This time, it’s American Love Story, an upcoming Hulu series chronicling the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, including their deaths in a 1999 plane crash. He even faced criticism from JFK Jr.’s nephew, Jack Schlossberg, for not consulting his family first and “profiting off of” their tragedy in such a “grotesque way.”
Ryan responded to his comments this week on the This Is Gavin Newsom podcast. He expressed confusion over Jack’s reaction because, as Ryan put it, Jack — who was 6 when his uncle died — didn’t “really” remember him.
“I thought it was an odd choice to be mad about your relative that you really don’t remember,” Ryan confessed.
In response, Jack doubled down. He reposted Ryan’s comments to Instagram, along with several of his “earliest” memories of JFK Jr., to show they did have a real and memorable relationship. “Hey @ryanmurphyproductions,” Jack began. “My earliest memories are of John calling me Jackolatern and ‘the nudist,’ picking me up from school, his Pontiac convertible. I remember being the ring bearer at his wedding and the day he died. I remember Wyclef singing at his funeral.”
He also shared memories that he learned from others: “Like the time he locked himself out of a car in an intersection and asked the guy screaming at him if he could borrow a golf club to smash the window to get the keys, and then did it.”
Jack went on to call out Ryan once again for hoarding “millions” made off of his uncle instead of contributing to causes that were important to him. “You’re making millions off John, making a public spectacle of it,” he wrote, “but won’t contribute any of your riches to the causes he championed, or the legacy of public service he represented.” He also challenged Ryan directly, telling him to say the comments “to my face.”
Viewers joined him in criticizing Ryan in the comments. One person said, “The audacity is crazy. John is literally your uncle and Ryan never even met him.” Another said, “If anyone ever told me I didn’t remember any of my aunts or uncles from childhood, especially some who knew NONE of us, they’d be viewed as fighting words. Good job, Jack!”
“That was really of Ryan to say,” a third fan agreed. “The entitlement Ryan feels over the Kennedy family is abhorrent …also thanks for sharing those sweet memories of your uncle.” Someone else chimed in to say reiterate how “strange” and “wild” it was for Ryan, “a total stranger,” to make such assumptions about Jack’s relationship with his uncle. “And from what I have read about your uncle – he would tell him exactly how he felt to his face,” one reader added. “That kinda stuff seemed to matter greatly to him. Integrity. And being a good human on this earth.”
The backlash continued on Reddit, too. Many comments called Ryan’s remarks “odd,” “callous,” and “completely nonsensical.”
One person noted, “Jack was 6 when Jr died? And Jr.’s sister is his mother??? And Jack’s older sisters likely shared stories too???what a callous but also completely nonsensical thing for Ryan to say.” A second person agreed, “That’s a real asshole response of Ryan Murphy to say.”
“Almost as odd as choosing to make a show about someone you’ve never met, and taking creative liberties regarding a real person?” a third fan wrote, as another said they were “begging” Ryan “to discover tact.”
“That is such a repulsive thing to say my God,” said another, as one more added, “How fucked up of Ryan to say. I never met my great uncle because he died in WWII. I’m still extremely protective of his memory. You’re not allowed to tell people how to feel about their own relatives!”
If you’ve been following Ryan, you know that this, unfortunately, isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Previously, he faced criticism for his depiction of convicted murderer brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez in the Netflix series, Monsters. Released in September 2024, the show followed the events leading up to and after the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez. Critics specifically took issue with the implication that the brothers had a sexual relationship and the way it handled the abuse allegations they made against their parents.
Even Erik Menendez spoke out, calling out Ryan’s “blatant lies” in an open letter published by his wife, Tammi Menendez. In response, Ryan defended himself, saying they had handled the brothers’ claims “carefully.”
