Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s Colorist Slams Ryan Murphy’s “Totally Wrong” JFK Jr. Series
Paul Anthony Kelly is having a mane character moment.
The Love Story star—known for portraying a fictionalized version of John F. Kennedy Jr. opposite Sarah Pidgeon‘s Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in the FX series—showed off a flashy new hair color for his upcoming role in American Horror Story.
The 37-year-old debuted sleek blonde waves in the first look of season 13, which was shared on Instagram June 30 by showrunner and creator Ryan Murphy‘s production company while welcoming Kelly to the AHS family.
In the sneak preview images, the model’s glossy slick back ‘do was on display along with a dark red suit, both glowing from the flames of a nearby fireplace in a regal room. And Kelly’s trademark smolder was only emphasized by the Canadian star’s thick black eyebrows.
The actor’s performance in the horror series’ anticipated return—which fans have been waiting for since 2024—will mark Kelly’s second TV part after being cast to depict a member of the fabled Kennedy family in the 2026 romance drama.
“This was something I’ve always wanted to do with my life: be an actor. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be a lead actor right away on my first go, but 13 years of no and all it takes is one. And I had a pretty good ‘one,'” Kelly said during a June episode of I Like You!, attributing his hard-earned success to “faith in yourself and utmost desire for something you want.”
And his onscreen wins aren’t the only achievements Kelly is celebrating this year. The performer—who also joined the cast of The Housemaid’s Secret alongside Sydney Sweeney and Kirsten Dunst—recently welcomed his first child with wife Syd Widziszewski-Kelly.
Kelly joked that he was only “a little bit” tired during his Feb. 23 appearance on the Kelly Clarkson Show, quipping, “That’s like an understatement for sure.”
For a deep dive into the lore behind American Horror Story‘s scariest seasons, read on…
FX
H.H. Holmes
In the fifth season, Murphy took inspiration from the Chicago-based serial killer H.H. Holmes, who built the infamous murder hotel. He opened the hotel under the guise of housing visitors, but in reality, it was his own personal victim trap. Police reported finding gas chambers, hidden tunnels and a torture chamber after numerous travelers were reported missing.
Bettmann
Richard Ramirez
The Night Stalker made an appearance in Hotel and 1984, sneaking into homes and terrorizing innocents at the behest of the devil.
Getty Images
John Wayne Gacy
Twisty the Clown stood in for this American serial killer, who murdered at least 33 people, in Freakshow. John Caroll Lynch went on to play Gacy in Hotel.
FX
Madame Delphine LaLaurie
Kathy Bates played the New Orleans socialite in AHS: Coven. In 1834, firefighters responded to an emergency call at her French Quarter home, only to find slaves bound and shackled in the attic. There was evidence that the slaves had been sadistically tortured, but before authorities could take LaLaurie into custody, she and her family escaped to France.
MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images
The Hotel Cecil
This downtown Los Angeles hotel has housed serial killers and was the site of numerous suspicious deaths. So, it only makes sense that Ryan Murphy would make this the home of the murderous James March.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The Black Dahlia
In AHS: Murder House and Apocalypse, Mena Suvari portrayed Elizabeth Short, a Los Angeles woman who was brutally murdered in 1947. Police never found the murderer, but some, including his own son, suspect that Dr. George Hodel was the culprit.
FX
The New Orleans Axeman
For more than a year, beginning in 1918, a serial killer broke into the homes of New Orleans residents, using an axe or a razor blade to murder the inhabitants. Police were never able to catch the crazed murderer and the killings stopped as suddenly as they started. The axeman, played by Danny Huston, is most famous for writing a letter to the police that stated tat he would spare the lives of anyone who played jazz music on the night of March 19, 1919. As such, that night was filled with dancing and jazz music.
Suzanne Tenner/FX
The Countess
Though some of Ryan Murphy’s characters are based on modern figures, the Countess is an updated interpretation of the Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who died in the 17th century. According to History.com, Bathory tortured and killed young women, sometimes eating their flesh and drinking their blood, because she believed it would keep her youthful.
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