Did Rob Lowe Says Convince John F. Kennedy Jr. to Marry Carolyn Bessette?
During the 1980s and ’90s, JFK Jr.’s love life made non-stop headlines, as he was romantically linked to stars like Cindy Crawford, Julie Baker, Sarah Jessica Parker and Daryl Hannah. But in 1996, he tied the knot with fashion publicist Carolyn Bessette in a private ceremony. What made the political scion change his ways and settle down? According to Rob Lowe, the answer is … a speech from Rob Lowe.
In Lowe’s 2012 memoir, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Rob says he was at “one of these political events, the kind where movie stars mix with political stars,” when someone made an introduction.
“‘Rob Lowe, I’d like you to meet John Kennedy Jr.,’ someone said. ‘Hey, man, good to meet you,’ I said,” claims the St. Elmo’s Fire star. Lowe and JFK Jr. made small talk, and “as we were both single guys in our 20s, the talk turned to girls.” JFR Jr. suggested, “We should get outta here, go find where the action is,” but Lowe said, “‘Dude. You’re f******* JFK Jr.! All right?! You don’t need to go anywhere!’ He looked at me and laughed.”
The next time Lowe and JFK Jr. would meet again would be years later in the mid-1990s, when Rob and his wife, Sheryl Berkoff, were on a ski trip. “One evening at a big holiday party, I felt a tap on the shoulder. It was John Jr. ‘How’ve you been, man?’ he asked with a smile.”
During this reunion, Lowe portrays JFK Jr. as being at a crossroads. “‘How did you do it?’ he asked, so low against the buzz of the party that I couldn’t quite hear… ‘How did you do it?’ he repeated. ‘I mean, how did you settle down? You of all people.'”
Lowe had also done a long stretch as one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, but by 1991, he tied the knot with Berkoff. They started a family soon after, welcoming a pair of sons.
Lowe said he saw JFK Jr. look across the room “to a willowy blonde” who happened to be Carolyn Bisette.
“I put two and two together,” wrote Lowe. He told JFK Jr., “‘Looks like you have a great girl. That’s half the battle right there. She’s obviously amazing, and if she’s your best friend, marry her. You can do it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t, that you’re not ready, or not capable. Come on in, man, the water’s warm. I’m here to tell you it is; if she’s your friend in addition to all of the other stuff, pull the trigger, don’t let her get away. You never know what life will bring.'”
JFK Jr. “did marry his blonde,” wrote Lowe. “I was glad for him and thought about sending him a note, but somehow I didn’t…Instead, I wished him luck, children and longevity of love with one of my nonalcoholic beers as I watched the coverage on Entertainment Tonight.”
Where Are They Now? Music Legends
July/August 2025
They rocked and rolled us, they shredded, they head-slammed and they crooned, but what happened to them and where are they now?
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