How FX's Love Story Revived Demand for George Magazine at $800+ per Copy
It inspired women to flock to C.O. Bigelow, a founded-in-1838 pharmacy, for one item and one item only: a tortoise-shell headband. It made the search term 'Carolyn Bessette style outfits' surge by 12,600 percent on Pinterest (from March 2025 to March 2026, according to the platform's internal data). And it sparked an impromptu JFK Jr. lookalike contest in New York City's Washington Square Park, where seven men competed for the title of 'Biggest Hunk' - only to be later featured in a Macy's photoshoot for labels like Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, and Brooks Brothers. We're talking about one of 2026's hottest TV shows, of course: 'Love Story,' which concluded its run on March 26 but is still keeping audiences enthralled, reflected in everything from what clothes they're now shopping to the restaurants they're deciding to frequent. Another unlikely outcome of 'Love Story's' instant virality (it became the FX's most-watched limited series ever on Hulu and Disney+)? Hordes of shoppers are rushing to snag rare copies of the magazine 'George,' which was co-founded by the man of the hour, John F. Kennedy Jr., and first hit shelves in 1995 - ultimately folding in 2001, a few years after the Kennedy heir's tragic death. The mag starts being mentioned in Episode 2 of 'Love Story,' during which viewers get a sense of the hurdles JFK Jr. had to overcome to get his vision (politics but make it sexy, basically) off the ground. We also soon meet the title's other founder, Michael J. Berman: a businessman who attended Brown University with Kennedy and would end up selling his stake in 'George' after sustained, heated disagreements (power imbalances; diverging editorial visions). The first issue - where Cindy Crawford appears dressed up as, true to the magazine's name, George Washington - was a runaway hit, boosted by more ads than the business partners knew what to do with. On-screen, multiple original 'George' covers are flaunted, like the one on which Drew Barrymore cosplays as Marilyn Monroe, alongside the caption 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President.' It's no surprise then that 'George,' more than three decades after its initial release, is once again doing numbers while reaching a completely new audience (who's treating it as covetable 'Love Story' merch). Per the Wall Street Journal, the status-symbol memorabilia recently fetched a $5,000 eBay bid, placed by someone who was looking to purchase a bundle of copies. And on Amazon, too, third-party sellers are jacking up the keepsakes' prices to over $800 in many cases. If you want to get your hands on a piece of history and catch up on some JFK Jr.-themed required reading ('George' issues oftentimes included Kennedy's interviews with heavy hitters like former U.S. senator Elizabeth Dole, former governor of Alabama George Wallace, and Marion Hammer, the first female president of the National Rifle Association), there's absolutely no time to waste, as the magazine's online supply is currently very limited, which partially explains its steep price points. The buzz surrounding 'Love Story' might fade, but the 'Not Just Politics as Usual' magazine will be forever.
