Jackie Kennedy Ended Her Brief Fling With Warren Beatty Because He Was Too 'Self-Absorbed'

In the mid-1970s, one might assume a heartthrob actor like Warren Beatty would be able to woo any woman he liked. And for the most part, that might have been true — unless, of course, that woman was former first lady Jackie Kennedy, who proved far harder to impress. 

In an exclusive preview of a biography of Kennedy titled "Jackie: Public, Private, Secret" by J. Randy Taraborrelli released by People, it was revealed that the socialite, fashion icon, businesswoman, and mother of two had a brief fling with the "Bonnie and Clyde" actor during her time as a consulting editor for Viking Publishing. According to Taraborrelli, Kennedy sought to charm Beatty into penning a memoir for her publishing company. 

Beatty, who was largely considered a male sex symbol of the times, attempted to charm Kennedy right back. However, firsthand accounts from Kennedy suggested this attempt at seduction fell far short of an earthshaking romance.

From the outside looking in, a partnership between Jackie Kennedy and Warren Beatty seemed like a match made in A-list heaven. However, Taraborrelli wrote that Kennedy shared her distaste for the award-winning filmmaker, director, and actor to her inner circle, calling him "self-absorbed."

In an excerpt from Taraborrelli's book, he states that Beatty "was consumed by his own career and movies. All he wanted to do was talk about directors and producers and films, and [Jackie] just wasn't into any of that." And as it turns out, it wasn't just a lack of mutual passions that caused the short-lived fling to fizzle — it was a lack of passion in general. 

When Kennedy was asked by a close friend how Beatty performed in the bedroom, her response was lackluster at best. According to Taraborrelli, Jackie stated, "Oh, he's fine. Men can only do so much anyway" — not exactly the resounding review Beatty likely would have preferred.

Warren Beatty might've been one of the hottest stars of the time, but it's not exactly surprising that his silver screen status wasn't enough to sweep Jackie Kennedy off her feet. She was, after all, the former first lady to the 35th president of the United States and the former wife to Aristotle Onassis, a shipping tycoon and one of the wealthiest men in Greek history. In terms of global power, Beatty paled in comparison. 

International influence aside, Kennedy hated the idea of being a housewife, and her self-assertiveness and independence didn't allow her to fawn over men so easily, something all the men Jackie dated before and after JFK were made well aware of by the time their flings with the midcentury icon would come to a close. 

From her career to her fashion and everything in between, Jackie Kennedy was a woman who never lost sight of what mattered most to her. While she was never the same after JFK died, she hardly turned into a shrinking violet. Until she died in 1994, Kennedy was never afraid to take charge of her life — tousle-haired, blue-eyed movie stars be darned.