Why Gwyneth Paltrow “Irked” Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in the ’90s

Before Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy married John F. Kennedy Jr., cementing her enduring legacy as American royalty, the former publicist was rubbing shoulders with fellow ‘90s It girls and navigating the echelons of New York City’s glitterati. One such It girl, Gwyneth Paltrow, seemingly had a lot in common with Bessette-Kennedy at first glance—a similarly effortless, Calvin Klein-coded look and social circles. However, a new book claims that not only were Bessette-Kennedy and Paltrow not friends, but Paltrow also “irked” the late style icon.

According to an excerpt from Gwyneth: The Biography shared with Us Weekly, Paltrow and Bessette-Kennedy crossed paths while the Shakespeare in Love actress was getting styled by Calvin Klein. B Bessette-Kennedy, a Calvin Klein publicist at the time, was apparently rubbed the wrong way by Paltrow’s demeanor.

“Gwyneth said she had arranged for an appointment at Calvin Klein, where she had become a regular presence at the office. One of the publicists on the brand’s small team who helped Gwyneth was Carolyn Bessette (who would go on to become Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy),” author Amy Odell wrote in the excerpt.

“According to one person familiar with her thinking, Gwyneth irked her,” she added, explaining, “When there were pictures of Gwyneth in the papers, Bessette, who viewed her as ‘little miss perfect,’ would make cutting remarks about her.

Unfortunately, the public never got to see if the pair’s relationship changed over time, as Bessette-Kennedy and RFK Jr. tragically died in a 1999 plane crash. However, fans will soon get to relive the society power couple’s life in Ryan Murphy’s American Love Story, which follows Bessette and Kennedy Jr. from their first meeting to their passing.  

The biographical series has already courted its fair share of controversy, drawing fans’ ire over lead actress Sarah Pidgeon’s initial styling and hair color. While Murphy initially called releasing the camera test images “a mistake” due to the backlash, Pigeon stepped out at her recent I Know What You Did Last Summer red carpet looking like the spitting image of Bessette-Kennedy. Her ashy platinum blonde hair had been transformed with “buttery chunks” and a darker base—a nod to the “child-of-the-beach color” her hair stylist was going for.