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Carolyn Bessette’s relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr. is dramatized in the new Hulu show, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.”
Created by Ryan Murphy, the show follows the couple’s whirlwind romance leading up to their tragic deaths in July 1999 after a plane that JFK Jr. was piloting crashed while the couple was on their way to Martha’s Vineyard from New Jersey.
Also, portrayed in the show is Michael Bergin, a former Calvin Klein model who dated Bessette prior to her relationship with JFK Jr.
Bergin dated Bessette prior to her marriage to JFK Jr. (Backgrid)
Here is everything you need to know about Bessette’s other big romance.
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Calvin Klein model
Bergin worked as a Calvin Klein model, with his biggest campaign being alongside Kate Moss. (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Bergin began modeling with Calvin Klein in the early 1990s and quickly became one of the brand’s most recognizable faces, taking Mark Wahlberg’s place in the brand’s underwear ads.
He gained further attention when he posed with ’90s supermodel Kate Moss for the brand in 1994, with their photos being featured in print magazines and in stores.
“As I was growing up I never thought about being a male model. I had no idea there was an occupation called ‘Male Modeling,'” he told Apollo Male Models Magazine in 2004. “I seriously thought the male models were family members of those working for the magazines or commercials. Okay, I was a little naive.”
His work with the brand ultimately led to a career in acting and a relationship with Bessette.
Carolyn Bessette
Bergin and Bessette dated for a short time in the early 1990s. (Joey Andrew/startraksphoto.com)
Bessette and Bergin met when she was working in public relations for Calvin Klein while he was modeling for the company. The two briefly dated after starting their relationship in the early ’90s.
“Carolyn and I had a very intense love for each other,” Bergin told Edward Klein for his book, “The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America’s First Family for 150 Years,” per Vanity Fair. “We were inseparable for a couple of years. And I know deep in my heart that she still loved me even after she married John Kennedy. Some things just don’t end.”
In his 2004 book, “The Other Man: A Love Story,” Bergin claimed that he and Bessette continued to see each other after her September 1996 marriage to JFK Jr.
During an appearance on “Paula Zahn Now” in 2004, Bergin spoke about why he chose to write a book about his relationship with Bessette, saying since someone else wrote about it first “like they knew what they were talking about,” he “wanted to put an end to all this” and get “closure.” He was likely referring to the 2000 book, “The Day John Died,” written by Christopher Andersen.
Bergin wrote about his relationship with Bessette in his book. (Joey Andrew/startraksphoto.com)
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“I’m the only one left in this, like, love triangle still living, and I want to just move on with my life, with my kids, with my fiancée, and get on with my life. And I wanted John and Carolyn to just finally rest in peace, and I wanted their families to stop hurting,” he said.
“Carolyn passed away five years ago. She was America’s princess,” he continued. “And what is she today? What was she last summer when all the articles and stories came out? She was a cheat. She’s cheating with a TV star. You know, she was a coke addict. She was this, she was that. She was a rageful person because the ex-boyfriend said so. I was going to take it to my grave. I decided it was time. It was time to tell my story — or tell the story.”
Acting Career
Bergin’s most recognizable acting role was in “Baywatch.” (Getty Images)
Following a successful career in modeling, Bergin transitioned into acting.
He is most widely recognized for playing J.D. Darius on “Baywatch,” which he starred in for four seasons from 1997 to 2001. When speaking to Digital Journal in October 2024, Bergin admitted he didn’t think he was a very good model, but said he wanted to get into acting because “more animated in front of the camera” rather than just posing, which would make him more comfortable.
Bergin took part in the 2024 docuseries on Hulu, “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” telling Digital Journal he “was excited to see a lot of the cast members.”
“This documentary made me realize how fortunate I was just being on the show,” he said. “I was on the show for four years (two years in Los Angeles and two years in Hawaii), and it was four of the best years of my life.”
In addition to “Baywatch,” Bergin also acted in a series of TV movies, including “Fatal Reunion,” “Playing with Fire,” and “Family Plan.” He also appeared in 12 episodes of “Passions,” calling it “such an amazing experience,” while adding “it was so challenging” to memorize all the lines.
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Real estate career
Bergin transitioned from acting into real estate. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
After a few years in Hollywood, Bergin set aside his acting chops and traded them in for a real estate license.
The career change came in 2009, and in 2024, he told Digital Journal that he has “a large real estate team,” noting, “and I am pretty successful.”
“I’ve been out of the spotlight for a while, and that’s because I chose to be out of it,” he said. “I’ve been doing real estate now for the past 15 years, and I am not much into the acting world anymore. My real estate team is growing, and it is really awesome to work side by side with my wife, Joy, who I love.”
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He explained that success is very important to him, saying, “if I don’t achieve success, then I’m not trying hard enough,” and that now when he looks back on his successes, he “think[s] of modeling, acting, and real estate.”
Fatherhood
Bergin married Joy Tilk in 2004. (Marsaili McGrath/Getty Images)
Five years after the death of Bessette, Bergin married Joy Tilk, a former makeup artist who now works with him as the marketing director at his real estate company, The Bergin Group.
Over the course of their marriage, the couple welcomed two kids together, Jesse and Alana.
“Things are good. I am happy; I love my kids. I have two kids, one is a professional baseball player for the Miami Marlins, and my daughter is beautiful, and she is her junior year in college,” he told Digital Journal.
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