Jackie Kennedy and John F. Kennedy's marriage was plagued with several difficult times, including the former president's multiple affairs. However, Jackie was not exempted as she was rumored to have had many flings, even with her brother-in-law.
Before her demise, Jackie Kennedy was undoubtedly one of the most popular women in history. She rose to fame for her marriage to the late former president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. American citizens loved Jackie for her dedication to the country and her fashion sense.
However, in the past years, her name has been brought up several times for the wrong reasons after rumors about her extramarital affairs made the headlines.
President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy early in their marriage in the 1950s in Massachusetts [left] Pictures of Rudolf Nureyev, Paul Newman and Marlon Brando [bubbles] | Source: Getty Images
It was alleged that the former first lady was romantically involved with famous men like Rudolf Nureyev, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, Warren Beatty, Gregory Peck, and her brother-in-law, Robert F. Kennedy.
The speculations about Jackie's affairs were detailed in "The Pink Triangle," a biography of the former first lady published in 2014 to mark the 20th anniversary of her death. Let's take a closer look at the details of Jackie's affairs and when they happened.
John and Jackie Kennedy in the door of the White House, Washington, D.C., circa 1961 | Source: Getty Images
JACKIE KENNEDY'S AFFAIR WITH NUREYEV AND KRIZA
Driven to distraction by her husband's betrayal and numerous affairs, Jackie embarked on a wild fling with Ballet Dancer Rudolf Nureyev while still in the White House.
"The Pink Triangle" revealed that the former first lady flew Nureyev to Washington in 1963 and quickly plunged into a secret love affair that lasted for years.
John F. and Jackie Kennedy when he announced he would be running for the presidency in 1960 on January 2, 1960 | Source: Getty Images
While only close friends of the duo knew about the secret relationship, Jackie and Nureyev remained close even after John's assassination in 1963.
Five years later, the news of their fling became public when the ballet dancer was overheard drunkenly boasting about his conquest. Nureyev made no secret of the fact that Jackie fell under his spell.
John F. Kennedy escorts his bride Jacqueline, shortly after their wedding ceremony on September 12, 1953, at Newport, Rhode Island | Source: Getty Images
However, their relationship ended in 1993. The biography explained that Jackie confronted Nureyev after learning that he encouraged her son to be an actor instead of pursuing politics as the family wanted. So, an outraged Jackie felt the dancer was paying too much attention to her son and called it quits.
Apart from Nureyev, Jackie was also involved with Ballet Dancer John Kriza. At the same time, the latter was having an affair with Novelist Gore Vidal, but the women cared less. Jackie and Kriza's affair was very short-lived.
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis at a tribute to William S Paley, president of CBS on December 1988 in New York | Source: Getty Images
INSIDE JACKIE KENNEDY AND MARLON BRANDO'S HISTORY
In 1964, one year after her husband's death, Jackie was involved in a romance with American actor Marlon Brando. The actor was candid about the brief relationship in his 1999 autobiography "Songs My Mother Taught Me."
In the book, Brando explained that one night, he and Jackie had too much to drink at the Jockey Club in Washington. Then, they proceeded to the former first lady's house, where Brando prepared omelets for dinner.
Picture of Marlon Brando on January 4, 1967 | Source: Getty Images
After the pair finished their meals, Jackie dimmed the lights and played Wayne Newton's rendition of "Danke Schoen." Brando wrote that Jackie danced close to him, "pressing her thighs against him."
Not long after, they moved to Jackie's sofa and began making out. According to Brando, Jackie kept waiting for him to take their intimate moment further, and when he did not, she asked if he would spend the night.
In his response, Brando said, "I thought you'd never ask." The pair never planned to take their relationship seriously, so it ended as quickly as it started.
Jacqueline Kennedy at her Georgetown home in August 1960 | Source: Getty Images
JACKIE KENNEDY'S ALLEGED RELATIONSHIP WITH ROBERT
Although it was alleged that Jackie had multiple secret romances, her involvement with her brother-in-law, Robert, stood out.
In the book "Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Life Beyond Her Wildest Dreams," the authors, Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince, detailed what went down between the duo.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis during a ceremony in memory of her husband John F. Kennedy on May 29, 1990 | Source: Getty Images
According to the book, Jackie and Robert's romance began shortly after the former's husband was assassinated. The authors claimed that Robert moved into Jackie's house to care for her. They spent every night together and became very close. Even in public, the duo was spotted together.
Nancy Dickerson, Jackie's close friend, strongly believed that the former first lady and her brother-in-law were intimate. While speculations made the rounds, the book claimed that Jackie eventually confessed to loving Robert.
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis at the Costume Institute Gala Presents “Fashions of The Hapsburg Era, December 3, 1979, in New York | Source: Getty Images
Jackie allegedly admitted, "I'm in love with two men at the same time, both Bobby and Teddy." Even though it was believed that Jackie and Robert became very close after John's death, there were some rumors that the romance began before the former president died.
Mary Harrington, a known socialite, claimed she saw Robert fondling Jackie at the Kennedy's Palm Beach estate during Christmas in 1964."I was shocked. It was clear that Bobby was sleeping with his sister-in-law," Harrington claimed.
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy poses for a photograph while holding a gift on December 12, 1961, in Washington D.C. | Source: Getty Images
The pair's relationship ended in June 1968 when Robert was assassinated in Los Angeles. After his death, Porter and Prince claimed that Jackie relied on Robert's brother Ted Kennedy.
According to them, Ted stood by Jackie through one crisis after another, eventually becoming the only man in her life. What began as reliance metamorphosed into a whirlwind romance in no distant time.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at the New York Harbor as she returns to the Big Apple from Staten Island on July 31, 1976 | Source: Getty Images
JACKIE KENNEDY KEPT HER REPUTATION CLEAN
Jackie may have been rumored to have had several affairs and relationships with men, even when her first husband was alive. However, the claims never dented the former first lady's reputation in American society as they were never confirmed, and she tried to keep her image clean.
Irrespective of her efforts, "The Pink Triangle" co-writer, Darwin Porter, believed that it was surprising to see Americans portray Jackie as a saint when she was not. The man explained:
"Americans like to canonize Jackie, as if preserving the memory of a golden era that perhaps never really existed. But they forget she had human appetites and indulged them. Jackie loved men."
Jacqueline Kennedy sits in her Hyannisport, Massachusetts home in 1960 | Source: Getty Images
Jackie passed away on May 19, 1994, at 64, and amidst all the claims written in the books, she will always be remembered as a woman who loved and dedicated herself to caring for the citizens of America.
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