Katie Couric is revisiting the 1999 interview she conducted with John F. Kennedy Jr. just two months before his death
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"He was so handsome and so charismatic and really lovely," Couric tells PEOPLE
JFK Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette have drawn increased public interest due to Ryan Murphy's FX series, Love Story
In May 1999,Katie CouricinterviewedJohn F. Kennedy Jr.for theTodayshow in what would become his last TV interview. Two months later, Kennedy, 38,died in a plane crash off Martha's Vineyardthat claimed not only his life, but the lives of his wife,Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, 33, and her sister,Lauren Bessette, 34.
More than 25 years later, Couric is opening up to PEOPLE about that interview, including a memorable breakfast meeting that helped her land it and the memories of him that still stick with her today.
Before he had agreed to the interview (which Couric says she was chasing "for a long time"), JFK Jr. first met the journalist and her producer, Lori Beecher, for breakfast to discuss the opportunity. They went to Michael's — a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan — which "doesn't really serve breakfast," Couric says with a laugh, "but they sat us down anyway."
"I remember he asked for cereal with fruit, and they brought out, I think, cornflakes or some kind of cereal, and they had cut up honeydew melon on top of it," she says. "We all were laughing, like, 'What?' But I think they were trying their best at this restaurant that didn't really serve breakfast to accommodate this trio: Lori, John and I."
"I think after the cereal and melon incident — he was so funny and nice about it — that I expected him to be that way in an interview," Couric notes.
When he eventually agreed to the interview (which was to promote the Kennedy family'sProfile in Courageaward), he was just as down to earth and rode his bike to the studio.
"He was so handsome and so charismatic and really lovely," she says. "We sat down, and he was just as nice as he could be. And I just remember, obviously, I think you could see it all over my face, being utterly charmed by everything he said."
They discussed his mother,Jackie Kennedy, and her ability to raise both JFK Jr. and his sisterCaroline Kennedyto become "nice, productive people" in society. "She would be glad to hear you say that," JFK Jr. told Couric. "She took a lot of praise in being a good mother and I'm glad people think it worked."
Their conversation also included the topic of whether he'd run for politics and what he's most proud of his father,John F. Kennedy. JFK Jr. recalled the pride he felt learning that his father was the fourth most-popular president at the time. "He has a resonance that has endured beyond his years," JFK Jr. said.
Thinking back to their conversation, Couric, who launchedKatie Couric Media(KCM) in 2017, understood his appeal that the rest of the world felt too. "I think that's why he endeared himself so much to the public: He was kind of comfortable in his own skin," she says. "[But] searching a bit, I think. Figuring out his place in the world."
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With the exponential re-uptick in discussion surrounding JFK Jr. and Bessette, thanks toRyan Murphy'sLove StoryFX series, Couric says she's not surprised by the perennial fascination the couple inspires.
"It has just been amazing for me to see how people are rediscovering JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, because of course it was the '90s and I was on theTodayshow, and I lived through that courtship as an observer," she says. "And I'll never forget, like most people, where I was when I found out that they had tragically died on their way to Hyannis Port."
In the wake of Kennedy's death and that of both Bessette sisters, Couric flew to Hyannis Port to anchor theTodayshow from the Cape Cod town. And, for all the public fascination the family endured, Couric acknowledges that the existence ofLove Storyischallenging for the family's next generation.
"I think people were really fascinated by the two of them when they were alive. I think [withLove Story] they're introducing this 'it couple' that was so glamorous and attractive and effortlessly chic to a whole new generation of people," she says. "And I do know that and think it must be very hard for the Kennedy family to have this resurface in such a palpable way. Jack Schlossberg has spoken out about his disgust with the whole thing."
In fact, as recently as March 1,Jack Schlossberg, the nephew of JFK Jr., criticizedLove Storyexecutive producerRyan Murphyagain for profiting off of his family's tragic history while discussing hiscongressional campaignwithCBS Sunday Morning.
"If you want to know someone who's never met anyone in my family, knows nothing about us, talk to Ryan Murphy," Schlossberg said when asked about the show. "The guy knows nothing about what he's talking about, and he's making a ton of money on a grotesque display of someone else's life."
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"I would hope that Mr. Murphy would donate some of the millions of dollars of profits that he's making to maybe some of the causes that John championed throughout his life," Schlossberg added. "Maybe he would donate some of that money to the JFK library to help keep President Kennedy's memory alive, but he's not. He's making money. This is not a documentary."
Series executive producer Brad Simpson had previously responded to some of Schlossberg's earlier criticism in a statement toThe Hollywood Reporter, saying in part: "I understand that this show that we made with sincerity about these people is also the story of a tragedy in some people's lives. And for all of us who are making TV shows based on real events, you have to consider your ethical obligation to the family members and approach it with love and kindness," Simpson said. "What I hope is that when people watch the show, they will see our sincerity. They will see that we've approached this with love, and that we were trying to celebrate the life of Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr."
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