Artist Sasha Chermayeff, who knew John F. Kennedy Jr. since their teenage years at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, reveals that her shut good friend used marijuana each single day ranging from age 15. “I am not exaggerating, from fifteen onward,” she states in a 2024 biography. Chermayeff describes Kennedy’s decades-long behavior, which prolonged to cocaine and psychedelic medication, as a major facet of his life that few mentioned brazenly.
Contrasting Narratives on the Golden Couple
Whereas Carolyn Bessette’s struggles with cocaine and infidelity are well-known, Kennedy’s personal points remained largely hid by pals. As a brand new FX drama collection explores the couple’s story, recent accounts problem the long-held view that portrayed Kennedy because the steady companion overwhelmed by his spouse’s instability.
Bessette confronted intense scrutiny for her conduct, together with unfaithfulness, verbal outbursts, and substance abuse that fueled rumors of bodily altercations. Experiences element her cocaine use, which left seen traces, and affairs, corresponding to with former mannequin Michael Bergin. Public fights, like a 1996 incident in a New York park, highlighted their tensions, with Kennedy reportedly contemplating divorce earlier than the tragic 1999 airplane crash that claimed their lives together with Bessette’s sister Lauren.
Kennedy’s Thrill-Looking for and Dangerous Pursuits
Kennedy exhibited a sample of reckless conduct rooted in a genetic predisposition for thrill-seeking. Molecular geneticists recognized a dopamine receptor variant, DRD4-7R, linked to risk-taking, ADHD, and substance abuse—traits noticed within the Kennedy household. Dr. Robert Moyzis, a professor of molecular genetics, notes that this gene drives high-risk actions strengthened by previous successes, explaining the household’s sample of dramatic highs and lows.
Kennedy ceaselessly endangered himself and others. He drove recklessly, usually dashing onto sidewalks, skied whereas beneath the affect of magic mushrooms, and swam far offshore. Inexperienced in harmful actions, he broke his ankle paragliding shortly earlier than the deadly flight. In 1986, he practically drowned his then-girlfriend Christina Haag throughout a kayak journey off Jamaica with out life jackets; after washing ashore, he insisted on returning to sea regardless of the dangers. “We might have died,” Haag instructed him later. “Yeah, however what a strategy to go,” Kennedy replied.
Drug Experiences Shared with Mates
Chermayeff explains Kennedy turned to hashish to flee self-obsession amid his high-profile household. “It frees you from self-obsession—and that was medication for him,” she says. They frequented Studio 54, snorting cocaine within the proprietor’s workplace. “There was plenty of coke at Studio 54,” Chermayeff recollects, including she solely used it with Kennedy throughout the Nineteen Eighties and Nineteen Nineties.
Teenage experimentation included weed, different substances, rock music, and intercourse. Chermayeff remembers snowboarding on psilocybin mushrooms: “We did mushrooms collectively and went snowboarding. Oh my God. It was an excellent day.” Fellow Phillips Academy alum William Cohan confirms Kennedy smoked pot closely and sure tried different medication with out hesitation.
Jackie Kennedy’s Deep Issues
Jackie Kennedy-Onassis frightened about her son’s improvement, linking his points to the assassination of his father when Kennedy was two. She feared he would possibly face sexual-identity challenges and even be gay. “She spoke in an oblique method of her considerations,” biographer Edward Klein recounts. Jackie blamed herself, calling herself a “Typhoid Mary” for naming him after his father.
Bessette shared these flight considerations, telling family and friends she distrusted Kennedy’s piloting expertise as a result of his impatience and brief consideration span. Their shared flaws recommend the wedding won’t have endured even with out the crash.
