Love Story: JFK Jr. Star Paul Anthony Kelly and Wife Welcome New Baby

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette star Paul Anthony Kelly has joyfully welcomed his first child with his wife, Syd Widziszewski-Kelly.

Kelly, age 37, confirmed the exciting news during a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Monday, February 23.

“You just became a dad!” host Kelly Clarkson exclaimed, to which Kelly responded, “I did, yeah. Thank you so much.”

When Clarkson, 43, inquired whether joining fatherhood has made him feel more “tired,” he candidly admitted, “A little bit, yeah. That’s, like, an understatement, for sure.”

The model opted not to disclose the name or gender of his newborn.

Kelly previously noted that Widziszewski-Kelly, whom he married in May 2023, was expected to give birth on Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s birthday.

“When we finish filming, my wife and I need to head back home and start nesting,” he explained to Interview in November 2025. “The baby is due in January, with an initial estimate of January 7, which is Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s birthday.”

Kelly shared that Widziszewski-Kelly broke the news of their pregnancy around the same time he secured his breakout role as John F. Kennedy Jr.

“As February arrived, I felt optimistic, but casting mentioned they were considering other actors. I thought, ‘That’s fine, whatever,’” he recounted. “A few months later, at the end of April, my agents contacted me. They wanted to see me again for another audition. Twenty minutes later, I received a message saying they’d like to skip ahead to the producer callback. We were in Portland, which is now our home base. So I did a Zoom audition just before dinner on our second wedding anniversary, and that’s when she told me we were pregnant. May 1 was significant.”

Kelly continued, “The following day, I received a call from my agent: They wanted to see me for a chemistry read with Sarah [Pidgeon], who had already been cast as Carolyn, the next week. The catch was that I needed to have my green card by then. They called me on a Friday. I got my green card on Saturday. On Sunday, I booked my flight.”

Kelly and Pidgeon, 29, portray Kennedy and Bessette-Kennedy in Love Story, which premiered on February 12. The limited series also features Grace Gummer as JFK Jr.’s sister, Caroline Kennedy, and Naomi Watts as his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Kelly shared on The Kelly Clarkson Show that he nearly gave up on acting just before securing the role in Love Story.

“I had pursued acting for 12 or 13 years, and it was becoming increasingly frustrating as I was auditioning frequently without much progress, and I thought, ‘Maybe this isn’t meant for me,’” he reflected. “Then this incredible opportunity arose.”

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette airs on FX Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET, with episodes available for streaming the following day on Hulu.