EXCLUSIVE: Martha Stewart Reveals Chilling Warning to JFK Jr Before Crash
Martha Stewart has revealed the chilling warning she gave JFK Jr. before his fatal plane crash.
Oct. 1 2026, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
Lifestyle mogul Martha Stewart chillingly warned John F. Kennedy Jr. about flying without a copilot shortly before his 1999 plane crash death, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Martha, 85, made the shocking revelation on a recent episode of The Real Housewives of New York City.
Stewart Warned JFK Jr. to Get Copilot
Martha Stewart recalled urging John F. Kennedy Jr. to get a copilot before his fatal 1999 flight.
Speaking with RHONY newbie and makeup artist Daisy Toye, Stewart shared: "I was with John-John the Monday before the Friday when they died. He called me. I was running Martha Stewart Living Magazine. He called me, and he said he's in trouble."
The longtime domestic diva explained the namesake son of late President John F. Kennedy wanted advice about his political lifestyle magazine, George, and that they then met up, "had a very nice dinner" and discussed their weekend plans.
"He said, 'Oh, we're going to a wedding in Martha's Vineyard. And I'm taking my wife and her sister,'" Stewart recalled. "And I said, 'Well, who's flying?' He said, 'I'm flying.' I said, 'You have a copilot, right?' And he said, 'No, I don't need a copilot' ... I've thought about that so many times that I told him to get a copilot. Ugh, I feel sorry."
John died on July 16, 1999, at age 38 when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Stewart's Vineyard.
His wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, 33, and her sister Lauren Bessette, 34, were also killed.
NTSB Blamed Crash on Pilot Error
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister Lauren also died in the crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr.
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The three had departed from Essex County Airport in Fairfield Township, N.J., aboard John's Piper Saratoga.
They planned to stop at Martha's Vineyard to drop off Lauren before John and Carolyn continued to Hyannis Port for his cousin Rory Kennedy's wedding.
The National Transportation Safety Board later determined that the probable cause of the crash was John's failure to maintain control of the plane during a nighttime descent over water, with spatial disorientation cited as a factor.
The tragedy and John's high-profile relationship with Carolyn were the focus of the Hulu series Love Story, which aired after filming for the current season of RHONY had wrapped.
