Feud: Capote vs. The Swans fans were shocked by the show’s events which presented an affair between Happy Rockefeller and Bill Paley, the husband of Truman Capote’s close friend.
Shocking as the events are, the show’s decidedly juicy tale of Truman Capote and the Swans is but one interpretation of real-life events and shouldn’t be confused with reality.
Still, the scandalous affair has gotten a lot of buzz among fans of the series, enough that viewers are abuzz about what exactly happened in the real-life story.
Feud: Happy Rockefeller and Bill Paley's Shocking Affair
Ryan Murphy is finally back with another season of Feud, and this time it follows the story of Truman Capote (played by Tom Hollander) and his tumultuous relationship with the group of New York City socialites dubbed “The Swans.”
At the center of it all is Babe Paley (played by Naomi Watts), arguably the Swan that Capote is the closest to.
As the show presents, Babe confides in Capote about how she was humiliated by his husband, Bill Paley, whom she saw having an affair with Mary “Happy” Rockefeller.
This is no doubt a high-profile affair as the people involved in it are very much NYC high society folk. For starters, Babe Paley is the fashionable wife of Bill Paley, the chief of the major American TV network CBS.
Meanwhile, Happy Rockefeller is the wife of Nelson Rockefeller, the 41st Vice President of the United States, and a member of the powerful Rockefeller family.
The affair serves as a focal point of the series so far, but for those wondering if this actually happened, Truman Capote’s famous excerpt.
Did the Happy and Bill Affair Happen in Real Life?
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans is based on the story of renowned writer Truman Capote, specifically during the time after chapters from his unfinished book Answered Prayers were published in Esquire.
One of these chapters is titled La Côte Basque 1965 which tells the story of media mogul Sidney Dillon who has an affair with the wife of New York’s governor.
Many believe that Sidney and his wife Cleo Dillon in the story represent Bill and Babe Paley. Thus, Capote's “exposing” the affair is believed to have caused the rift between him and the Swans.
Of course, details about these have not been confirmed. There’s also the fact that it's unclear who the New York governor’s wife represents in real life.
Ryan Murphy’s Feud posits that this is none other than Happy Rockefeller, though other interpretations of Capote’s story point to other persons.
Thus, the Happy Rockefeller and Bill Paley affair is a rumor at best. Whatever happened in real life with Babe Paley, there’s no doubt that fans are keen to see more in the next Feud episode.
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