Was Carrie Bradshaw inspired by Carolyn Bessette Kennedy? Their surreal connection is hard to ignore

The Ryan Murphy produced television series Love Story premiered on February 12, 2026. The series depicts the romance between one of USA's most talked couples: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. The series explores a lot of theories leading upto their tragic deaths.

Amidst the excitement surrounding the series, many fans have noticed a striking similarity between Carolyn Bessette and Sex and the City's iconic Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker. A little deep dive actually connects the two in bizarre ways.

What connects Carolyn Bessette and Carrie Bradshaw?

The obvious connections between Carolyn Bessete and fictional character Carrie Bradshaw would be their glamorous careers. Carolyn was a popular PR representative for the famed brand Calvin Klein while Carrie is a columnist, journalist and author based in New York City.

Carolyn's relationship with America's biggest political heir, JFK Jr, is often likened to Carrie's tumultous relationship with Mr. Big. Two free-spirited blonde's in a highly publicised relationship with important, dark-haired men.

To understand the connection that these two women share, we must bring in Candace Bushnell, who was the original columnist who penned the famous column "Sex and the City" for The New York Observer. Her work is what inspired the popular series of the late 1990s. It has been since theorised that Candace modelled Carrie Bradshaw after Carolyn Bessette. However, this brings Candace into the equation since Carrie is her alter-ego and in her words, the fictional character is semi-autobiographical.

The internet loves to do some digging. People remembered the Manhattan File published serial satire by Candace Bushnell, intitially published under the title "Spoiled In the City". According to the subtitle, "She arried the world's most eligible bachelor, and inherited way more than she bargained for...introducing the diaries of CKB". The initials CKB are too similar to Caroline's married initials: CBK (Carolyn Bessette Kennedy).

A deeper look into the dating lives of the women connects them even further. Candace Bushnell was once rumoured to be dating a Calvin Klein model named Michael Bergin, who Carolyn had a casual relationship with, before JFK Jr came into her life. Moreover, Sarah Jessica, the actor playing Carrie was romantically linked with JFK Jr in the early 1990s. However, their romance did not last because of John's overwhelming fame.

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