Do You Remember: George Magazine – When John F. Kennedy Jr. Tried to Blend Politics, Celebrity, and ‘90s Cool

JFK Jr. wanted to shake up how we talked about politics. Did it work?

In the lead-up to and aftermath of the 2024 US election, a time of endless pain and hell, I found myself thinking a lot about one of my enduring pop culture obsessions: George magazine. I’ve spent far too much of my time pouring over any kind of information I can find on this oddity of publishing and celebrity. One of the world’s most famous men, a nepo baby with the weight of a nation’s expectations upon his shoulders, tried to rebrand himself as a journalistic mogul through a magazine that promised to reveal the common ground between politics and entertainment. Everyone was simultaneously rooting for and against it. Ridiculous amounts of money were spent to try and make this concept happen. The editor got naked for it. Then, as sales dwindled, tragedy struck. It’s all so thoroughly American. To be more specific, it’s all indelibly the work of a Kennedy.

John F. Kennedy Jr. was America’s sweetheart. The only surviving son of President John F. Kennedy, he has been famous from the moment he was born. Following JFK’s assassination, the photograph of the toddler John saluting his father’s coffin became one of the most enduring images of a nation united in grief. His mother Jackie tried to keep him and his sister Caroline out of the spotlight during their childhoods, which was no mean feat given that she was the paparazzi's most beloved target and the Kennedy dream only grew more powerful in a Nixon/Reagan world.

Kennedy was not a great student and many biographers have speculated over the decades that he may have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in his life. While he majored in American Studies at Brown University, his real passion was acting. He made his acting debut in front of an invitation-only audience at the Irish Theater in Manhattan. His mother, however, did not approve. She wanted him to be a Kennedy through and through, and that meant going into law and politics. He famously failed the New York bar exam twice before passing on his third try in July 1990, which the tabloids revelled in. He served time in the Manhattan DA's office for four years, but left because he didn't want to be "just another passenger on a liner." That's why he decided to go into... mass-producing hand-made kayaks for sale. Well, that didn't last long because, as you can imagine from that description, it's kind of a contradiction to mass-produce hand-made kayaks.

He then pitched the idea of a magazine to his friend Michael Berman. Why did politics have to be so stuffy? Shouldn't it be glamorous and rock & roll? Wouldn't there be a gap in the market for a glossy monthly magazine that blended politics, fashion, lifestyle, and celebrity? And he could be the head of the operation! It was the ‘90s, after all. Bill Clinton was cool. Third-wave feminism was rampant. Gay rights activists were gaining new ground. Dan Quayle tried to take on Murphy Brown and lost. Aaron Sorkin was becoming a thing. Why not wrap up a civics class in some Hollywood glitz?

(That time JFK Jr. was on Murphy Brown.)

Because he was John F. Kennedy Jr., George was born. It barely seemed to matter that his experience with journalism began and ended with writing one piece for The New York Times about kayaking. He was John John! Everyone was rooting for him and being in his orbit was borderline hypnotic. You can find way too many stories from this era drooling over how charismatic and handsome he was. Remember, he was voted People’s Sexiest Man Alive. And he was hot. Not every Kennedy is but he certainly had the sauce, so to speak. For all of America’s rejection of monarchical rule, they sure do love to have their own royal-esque dynasties, and the Kennedys were dominant as such. Of course they would give him his own magazine!