JFK Jr.’s ex-girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah, has made a statement regarding Ryan Murphy’s Love Story.In the show, Daryl is portrayed by Dree Hemingway as a somewhat one-dimension soon-to-be ex-girlfriend.”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,” wrote Hannah.
Much has been already been said of the portrayal of Daryl Hannah in Ryan Murphy’s hit Hulu show Love Story, a retelling of the ill-fated relationship of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. In the show, Dree Hemingway portrays JFK Jr.’s ex-girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah—and as various critics and fans alike have noted, Murphy’s version of Hannah seems to be suspiciously one-note and pretty unflattering. Now, Hannah has chimed in on the discourse with an opinion piece for The New York Times, claiming the show is “tragedy-exploiting” and “untrue.” She also noted that it has had “real-life consequences.”
Hannah explained that Murphy’s decision to present the character of Daryl as “irritating, self-absorbed, whiny and inappropriate was no accident,” but was a plot device to make the character of Carolyn look more appealing to viewers. However, she went on, “a real, living person is not a narrative device.”
Daryl Hannah and John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1993.
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Hannah, who dated JFK Jr. from 1988 to 1994, then went on to deny any truth in the portrayal of her in the show. “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,” she wrote. “The actions and behaviors attributed to me are untrue. I have never used cocaine in my life or hosted cocaine-fueled parties. I have never pressured anyone into marriage. I have never desecrated any family heirloom or intruded upon anyone’s private memorial. I have never planted any story in the press. I never compared Jacqueline Onassis’ death to a dog’s. It’s appalling to me that I even have to defend myself against a television show. These are not creative embellishments of personality. They are assertions about conduct—and they are false.”
Daryl Hannah and John F. Kennedy Jr.
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The show, Hannah claimed, has had “real-life consequences” for her, including “threatening messages” from fans who believe the show is “factual.” “When entertainment borrows a real person’s name, it can permanently impact her reputation,” Hannah wrote.
Hannah concluded her piece by noting that her current focus is “environmental advocacy, documentary filmmaking, and animal-assisted therapy for seniors living with dementia and Alzheimer’s.” She added, “My professional life is built on compassion and responsibility.”
Daryl Hannah in 2025.
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Speaking to Nylon, Hemingway, who portrays Hannah in the series, revealed that she wrote Hannah a letter prior to the show’s release to express “how much I admired her.”
“I haven’t heard back from her, but that’s okay. It was not the expectation,” she said. “It was more so just like ‘I really appreciate you. I admire you as a person, a philanthropist, an actress.’ I wasn’t trying to have her communicate back.”
Hemingway added, “I really want to emphasize is that this is a dramatization. We are not exactly portraying her or how something went down. There’s a fiction involved in all of this. With any person that you loved and you were dating, I’m sure it’s a hard thing. So, I think that it’s nice to respect that and her.”