Love Story’s Paul Anthony Kelly Welcomes First Baby with Wife Syd

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Paul Anthony Kelly is experiencing a new kind of love story.

The actor from Love Story and his wife, Syd Widziszewski-Kelly, just had a baby!

It’s not only the sudden fame from portraying John F. Kennedy Jr. that’s exhausting him. He told Kelly Clarkson on the February 23rd episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show that being tired is a major understatement.

Naturally, his newborn has a tie to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, played by Sarah Pidgeon in the FX show.

He shared in November, after finishing filming, that he and his wife were eager to return home and prepare for the arrival of their baby. He told Interview magazine that their baby was due in January, originally estimated to be on January 7th – the birthday of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.

For the Canadian model—who married Syd in May 2023—these major life milestones all came at once.

He described feeling confident after his initial audition, but casting directors told him they were still considering other actors. He was okay with that and moved on. Then, a few months later, in late April, his agents contacted him about a request for another audition tape. Just twenty minutes after that, he received another email saying they wanted him to move directly to a callback with the producer.

He mentioned they’re now living in Portland, which they consider home. He was on a Zoom call when his wife told him they were expecting a baby, just before they were about to celebrate their second wedding anniversary on May 1st – a very memorable day for them.

Then, the call of his career came.

My agent called the next day and said they wanted me to do a chemistry read with Sarah, who had already been cast as Carolyn, the following week. There was one condition: I needed to have my green card by then. I got the call on Friday, received my green card on Saturday, and booked my flight on Sunday.

He’s now seemingly living a dream life, almost as if he’s stepping into the shoes of John F. Kennedy Jr. Keep reading to find out what parts of the show are based on truth and what was created for entertainment.

I was completely captivated by the new series! One of my favorite moments was when Carolyn, played by Sarah Pidgeon, gently suggested to Annette Bening – who Megan Channell portrays so well – that she wear a Calvin Klein suit to the Bugsy premiere instead of the dress the designer had picked out for her. It was such a small detail, but it really showed Carolyn’s style and how she subtly influenced things.

It’s unknown if she created the style for future wife of Warren Beatty, but a 1996 New York Times article revealed Carolyn was the main salesperson at Calvin Klein for famous clients, like Annette, Diane Sawyer, and Blaire Trump.

Oh my god, you wouldn’t BELIEVE how amazing she was! Apparently, Paul Wilmott, who used to work for Calvin Klein, told everyone she’d personally walk customers through the entire collection. She didn’t just show them clothes, she’d tell them what actually looked good on them and give them complete outfits! It was incredible. He said she sold millions – MILLIONS! – of dollars worth of clothes over time. She was a total style icon and everyone wanted her advice. I wish I could have met her!

In a memorable scene from Love Story, Carolyn demonstrates her keen understanding of publicity by advising Calvin (Alessandro Nivola) to feature Kate Moss in an advertising campaign.

Carolyn was one of the first people to recognize Kate Moss’s potential, and she played a key role in shaping the Calvin Klein image of the 1990s.

In the movie Love Story, Calvin brings Carolyn and John together at a charity event in 1992, and they immediately feel a connection. However, Carolyn playfully declines to give Calvin her phone number, reminding him that he can reach her at work.

“He was simply bored,” Carolyn explained to her friends at the nightclub as Michael Bergin, who they playfully called the “sexy doorman” (and who was actually Noah Fearnley), joined them.

John unexpectedly appeared at Calvin Klein and requested a private fitting with Carolyn. He then invited her to dinner, and when he left, her coworkers were completely shocked and excited.

According to Elizabeth Beller’s 2024 biography, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy first met in the spring of 1992. He was at Calvin Klein for a private fitting, and her coworkers were reportedly very excited. John then asked Carolyn to join him at a gala, but she initially declined an invitation to an after-party because she mistakenly believed he was with another woman, as told to Beller by Carolyn’s friend, MJ Bettenhausen.

Carolyn and Michael, a former hotel doorman and model, had a casual relationship starting in the fall of 1992, but it wasn’t consistent, according to Beller’s book.

In his 2004 book, The Other Man, Bergin claimed he continued a sexual relationship with Carolyn even after she met John, and all the way until her death. However, Beller noted that many of Carolyn’s friends doubted this claim.

In the movie Love Story, Carolyn is waiting at an Indian restaurant for John. After about 20 minutes, just as she’s about to leave, he arrives riding his bicycle.

He accidentally leaves his car unlocked while on a long date, and when they return, it’s gone. This means he ends up walking Carolyn home instead.

He said he wished he hadn’t rushed, as they reached her door. She asked what he meant, and he kissed her. He then asked if he’d see her again, and she replied that she’d enjoyed their evening together before ending the date.

In real life, John and the other person likely had a first date where he might have biked and been a little late. However, the cozy scene of them connecting over drinks was probably staged for the show.

Daryl Hannah (played by Dree Hemingway) is at John’s apartment when he returns home. He’s just been telling his cousin and best friend, Anthony Radziwill (Erich Bergen), that all he wants to do is call Carolyn.

He’s planning to take Daryl to a wedding in October 1993 – his cousin Edward Kennedy Jr.’s – despite his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy, not approving. Meanwhile, Carolyn discovers from a tabloid magazine that the man who seemed so interested in her is actually getting back together with his famous ex-girlfriend.

John continued to send Carolyn flowers, and during a chance encounter at an event, he confessed he was struggling because he thought she disliked him. Carolyn responded that she didn’t know him well enough to feel any hatred.

The unexpected meeting was a striking way to reveal that the star of Splash would be in Love Story. However, the show’s producers didn’t consult with Daryl, who has been married to Neil Young since 2018.

Producer Nina Jacobson explained to Gold Derby that they aim to deeply understand the motivations of their characters. She said it’s difficult to prioritize outside expectations when focusing on authentic portrayals, so they generally avoid seeking input from people who might have specific agendas, except in unusual circumstances.

According to Jacobson, Daryl acts as a challenge to what the story needs, but the show still acknowledges her understanding of the celebrity world, something Carolyn lacks.

When John walks in and sees Daryl hanging out with her eccentric friends, it’s a clear signal that big changes are coming. She ultimately decides to leave him, pushing him to think about what he truly desires.

Daryl promised she would return for her dog, Hank. However, while John was walking Hank, someone stopped him for an autograph. In the confusion, the leash slipped from John’s hand, and Hank was tragically struck by a taxi and killed. John then traveled to Los Angeles to deliver Hank’s ashes to Daryl.

According to the 2024 book JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil, John F. Kennedy Jr.’s friend, Sasha Chermayeff, shared that John was walking his dog, Hank, in Central Park in May 1994 when Hank ran into the street and was hit by a car.

According to his friend Steven Gillon, he traveled to Los Angeles to bury a dog. While he was there, his mother’s health suddenly declined. He felt angry that Daryl had made him attend the dog’s funeral when his own mother was seriously ill with cancer.

In the movie Love Story, Jackie (played by Naomi Watts) leaves a voicemail for John while he’s flying, then collapses at home. This scene was created for dramatic impact, but it also emphasizes how severely ill she was after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December 1993. She passed away on May 19, 1994.

John and Carolyn hadn’t seen each other since the disastrous gala until they ran into each other again at a fundraiser on May 18, 1992.

They quickly connected and dated all summer, but their relationship faded after about two years, as described in Beller’s book. It wasn’t until after Jackie’s passing that they finally became a lasting couple.

According to executive producer Brad Simpson, the couple’s relationship was more complicated than what viewers saw on screen. He told USA Today that the show needed to move the story forward and that repeatedly showing the ups and downs of their romance wasn’t what the audience wanted.

When he brings Carolyn home to his loft for the first time, John realizes he forgot his keys.

Although it looked good on television, the real John was often forgetful, frequently misplacing things like his keys and wallet. This habit eventually made Carolyn hesitant to fly with him by himself after he earned his pilot’s license.

Beyond that hint of what’s to come, John doesn’t mention to Carolyn that the party he’s inviting her to is actually a formal birthday dinner for his sister, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.

When Carolyn expresses worry, Caroline (Grace Gummer) quickly explains that John often forgets things, and she didn’t mean to imply he was bringing women home unexpectedly.

John introduced Carolyn to his sister on her 37th birthday, November 27, 1994. According to Carole Radziwill’s memoir, What Remains, the event was more of a party than a formal dinner, and it took place at Carolyn’s apartment on Park Avenue.

The former Real Housewives star, who attended with Anthony and was excited to see Carolyn, described her friend entering the private room looking incredibly happy and uniquely herself, and acting very warmly and spontaneously.

Caroline embraced John and greeted Carolyn with a friendly “So nice to meet you,” according to Carole. Afterwards, Carolyn’s friends offered polite smiles before turning their attention back to John.

As someone who follows these things closely, I always found the rumors about Carolyn and Caroline not getting along to be completely off base. Apparently, they hit it off immediately! I heard from someone who was there that they had a wonderful lunch together – lots of easy conversation and plenty of laughter. It was clear they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.

After playing touch football with friends, John discovered a letter in his gym bag suggesting Carolyn had used her boss, Calvin Klein, to set up a date with him, hoping to win him over. When Carolyn visited later, John confronted her about the letter, and she was deeply hurt that he’d believe such a thing, so she left.

After what felt like ages, he finally came to her apartment and admitted he’d made a mistake. This honest conversation led to him telling her he loved her for the very first time.

According to Beller, John received a letter outlining rumors about Carolyn’s active social life and relationships, but this happened relatively early in their dating history. The book states that after dating in the summer of 1992, John abruptly ended things after reading the letter, and Carolyn didn’t accept his apologies for over a year.

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2026-02-25 17:18