Martha Stewart has opened up about the haunting final exchange she shared with John F. Kennedy Jr. Days before his fatal 1999 plane crash.
Stewart, 85, made the revelation during the Season 16 premiere of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” which aired this week on Bravo. She was speaking with cast member Daisy Toye when she recounted the Monday evening encounter that took place just four days before Kennedy Jr., 38, his wife Carolyn Bessette, and her sister Lauren perished off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
At the time, Stewart was running The Martha Stewart Magazine when Kennedy Jr. Called her seeking advice on his own political publication. She told Toye that he rang her to “say he’s in trouble,” prompting the two to meet for what would become their last conversation.
“I was with John-John the Monday before the Friday when they died,” Stewart said on the program.
The pair shared what Stewart described as a “very nice dinner.” As the evening concluded, she asked Kennedy Jr. About his weekend plans. He told her he was heading to a wedding in Martha’s Vineyard with Carolyn and Lauren, and that he intended to pilot the aircraft himself.
When Stewart pressed him about having a copilot, she claimed he dismissed the concern, telling her he “didn’t need a copilot.”
“I’ve thought about that so many times that I told him to get a copilot. I feel sorry,” Stewart added during the RHONY premiere.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s subsequent investigation into the July 16, 1999 crash echoed Stewart’s account of Kennedy Jr.’s confidence in flying solo. According to the NTSB report, the 38-year-old had expressed that he “wanted to fly alone.” His flight instructor told investigators that Kennedy Jr. Possessed the technical ability to fly without a visible horizon, though the instructor also noted that hazy conditions on the day of the crash may have hindered his capacity to perform additional tasks. The instructor further stated he would not have felt comfortable with Kennedy Jr. Conducting night flight operations along the route ultimately flown.
The aircraft, which departed from New Jersey’s Essex County Airport, failed to reach its destination. Days later, wreckage was found strewn across the seabed near Martha’s Vineyard, south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. All three bodies were recovered five days after the crash.
The wedding the trio had been traveling to was for Kennedy’s cousin, Rory Kennedy. The ceremony was subsequently postponed and relocated to Athens.
Carolyn Bessette had reportedly been reluctant to make the trip. At the time, she was said to be exhausted by intense media scrutiny and the demands of frequent public appearances. She eventually changed her mind and invited her sister Lauren to join them.
Earlier this year, FX released the limited series “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,” which traced their relationship through its final episode depicting the crash itself. Kennedy Jr.’s death came nearly 36 years after his father, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated on November 22, 1963.
Stewart’s disclosure marks a rare personal account of the final days of a figure whose life and sudden death have remained the subject of sustained public fascination more than two decades later.