Ryan Murphy defends American Love Story after backlash to Carolyn Bessette looks: 'That was just a camera test'
Ryan Murphy has clapped back at the fashion outrage over early images from American Love Story, starring Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. He insists the viral photos were just camera tests with stand-in wardrobe, not final looks. Plus, he’s bringing receipts—real designer pieces, a glam squad, and a 10-person style board.
The American Horror Story maestro is now battling a horror of his own: fashion critics. After releasing sneak peeks of actors Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Kelly in their American Love Story roles as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and JFK Jr., the internet went feral. The Cut even declared the wardrobe “fast-fashion knockoffs,” comparing the pieces to Zara and Mango.
ah... the power of social media! ryan murphy for variety on the way people reacted to the wardrobe of his carolyn bessette: https://t.co/CwpBNXI809 pic.twitter.com/yUiA9gYkpq
— DUDA (@saintdemie) June 19, 2025
Internet drags American Love Story wardrobe for missing the Bessette mark
From the jeans and jacket to the Birkin bag, everything Pidgeon wore in the images got roasted. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s die-hard fashion girlies were not having it. One major gripe? The use of a No. 35 Birkin when Bessette allegedly carried a No. 40. The critique hit harder when Vogue also published a savage quote from Bessette’s hairstylist, Brad Johns, who called Pidgeon’s wig a disaster and accused her of having “one-colour, ashy” hair.
yeah the wardrobe for carolyn bessette in the ryan murphy series is certainly... a (bad) choice. why is it so hard to get some vintage prada/yohji/issey/ck clothes? pic.twitter.com/JEpFPet7SB
— duda (@dudaisms) June 17, 2025
Ryan Murphy says, “that was a camera test, not the final look”
Now Murphy has come clean: those images were not meant to be official stills. “They were just thrown-together outfits for lighting tests,” he explained. He dropped the pics only to get ahead of the paparazzi who were ready to hound the NYC shoot. That Birkin? Borrowed from another costume department on a different sound stage.
ryan murphy bffr dpmo pic.twitter.com/LuYHdmgtRE
— 🍍francesca🍍 (@francescaaahhhh) June 13, 2025
To set the record straight, Murphy confirmed a style dream team is working behind the scenes, 10 experts forming a “style advisory board” to perfect every fashion moment. The production has even bought original Bessette pieces and is reconstructing her iconic Narciso Rodriguez wedding dress from scratch. He also clarified that Sarah Pidgeon was wearing a wig, not her real hair—despite Johns’s claims.
Murphy compares backlash to real-life scrutiny faced by Bessette-Kennedy
Murphy says the social media rage is eerily similar to how the public dissected the real Carolyn. “It is not fair,” he stated. “They’re doing to our Carolyn what they did to her back then.”
The show is not due until Valentine’s Day 2026, but Murphy plans to release 20 short videos showing Pidgeon in final wardrobe alongside actual Bessette photos to silence the fashion police. Until then, let’s maybe chill on the Birkin hate?
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