Drugs, Violence Marred JFK Jr.'s Marriage - Report (Another Coke On Toilet Seat Alert)

Reuters ^ | June 30, 2003

[PJ-Comix]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - By the time they died in a 1999 plane crash, John F. Kennedy Jr., and his wife, Carolyn Bessette, were living a life of drugs, separate beds and violence, according to a new book by Kennedy family biographer Edward Klein excerpted in Vanity Fair on Monday . In "The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years," Klein said that two days before he died, Kennedy, the only son of assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy, told a friend his marriage was deteriorating.

"It's got to stop. Otherwise we're headed for divorce," Kennedy told the friend in a call from the Stanhope Hotel, where Klein said he took refuge from his wife's cocaine habit and violent temper.

"I want to have kids but whenever I raise the subject with Carolyn, she turns away and refuses to have sex with me," Kennedy told the friend. He had picked out a name, Flyn, for the son he dreamed of having, Klein reported.

Klein quoted Bessette's fashion industry friends as saying it was known she was a heavy user of drugs, and that Kennedy caught her snorting lines of cocaine with friends at the couple's New York apartment. "You're a cokehead," Kennedy screamed at his wife.

A staff member from Kennedy's political magazine, "George," told of a dinner in which Bessette made at least a half dozen trips to the bathroom, returning to the table with white rings around her nostrils. "We went from bar to bar, and she wanted to come over to my apartment, but I said no, because I knew it would be an all-nighter," the friend said. "I ... dropped her off at 3 a.m."

The next morning, Kennedy asked why the staffer and his wife were out so late. The staff member replied: "A better question is why your wife didn't want to go home."

CHEATING HEART

According to friends, Kennedy worried that Carolyn was cheating on him with old flame, Michael Bergin, a "Baywatch" actor and former model of Calvin Klein underwear. They continued their affair even after Bessette had moved in with Kennedy, Klein, a Vanity Fair contributing editor as well as Kennedy biographer, said.

Although Bergin cut off the affair after Bessette's marriage, she continued to taunt her husband with Bergin.

Klein said the actor also revealed Carolyn's violent side in an incident in which Bessette got angry after seeing him light an ex-girlfriend's cigarette at a bar.

She showed up at Bergin's door and threw two heavy candles through a window and a mirror, shattering both. "Then she knocked my television set and VCR onto the floor and jumped on my VCR and squashed it," Bergin told Klein.

"I ran out of the apartment. I'm very athletic and fast, but she caught up with me and started yelling at me and taunting me, calling me a baby."

Kennedy's friends suspected that something similar happened to him when he was rushed to an emergency room for an operation to repair a severed nerve. Kennedy said the injury was an accident, but he had told friends that he felt trapped in an abusive relationship. "Carolyn was like a wild horse," the acquaintance from George told Klein. "She had a trash mouth... She used to call John a fag all the time."

Public scrutiny drove Bessette into depression, the friend said. She refused to leave their apartment and spent long periods crying, telling friends that she hated "living in a fishbowl." Klein said Carolyn reportedly stormed out of a marital counselor's office when her drug use was raised.

Klein said Bessette's self-absorption made her late for the fatal 1999 plane ride with her husband and sister, who had arrived at the airport in New Jersey while it was still light. The plane, piloted by Kennedy, went down in darkness off the coast of Martha's Vineyard near Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Klein quotes a hair colorist named Colin Lively as saying he saw Carolyn order a pedicurist to apply her toenail polish three times that day to match a fabric she had brought to the salon. During the pedicure, her mobile phone rang over and over, Lively told Klein. "What?" she said impatiently into the phone. "I told you I'm getting a pedicure."

[Marathoner]

John was the man Bill Clinton saw within himself, but Bill Clinton was never John Kennedy. He was Eddie Haskel trying to act like John Kennedy. Clinton thought himself quite the man. No, he was quite the insecure little child, and it showed.

Good observation, except the comparison to Eddie Haskel is an insult to Mr. Haskel (who in real life I hear is actually a conservative, unlike 99% of the Hollywood crowd).

[DoughtyOne]

True enough, but the fictional character shouldn't be confused with the actor who was a police officer and all around good man.

[Bennett46]

Ann Coulter wrote in her book "Treason" Kennedy actually caused the Cuban Missile Crisis.

"President Kennedy allowed brave Cubans to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs and then double-crossed them at the last minute by refusing to provide air cover. Because of President Kennedy's failure of nerve, thousands of Cuban liberators were slaughtered or imprisoned by Castro. Kennedy's failure of will at the Bay of Pigs made a greater confrontation with the Soviet Union inevitable. In short order Krushchev built the Berlin Wall and sent nukes to Cuba, nearly leading to WWIII. The Russians would never have dared to take advantage of Nixon by delivering nuclear missiles to Cuba, but even stupid people are cunning enough to smell cowardice, and Kennedy had just backed down from a confrontation with a tin-pot dictator. Liberals hail Kennedy as a hero for being able to navigate his way out of the Cuban Missile Crisis, neglecting to mention that it was a crisis of his own making."

The reference to Nixon seems out of place in the paragraph quoted, I know. But in context of the chapter it fits nicely.

[Endeavor]

"He (Clinton) was Eddie Haskel trying to act like John Kennedy."

THAT should be the 'quote of the week.'

[razorback-bert]

Yes, something is amiss here.

[ErnBatavia]

"He (Clinton) was Eddie Haskel trying to act like John Kennedy."

THAT should be the 'quote of the week.'

No - Doughty stole it from a Joe "Four Score and Seven Years Ago" Biden speech....

[mass55th]

"If this is accurate about JFK jr's marriage he was clearly unhappy. I feel sorry for him. Of all the Kennedy's he seemed to be the most decent."

If he knew of her coke habit and married her anyway, then he was as dumb as a box of rocks. If he didn't know, then he wasn't on the ball.

[DoughtyOne]

I'm not immune to that arguement at all. Kennedy screwed up regarding the Bay of Pigs. He admitted as much and took credit for it, taking a pass on blaming anyone else even though it was a plan from a prior administration.

If Kennedy was going to okay the plan, it was uncumbent upon him to be prepared to follow it through. When he didn't, it was a major boner.

You won't get any arguement from me on the fact he screwed up or that it very well could have inspired Krushev to take liberties where he might not have had Kennedy backed the Bay of Pigs operation to the hilt.

And yes, that means the Missile Crisis very well could have been inspired by his poor judgement earlier. He pulled a Carter and got caught with egg on his face.

[Conservative til I die]

I don't give a rat's anus about any of the Kennedy's.

[DoughtyOne]

When was the speech and where can I find it on the forum. If I remember reading it there I'll own up to it.

[Conservative til I die]

Made my day. Sadly, my mom thinks JFK walked on water just because he was the first Catholic president (she's real "old school" on that).

Hell, I went to Ireland with an old girlfriend a few years back and they had a bust of JFK sitting on the mantlepiece, and they'd never left their country, much less been to America.

[Ron in Acreage]

The Kennedys have always been sleazeballs. That's why they are loved and adored by the left and democrats in general. William was the rapist here in florida. David died here in Palm Beach of a drug overdose as well. They are very successful drinkers and druggies. How proud the dems are to hold them up as icons. Patrick is doing a good job of carrying on the tradition of getting hammered in public then spouting off about never working a day in his life. A little truth serum it seems. When not a single Kennedy holds political office is a day I will cherish. I'll drink to that!

[csvset]

Michael Bergin

[A6M3]

Reply to post #5; Bravo, well said. It should have been shouted from the roof tops 43 years ago.

[Bennett46]

Yes, but even with egg on his face he could never be confused with the peanut farmer.

I was quite smitten with JFK as a teenager and even now I remember him fondly. He was quite embarrased with the business of being called a hero because of his PT boat experience.

"Asked how he became a war hero, Kennedy would reply,'They sank my boat.'"

[DoughtyOne]

I remember him fondly too, but that should be qualified in that I certainly take his human frailties to heart at the same time. John had some major problems IMO. He was not above admitting his own frailties at times. I admire that in a person. I believe it is possible to give him credit where credit was due.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

...WHY did this come out now...

...as we wonder just WHY...

...JFK jr's Plane entered the Atlantic...

...just as he was going to...

...announce against HILLARY...

...for the same N.Y. Senate Seat..?

[dead]

He had picked out a name, Flyn, for the son he dreamed of having, Klein reported.

Can you even fathom how annoying “Flyn Kennedy” would have grown up to be?

[ALOHA RONNIE]

...Please See Post No. 57...

[mystery-ak]

I kinda like the name Flyn....