The reason behind John F Kennedy Jr's infamous public fight with Carolyn Bessette

Though the Kennedys are often remembered as one of America's golden 'first families', John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette often struggled with the media attention on their relationship.

One of their most infamous media moments was when they had a vicious argument in Battery Park, New York, and Kennedy attempted to pull Bessette's engagement ring from her finger.

Naturally, photographers were standing by to snap countless pictures of the spat, which made headlines around the world.

The question of what were they fighting about was answered more than 20 years after the pair died in a plane crash.

Steven M. Gillon, who was a longtime friend of the couple, claimed in his 2019 book America’s Reluctant Prince: The Life of John F. Kennedy Jr. that Bessette set Kennedy off when she told him he needed to stick up for himself more.

She had been left furious when Kennedy reluctantly agreed to be best man at the wedding of a couple he barely knew, only to discover the bride simply wanted him there so the wedding would get media coverage.

Naturally, Bessette was fuming that Kennedy had been used for fame, but when she told him he should have declined the offer or walked out of the ceremony he fired back.

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The result was their infamous fight, photos of which ended up on many a US newspaper's front page.

The argument has also been portrayed in Ryan Murphy's 2026 TV series on the couple, Love Story: John F Kennedy, Jr and Carolyn Bessette.

Though the pair went on to wed, fame and photographers followed them everywhere, something Gillon says played a major role in their marriage breakdown.

The pair felt trapped by the media, and in their marriage, putting a massive strain on their relationship and leading to the rumours of a split that hounded them in the last year of their lives.

The famous pair died in a tragic plane crash in 1999 when Kennedy was 38 and Bessette just 33 at the time.

Gillon says despite their differences, Bessette refused to give up on their marriage, and Kennedy would hold on for as long as she was willing to have him.