Is ‘FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans’ Based On A True Story? What To Know About Truman Capote, The Swans, And “Answered Prayers”

The second installment in Ryan Murphy’s FEUD anthology is our first FX/Hulu obsession of 2024. But with each passing episode you’ll grow increasingly curious as to which storylines and characters are fact and which are fiction.

Written for television by Jon Robin Baitz, the eight-episode series dives into the complex life of acclaimed writer Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) and his falling out with his tight-knit friend group of high-society women, known as “the swans.”

In addition to Truman’s self-destructive later years, FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans follows Barbara “Babe” Paley (Naomi Watts), Slim Keith (Diane Lane), C.Z. Guest (Chloë Sevigny), and Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart) in the aftermath of Truman’s betrayal.

At the end of each FEUD episode, the following disclaimer flashes on screen: “While this story is inspired by actual events, certain characters, characterizations, incidents, locations, and dialogue were imagined or invented for purposes of dramatization. With respect to such imagination or invention, any similarity to the name or to the actual character or history of any person, living or dead, or any product or entity or actual incident, is entirely for dramatic purpose and not intended to reflect on an actual character, history, product, or entity.”

So which parts of FEUD are based in fact? And which are imagined? From the swans, Truman’s writing, his struggles with substance abuse, and more, here’s a breakdown of the true story behind FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans.

The Bestselling Book That Inspired FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans

Before we unpack main characters and storylines, it’s crucial to note that Murphy’s second FEUD installment is based on a book by Laurence Leamer: Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era.

Leamer, a bestselling biographer who’s written about Johnny Carson, the Reagan family, and more, delved deep into Capote’s life after he published two of his most famous works — Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) and In Cold Blood (1966) — and focused on his tumultuous Answered Prayers era, his relationship with the high-society New York housewives, and his personal struggles with substance abuse. If the end credits roll on FEUD and you find yourself craving more of Capote and the swans’ stories, we highly suggest devouring Leamer’s book.

The Swans And Beyond: The True Story Of FEUD‘s Main Characters

FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans focuses on four main swans: Barbara “Babe” Paley (Watts), Slim Keith (Lane), C.Z. Guest (Sevigny) and Lee Radziwill (Flockhart). In case you had any doubts, all four of those women were real influential figures in the world.

A member of the swans and one of Truman’s dearest friend, Babe was a magazine editor (serving as a fashion editor at Vogue) and socialite whose husband, William S. Paley (also real!), chief executive of the CBS television network. Nancy “Slim” Keith was a socialite and 1950s/60s fashion icon. C.Z. Guest was an actor, fashion designer, horsewoman, and author. And Lee Radziwill was a PR executive for Giorgio Armani and the younger sister of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Aspiring swan, Ann “Bang Bang” Woodward (Demi Moore), was an actor, showgirl, and model who married Willian Woodward Jr., who Elle notes was “heir to the Hanover National Bank fortune and the Belair Estate.” (As for the murder accusations and speculation in FEUD, read on to learn whether or not those were true.)

Other noteworthy characters based on real people in FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans include Joanne Carson (Molly Ringwald), one of Truman’s closest confidants until his death and the ex-wife of late-night TV host Johnny Carson. John O’Shea (Russell Tovey) was a married father and banker who Truman reportedly met in a New York bathhouse. The two were said to have entered into a romantic relationship that turned toxic, with some of Truman’s closest allies warning him to leave John behind. O’Shea’s daughter (Ella Beatty) also sought out Capote in real life and asked him for advice. Capote renamed her Kate Harrington and she became like a daughter to him. (Years after his death, Harrington gave birth to a daughter and named her Truman.) And then there was Jack Dunphy (Joe Mantello), novelist, playwright and Capote’s right-hand man. Though their relationship grows a bit more strained as the years pass in FEUD, in real life, Jack was described as Truman’s dear friend, companion, partner, and eventually chief beneficiary.

La Côte Basque, The Real Restaurant Turned Esquire Article

Now that we’ve addressed the main characters in FEUD, it’s time to tackle the locations — or rather one central location: La Côte Basque. The restaurant was Capote and the swans’ favorite place to dine, but the name also served as the title of the Esquire article that ended their friendship.

For those who are curious, La Côte Basque was a real restaurant in New York City that opened in the late 1950s and was in business for 45 years until it closed in March 2004. Meanwhile, “La Côte Basque, 1965” was the title of the November 1975 Esquire excerpt from Answered Prayers, in which Capote spilled secrets of the swans’ personal lives for all to read.

The Ann “Bang Bang” Woodward Murder Rumors (And Her Death)

As FEUD shows, the swans took the Esquire betrayal hard. But the impact Capote had on Ann Woodward was believed to be deadly. In FEUD, we see Capote claim that Ann purposefully shot and killed her wealthy husband in cold blood, then her mother-in-law paid to cover up the crime. The 1955 killing was real, though after reports of prowlers in the neighborhood Woodward claimed she feared her husband was an intruder and that she was simply defending herself. Though Woodward wasn’t indicted for the crime, she was tormented by the gossip and judgement and died by suicide in October 1975, which many believed was a response to Capote’s Esquire publication.

The True Story Of Truman Capote’s Black And White Ball

Wondering if FEUD‘s Black and White Ball was all for show? Nope! On Nov. 28, 1966, Capote and 540 guests celebrated in style at the Plaza hotel’s Grand Ballroom. The guest of honor was indeed Katharine Graham, who led The Washington Post from 1963 to 1991. The host served chicken hash. And according to Esquire‘s oral history of the masquerade, guests included Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, Norman Mailer, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Henry Ford II, Betty Bacall, Jerome Robbins, Candice Bergen, and more.

The Truth About Truman Capote’s Answered Prayers

As noted above, “La Côte Basque 1965” was the first installment of Truman Capote’s planned Answered Prayers, the book he believed would be his finest work. What followed its publication — the social isolation, loss of the swans, and self-destructive spiral — is said to have inhibited Capote from completing (or at the very least, releasing) the ambitious project.

Per Vanity Fair, “After ‘La Côte Basque 1965,’ only two more of its chapters were published, both in Esquire: ‘Unspoiled Monsters’ (May 1976) and ‘Kate McCloud’ (December 1976). (‘Mojave,; which had appeared in Esquire in June 1975, was initially intended to be part of Answered Prayers, but Truman changed his mind about its inclusion.)”

Throughout FEUD we see Capote writing Answered Prayers, with his vision for the book morphing in response to his personal experiences. At one point, he feels the work will be his apology to all the people he hurt. At another point, we hear that Babe Paley’s death will be the final chapter. In reality, the Answered Prayers society knows today is unfinished, and a final manuscript was reportedly not found after the writer’s death.

“Alan Schwartz (his lawyer and literary executor), Gerald Clarke (his friend and biographer), and Joe Fox (his Random House editor) searched for the manuscript of the unfinished novel. Random House wanted to recoup something of the advances it had paid Truman—even if that involved publishing an incomplete manuscript. (In 1966, Truman and Random House had signed a contract for Answered Prayers for an advance of $25,000, with a delivery date of January 1, 1968. Three years later, they renegotiated to a three-book contract for an advance of $750,000, with delivery by September 1973. The contract was amended three more times, with a final agreement of $1 million for delivery by March 1, 1981. That deadline passed like all the others with no manuscript being delivered,)” Vanity Fair explained.

“We found nothing,” Schwartz told the publication. Vanity Fair also details Joanne Carson’s claims that “Truman had confided to her that the manuscript was tucked away in a safe-deposit box in a bank in California — maybe Wells Fargo — and that he had handed her a key to it the morning before his death.” While he failed to tell her the exact bank or safe-deposit box location, he reportedly said, “The novel will be found when it wants to be found.”

The Death Of Babe Paley, Truman Capote, And The Swans

So after the high-society living, the lavish parties, the gossip, the drama, the joy, and the pain, how did Babe Paley, Truman Capote, and the rest of the swans shown in FEUD really go out?

FEUD gives glimpses of Babe’s battle with cancer, which was a reality. Following her fallout with Truman, Babe was diagnosed with lung cancer and after a four-year battle, she died one day after her 63rd birthday on July 6, 1978. In true head swan fashion, she reportedly planned her own funeral — right down to the food. Slim Keith died of heart failure at 73 in April 1990. CZ Guest died with ovarian cancer at 83 in November 2003. Joanne Carson died at 83 in May 2015. And Lee Radziwill died at 85 in February 2019.

As for Truman Capote, he died at age 59 in August 1984 at the L.A. home of his dear friend Joanne Carson. Per his autopsy, the cause of death was liver disease, “complicated by phlebitis and multiple drug intoxication.” In 2016, the portion of the writer’s ashes that Joanne had inherited was sold for $45,000 at auction.

In 2024, the group may be gone, but as FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans proves, they’re certainly not forgotten.

New episodes of FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans air Wednesdays on FX with next-day streaming on Hulu.