Over the weekend, New Yorkers did what they do best, and hosted a lookalike contest for yet another celebrity. This time, it was the late John F. Kennedy Jr. in the spotlight.
The reason behind the contest? A recent Ryan Murphy limited series that came out at the end of February. Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette centers around the whirlwind romance and untimely deaths of JFK Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
Crowds gathered in Washington Square Park on Sunday, March 8, for the city’s latest celebrity lookalike contest, hunting for the best JFK Jr. double.
Organizers offered a small but enticing prize: $250 and bragging rights for the city’s "biggest hunk." Meanwhile, hundreds of spectators showed up to see who might pull off the man's famous look…and according to viewers, the contestants were mid at best.
New Yorkers gather for a JFK Jr. lookalike contest, but viewers say they missed the mark
Lookalike contests have become a recurring spectacle in New York City. Earlier events celebrated doppelgängers of Timothée Chalamet and Harry Styles.
Those drew large crowds and plenty of viral posts, as cosplayers and men who truly did look like the celebrities turned out to cheering crowds.
So organizers hoped lightning would strike again with a JFK Jr. edition, inviting contestants to attend via flyers that circulated online. Video clips from the event showed large groups swarming around contestants.
Only a handful of contestants took to the "stage" to pose for the crowds, and the eventual winner of the competition wore a casual look of a backwards baseball cap, dark sunglasses, gym clothes, and bright orange and black rollerblades.
The audience online complained that most contestants barely resembled JFK Jr. Several spectators posted blunt reactions under a TikTok video of the event.
"They’re trying too hard to be nonchalant," one person wrote.
Another viewer joked, "This just looks like every finance bro in manhattan 😂😂😂😂😂"
Others were even harsher. One woman commented, "This is what I mean when I say 'the confidence of a white man.'"
Another TikToker simply asked, "Do they know what JFK Jr looks like?"
Fans revisit places tied to JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette
Notably, Jack Schlossberg, JFK Jr.’s nephew, has been hyper-critical of the project since mid-2025, calling it a "grotesque way to profit" off his uncle’s life.
Even so, the series seemed to spark a small cultural ripple. For instance, some men have started copying JFK Jr.’s wardrobe. Newsboy caps and similar retro pieces popped up on sidewalks and social media.
Fans also began visiting places associated with the couple. One example that stands out is couples going on dates to Panna II, the restaurant where JFK Jr. and Bessette-Kennedy had their first date, both in real life and in the show.
A recent photo showed a line stretching outside the East Village spot. The caption explained the surge, saying, "The line tonight for old-timer Panna II, the last restaurant standing at 93 First Ave. near Sixth Street ... a surge in business thanks to a fictional John John and Carolyn B visit in the FX series 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.'"
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
