred cows with sarcasm and a relentless pursuit of the blunt truth.
  • Deep skepticism of media narratives—especially those that seek to sanitize or mythologize.
  • Mixes dark humor with genuine pathos, particularly regarding the real human cost of celebrity mythmaking.

Why Listen?/Summary Takeaway

This episode is a masterclass in puncturing the glossy fantasy of American royalty and celebrity, replacing myth with uncomfortable reality and sharp analysis. Maureen’s blend of pointed humor, deep research, and refusal to look away from the gruesome details offers a counter-narrative to the reverential hagiography that still surrounds the Kennedys and their acolytes. Listeners learn not just what happened but why the story is typically told so differently—and why that matters.

No transcript available.