John F. Kennedy Jr. And Darryl Hannah’s Split, What Led To The Former Couple’s Breakup?

John F. Kennedy Jr. was mostly known to everyone as the son of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy. However, he established a career of his own over the years, specifically after starting the magazine, George, in 1995. John F. Kennedy Jr. was additionally famous for being the head of Reaching Up, a nonprofit group that he joined in 1989. JFK Jr. also tried his luck in acting and appeared in an episode of Murphy Brown.

JFK Jr. also had a long relationship history, where his name was linked to popular faces such as Cindy Crawford and Sarah Jessica Parker. However, his romance with actress Daryl Hannah, which started in 1988, created headlines for multiple reasons, specifically for the alleged circumstances that led to their separation in 1994. Keep reading to know the entire story.

John F. Kennedy’s mother was reportedly concerned about his relationship with Daryl Hannah

Back in August 2025, a documentary based on John F. Kennedy Jr., titled American Prince, was released on CNN. The show featured Dr. Joseph Ponterotto, the Kennedy biographer, who claimed that JFK Jr.’s mother, Jacqueline Kennedy, was reportedly concerned about her son’s relationship with Daryl Hannah. According to Joseph, there was a point where Jacqueline’s approval was allegedly needed at first to love John. 

Notably, the claims have never been approved, and John or Darryl never shared a direct response to them. On the other hand, Darryl’s stepmother, Sue Wexler, had once addressed the matter by saying that the rumours were not true. Sue claimed that she heard a lot of stories about Jacqueline not approving of the relationship, but could not believe it. Sue even clarified that her daughter once said that JFK Jr.’s mother was “very warm and affectionate” towards her.

Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio’s book addressed the issues between JFK Jr. and Daryl Hannah

RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil wrote a book titled JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography, which was published in July 2024. The book featured a lot of details about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Daryl Hannah’s relationship, including their first meeting in 1989. As per the book, a friend of JFK Jr. recalled a dispute between the journalist and Hannah. The fight allegedly emerged from Hannah failing to get along with Jacqueline. The dispute also led to a situation where JFK Jr. was allegedly staying in the basement of his friend’s residence.

A few more friends opened up about JFK Jr. and Daryl Hannah’s relationship in the book. One of them claimed that John did not have the same qualities as Daryl, who was described as a “sweetheart”, but a “needy” person at the same time. Another friend alleged that the former couple never looked each other in the eye, and the “love” was missing in the eye contact.

Death of Daryl Hannah’s dog created more trouble in her relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr.

Daryl Hannah had a dog who died after being hit by a car in 1994. John F. Kennedy was allegedly believed to be responsible for the accident, which happened in Central Park. The dog reportedly got loose when JFK Jr. was walking with him. RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil’s book claimed that John was upset about everything that happened. However, the dog’s death started creating issues in the relationship between Daryl Jannah and JFK Jr.

JFK Jr.’s mother, Jacqueline, was battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for some time. Her health took a worse turn in 1994, and during that period, JFK Jr. had to bring the ashes of Daryl Hannah’s dog to Los Angeles. However, JFK Jr.’s mother died in New York City at the same time. A friend of John claimed that he was unhappy since Darryl forced him to attend the funeral of her dog. Carole Radziwill, the wife of John’s cousin, also recalled that JFK Jr. felt like Daryl punished him by bringing him to Los Angeles.

While speaking to InStyle in 2023, John’s friend, Steven M. Gillon, said that Daryl Hannah was upset with John F. Kennedy Jr. regarding his choice of box to carry the dog’s ashes. Steven recalled that Daryl later brought another dog, who also had some health issues. Steven said that JFK Jr. was reportedly upset about the fact that Daryl was more focused on talking about the dog at a time when he had lost his mother. Darryl and John separated around three months after Jacqueline’s death in 1994.

What are your thoughts on the alleged circumstances leading to John F. Kennedy Jr. and Daryl Hannah’s split? Let us know.

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