Patricia Heaton Defends Daryl Hannah's Character Amid Controversy Over 'Love Story' Series

Carly SilvaSat, March 7, 2026 at 8:29 PM UTC

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(Getty Images)

Patricia Heaton is coming to Daryl Hannah's defense.

Following Hannah's recent criticism of Ryan Murphy's new FX series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, Heaton issued a statement to speak on behalf of Hannah's character, seemingly confirming what the show may have gotten wrong.

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Taking to Instagram on Saturday, March 7, Heaton, 68, shared a photo from the set of the film Memoirs of an Invisible Man, which she worked on with Hannah back in the early '90s.

In her caption, the Everybody Loves Raymond alum reflected on her personal experience with Hannah, sharing nothing but nice things about the actress.

Noting that there has been "a lot of buzz" surrounding Hannah since the release of Love Story and the actress' subsequent essay in theNew York Times, Heaton wrote in her post on Saturday, "For what it’s worth, I met Daryl Hannah early on in my career when I worked a few days on a movie with her."

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"I was just starting out, she had already become a huge star in 'Splash,' and yet she treated me with such kindness and inclusiveness, chatting with me about all kinds of things and graciously offering her trailer to me in case I was bored and wanted to watch a movie."

"I can’t begin to tell you how unusual that is in our business, and it has stayed with me all these years as a model of how to treat everyone you encounter on a set," Heaton added, while confirming that Hannah is "a lovely person."

Hannah shared how she really feels about the new series in her op-ed in the Times, insisting that portrayal of her in the series is "not even a remotely accurate representation" of her life or her relationship with JFK Jr. "The actions and behaviors attributed to me are untrue."

In the weeks following the series' premiere, Hannah also claimed to have received "many hostile and even threatening messages from viewers who seem to believe the portrayal is factual."

"When entertainment borrows a real person’s name, it can permanently impact her reputation," she wrote. "Real names are not fictional tools. They belong to real lives."

Related: Patricia Heaton Shares Throwback 2001 Photos With Late 'Everybody Loves Raymond' Co-Star in Emotional Message

This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”