Close Friend Sasha Chermayeff Reveals John F Kennedy Jr Used Marijuana Daily and Experimented With Cocaine and Psychedelics in Massachusetts and New York

Few knew John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette as intimately as artist Sasha Chermayeff.

From their teenage years at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Chermayeff formed a bond with Kennedy and later became close to his wife.

In a 2024 biography, Chermayeff revealed that Kennedy used marijuana “every single day” from the age of fifteen.

She also disclosed that he experimented with cocaine and psychedelic drugs over the years.

“This was a significant part of John Kennedy that nobody wants to talk about,” she said in JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography.

Revisiting the Golden Couple

FX’s new series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, produced by Ryan Murphy, revisits the couple’s rise and tragic fall in the 1990s.

While audiences have long been told they were a flawless, god-like duo, insiders suggest the reality was far messier.

Biographies consistently point to Bessette’s struggles with substance abuse, infidelity, and mental health, painting her as the more troubled partner.

She was reportedly addicted to cocaine, relied on anti-depressants, and engaged in late-night partying with friends, behaviors that often left Kennedy frustrated and strained.

Kennedy’s Hidden Recklessness

While Bessette’s struggles were well documented, Kennedy’s own flaws have often been downplayed.

Friends describe him as moody, entitled, and prone to risk-taking, with a genetic predisposition for thrill-seeking.

Researchers had linked the DRD4-7R gene variant to both ADHD and risk-prone behavior, which many in the Kennedy family exhibited.

Kennedy’s recklessness showed in everyday life: speeding, dangerous skiing, long swims without safety measures, and paragliding accidents.

Even in his teenage years, he engaged in risky behavior with friends, combining drug experimentation, sexual exploration, and thrill-seeking.

Studio 54 and Psychedelic Adventures

Chermayeff recalled attending the legendary Studio 54 nightclub with Kennedy, where cocaine use was common.

“I used to brag that I’ve never done bad coke, because I’ve never done coke except with John Kennedy,” she said.

He also experimented with psilocybin mushrooms, combining it with skiing and other high-risk activities.

Friends and biographers agree that Kennedy was not addicted, but his willingness to flirt with danger and substances reflected a larger pattern of risk-taking behavior, fueled by a family culture that often rewarded audacity.

Family Concerns and the Shadow of Loss

Jackie Kennedy-Onassis reportedly worried about her son’s choices, seeing echoes of his father’s assassination in his recklessness.

She feared he might struggle with identity issues and worried that naming him after JFK had placed a heavy, almost cursed, burden on his life.

Bessette, for her part, expressed unease with Kennedy’s flying, sensing his inexperience and impatience could be deadly.

These concerns proved tragically prescient.

On the fateful flight to Martha’s Vineyard in July 1999, Kennedy’s lack of experience, combined with worsening conditions, ended in disaster, killing him, Bessette, and her sister Lauren.

A Complex Love Story

Despite public fascination with their fairytale romance, insiders suggest the marriage faced constant strain.

Bessette’s struggles and Kennedy’s hidden risk-taking meant that even without the fatal plane crash, their relationship would have been fraught.

Kennedy’s charm, intellect, and charisma were counterbalanced by his impulsiveness, thrill-seeking tendencies, and substance use.

What’s Next?

Interest in Kennedy and Bessette’s story is unlikely to wane.

The FX series brings renewed attention to their lives, potentially prompting further biographies, interviews, and firsthand accounts.

For historians and fans, revisiting their story may provide deeper insights into the pressures of fame, the impact of genetic predispositions on behavior, and the complexities of one of America’s most scrutinized couples.

Summary

Close friend Sasha Chermayeff revealed that John F. Kennedy Jr. used marijuana daily from his teens and experimented with cocaine and psychedelics throughout his life.

While Carolyn Bessette’s substance abuse and personal struggles have long been documented, Kennedy’s own risk-taking, thrill-seeking tendencies, and occasional drug use have largely been underplayed.

Family concerns, genetic predispositions, and a pattern of dangerous behavior culminated in the tragic plane crash of July 1999.

The FX series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette revisits their lives, highlighting the complexities behind the golden couple’s public image.