Sarah Pidgeon knows the internet has opinions on her portrayal of John F. Kennedy Jr.’s wife—beloved fashion icon and all-around it-girl Carolyn Bessette Kennedy—in Love Story, and she’s finally breaking her silence on how she manifested the role in the first place.
During a March 3 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Sarah gave some intel on the casting process. “My team actually photoshopped blonde hair onto me,” she shared. “I have very naturally dark hair, so I think that maybe helped with convincing production that this was the right move.”
ICYMI, the rising star faced intense criticism for the platinum blonde hue she wore when showrunner Ryan Murphy shared first-look images on Instagram in June 2025.
“This wardrobing...during PRIDE?! Violent,” former Vogue fashion editor and stylist, Gabriella Karefa Johnson, wrote under the post. Another critic added, “The opportunity of a lifetime to source archival Carolyn fits and y’all did this,” as others noted her high-fashion look looked “cheap” in Ryan’s recreation.
After the pics dropped, Carolyn’s friend and former hairstylist, Brad Johns, reacted to Sarah’s portrayal in conversation with Page Six.
“I love Ryan Murphy. I mean, I live for him. But there must be some kind of glitch with the costume people or the hair people, because it’s not right—it’s all white and burnt,” he said, adding, “Her hair was not white and it wasn’t burnt, and she hated the idea of having ashy hair—which I was totally against, too, and I never did it.”
Last July, Sarah responded to the backlash during the I Know What You Did Last Summer premiere, where she debuted a new-and-improved shade of blonde.
“I know how special Carolyn is to me and I understand how widely beloved she is, so this role comes with a lot of responsibility—and I’m not surprised that people have strong opinions about it,” she told Variety on the red carpet at the time.
She added, “That’s what makes her such an interesting person. I mean, not only how she dressed, but the woman who worked at Calvin Klein and the person that JFK Jr. fell in love with. She’s a human being beyond just these pictures. She really resonates with a lot of people, and she certainly does with me.”
Ryan also reacted to comments about his take on Carolyn during an interview with Puck, saying, “I had no idea that people cared as much as they do, but I guess that’s a good thing.”
New episodes of Love Story air weekly on Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST/PST on FX and hit Hulu at 12 a.m. EST.
