Ryan Murphy is addressing vocal criticism from Jack Schlossberg over the producer’s upcoming series American Love Story, which focuses on John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
In an interview with The New York Times, the 60-year-old producer responded to Schlossberg — the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy — who has accused Murphy of creating the show without consulting the family and failing to reserve proceeds for the Kennedy Library.
Schlossberg, 32, has repeatedly claimed that Murphy is “profiting off” public admiration for his late uncle. In June, he publicly accused Murphy of doing so “in a grotesque way.” Though he previously hinted he might visit the set, he later told the Times, “I was messing around. I didn’t actually do it.”
On social media, Schlossberg has taken aim at Murphy personally, once comparing him to “a thumb” and sharing a photo of Murphy’s 2019 Met Gala appearance with the caption “pervert.”
In response, Murphy told the Times: “This is a centuries-old vilification meant to condemn and weaponize hate against gay people, and that’s exactly what he did. And I received threats against my personal safety and that of my family because of it. How is that not disqualifying to someone who is asking to represent what has to be one of the highest concentrations of L.G.B.T.Q. voters in one district?”
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Schlossberg is seeking election in 2026 to represent New York’s 12th Congressional District, currently held by Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is not running for reelection.
When asked about Murphy’s remarks, Schlossberg told the Times that his “pervert” comment wasn’t about Murphy’s “personal life,” saying: “In my mind, that’s a form of perversion — to be so obsessed with somebody’s sexuality and their love life, to produce a multimillion-dollar series about them.”
Murphy has previously argued that Schlossberg barely remembers his uncle. In July, during an appearance on the This Is Gavin Newsom podcast, Murphy said: “I thought it was an odd choice to be mad about your relative that you really don’t remember. The days of civil discourse are over… you either get into the muck or you try and rise above it.”
Days later, Schlossberg posted part of that quote on Instagram and shared his earliest memories of JFK Jr., writing that he remembered being picked up from school in a Pontiac convertible, serving as ring bearer at JFK Jr.’s wedding, and the day his uncle died. He also recounted stories passed down by family, including a moment when JFK Jr. smashed his car window with a borrowed golf club after locking himself out.
Schlossberg went on to accuse Murphy of “making millions” from his uncle’s life without contributing “any of your riches to the causes he championed, or the legacy of public service he represented.”
