Infidelity rumors have long swirled around the Kennedys, particularly regarding former President John F. Kennedy. Reports of Kennedy’s alleged affairs with legendary figures like Marilyn Monroe and Judith Exner have made headlines for decades. While these stories have been well-documented, less has been said about the private life of his wife, Jackie Kennedy. However, a recent biography sheds new light on the former First Lady’s love life.
Jackie: Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli details an alleged affair between Jackie Kennedy and architect Jack Warnecke, starting just months after JFK’s assassination in November 1963. Ironically, Warnecke was the man Kennedy hired to design JFK‘s gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery, which features the famous eternal flame.
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According to the book, Warnecke asked Jackie out to dinner in May 1964 — six months after her husband’s assassination. Despite not receiving a clear affirmation, he showed up at her door with flowers. “That’s when it started between us,” Warnecke explained.
Ignoring the advice of friends and family who felt she was moving on too soon, Jackie brought Warnecke to the family compound in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod in November 1964. Warnecke recollected that “one thing led to another,” per Columbian, and their relationship lasted for three years.
Warnecke even contemplated popping the question during a trip to Hawaii in 1966 — but he tied his financial problems to Jackie, citing debt from expanding his firm and maintaining their lavish lifestyle. Following this confession, Jackie allegedly stopped taking his calls and told her son, JFK Jr., “We won’t be seeing Mr. Jack again.”
“They were together for four years and they were really very important to each other,” Taraborrelli told People when the book was first released in June 2023. “And she really did love him, and he really was crazy about her.”
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In 1968, Jackie went on to marry Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, who passed away in 1975. She later had a relationship with diamond merchant Maurice Tempelsman. However, when Jackie was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1994, it was Warnecke she reconnected with for a special reason: going over letters from her loved ones, including Warnecke.
“As I took my seat, Jackie handed me a stack of envelopes neatly tied together with yarn. My presence that evening was part of a ritual. Every night that week, she was inviting a trusted friend or family member to her home to take part in it,” Warnecke recalled in Jackie: Public, Private, Secret.
“There were letters from Jackie’s children, John and Caroline … There were also letters from Jack Kennedy, Aristotle Onassis, her father, Jack Bouvier and even a few from me.’ She held one of the photographs and stared at it. It was her and Jack [Kennedy] on the day of his inauguration. ‘Keep this for me, will you?’ she asked.”
This alleged romance adds another layer to the complex and often scandalous narrative of the Kennedy family. It also paints a picture of Jackie Kennedy as a woman who, despite facing immense personal tragedy, chose to live her life on her terms. While these revelations may surprise some, they serve as a reminder that the public personas of figures like the Kennedys often conceal a private reality far more complicated than we can imagine. After all, even icons have their secrets.
Before you go, click here to see photos of all the many Jackie Kennedy has dated. 
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