The true story & history of Truman Capote and his socialite swans

When it comes to delving into the glossy lives of Manhattan's elite, we've never been able to say no – just look to Gossip Girl, The Great Gatsby and The Gilded Age for proof. Now, a new high-stakes, upper-class drama is absorbing us just as completely: Feud: Capote vs The Swans, the long-awaited second instalment of the Ryan Murphy anthology series, which focuses on the life of Truman Capote and his coterie of socialites, whom he dubbed his 'swans'.

"Enchanted and captivated by these doyennes, Capote ingratiated himself into their lives, befriending them and becoming their confidante, only to ultimately betray them by writing a thinly veiled fictionalisation of their lives, exposing their most intimate secrets," describes broadcaster FX. "When an excerpt from the book, Answered Prayers, Capote’s planned magnum opus, was published in Esquire, it effectively destroyed his relationship with his swans, banished him from the high society he so loved and sent him into a spiral of self-destruction from which he would ultimately never recover."

But who was Truman Capote really, and which glamorous New York women were included in his circle? Why did they fall out so dramatically, and what was the result? Here, we unpack what you need to know about the series, and the true story behind Feud: Capote vs The Swans.

FX/Hulu

Who's starring in the series?

Talk of the series began back in April 2022, when Deadline revealed that the the second season of Feud would be directed by Gus Van Sant, with two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Jon Robin Baitz writing all eight episodes, and acting as showrunner. The trailer for the series (above) – which is based on Laurence Leamer's bestselling book, Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal and a Swan Song for an Era – teases at "sex, money and endless invention," and certainly offers a good insight into the glamorous drama.

Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era

Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era

The A-list cast has also attracted serious interest. The White Lotus star Tom Hollander plays the part of the prolific novelist, who became a pariah when he published a story which exposed the most shocking secrets of his powerful group of society friends. Joining him is Chloë Sevigny as CZ Guest, Diane Lane as Slim Keith, Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill, Molly Ringwald as Joanne Carson, Demi Moore as Ann Woodward and Naomi Watts as Babe Paley.

CZ Guest by Slim Aarons

Chloë Sevigny as CZ Guest

How can I watch it?

The first two episodes of the eight-part series premiered on FX and were streamed on Hulu on 31 January earlier this year, with one episode dropping weekly thereafter. The series is also available on Disney+ in the UK.

The series begins with Babe Paley confessing to Capote that her husband is having an affair, and Capote shocking her and a group of friends with an outrageous story that Ann Woodward has murdered her husband. Woodward confronts Capote, but he is unmoved. When Capote publishes an extract of Answered Prayers, many recognise it as a thinly veiled attack – especially when Woodward kills herself – and the swans begin to set in motion a plan of revenge...

Who was Truman Capote?

Born in 1924 in New Orleans, Truman Capote was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. His novels have become classics, including Breakfast at Tiffany's (now arguably better known for its film version, starring Audrey Hepburn) and In Cold Blood, which many have credited with kickstarting our obsession with true crime. The latter, with which he was helped by his lifelong friend and fellow author Harper Lee, earned him the most fame.

Capote was well known for his distinctive, high-pitched voice and odd vocal mannerisms, his offbeat style, and his fabrications: he often claimed to know people whom he had actually never met, such as Greta Garbo. He had a predilection for drink and drugs, and an array of eclectic friends, rubbing shoulders with authors, critics, business tycoons, philanthropists, Hollywood and theatrical celebrities, royalty and members of high society. Part of his public persona was a longstanding rivalry with writer Gore Vidal, which prompted Tennessee Williams to complain: "You would think they were running neck-and-neck for some fabulous gold prize". Although Capote never embraced the gay rights movement, his openness about his own homosexuality made him an important figure nonetheless.

A young Truman Capote, pictured in 1940

Tom Hollander as Truman Capote

And who were his 'swans'?

In the years following the publication of In Cold Blood in 1966, Capote was more sought-after than ever and established himself firmly as a member of the jet set glitterati. He developed a circle of female friends, whom he affectionately called his 'swans', who accompanied him to parties, on yachts and on trips around the world, as his supporters and confidantes.

Among the swans were Lee Radziwill, the sister of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, who was an aspiring actress and socialite, as well as Babe Paley, Slim Keith, Ann Woodward, CZ Guest, Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli and Pamela Harriman. All immensely rich, beautiful and regulars on the best-dressed list, they were all often seen out with Capote at New York events, despite shuttling between homes in the Hamptons and Venice by way of Paris.

Truman Capote with Babe Paley (right) and Gloria Guinness

Truman Capote dancing with Lee Radziwill at his famous Black And White Ball in 1966

The swans dominated the headlines: CZ Guest, a cover girl and muse to Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí, rode a white horse into the ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria in 1955, decades before Bianca Jagger tried the same stunt at Studio 54. Pamela Harriman married Winston Churchill’s son, before becoming the US ambassador in Paris. Slim Keith (who is credited with bringing Lauren Bacall to Hollywood's attention) even shared a husband with Harriman – Leland Hayward – who left the former for the latter in 1960.

Capote and his swans lived in the spotlight of New York's high society. In 1966, Capote hosted the now-legendary masked ball, The Black And White Ball, at the Plaza Hotel – considered the event of the season, it cemented his status as one of the city's best-loved socialites.

Babe Paley pictured in 1956

Naomi Watts as Babe Paley

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What was their feud all about?

Through his jet set social life, Capote had been gathering observations for a tell-all novel, Answered Prayers. The book, which Capote had been planning stages since 1958, was constantly postponed, until he permitted Esquire to publish four chapters of the unfinished novel in 1975 and 1976. The first to appear, 'Mojave', ran as a self-contained short story and was favourably received, but the second, 'La Côte Basque 1965', marked the beginning of Capote's social suicide.

Lee Radziwill in 1967

Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill

Based in part on the dysfunctional personal lives of Capote's friends, its much-discussed betrayal of trust alienated Capote from his swans, who were featured in the text – sometimes under pseudonyms but also by their real names. The chapter aired the dirty laundry of New York's elite, and spilled everything from gossip about Princess Margaret and the rest of the British royal family, to a description of Jackie Kennedy Onassis as "unrefined, exaggerated".

The socialite Ann Woodward, who was accused of murdering her husband, pictured in 1955

Demi Moore as Ann Woodward

Capote lifted the lid on extramarital affairs, and even accused former showgirl Ann Woodward of murdering her husband. It's rumoured that Ann Woodward was warned prematurely of the publication and content of the chapter, and killed herself with cyanide as a result.

Many of the swans refused to speak to Capote ever again, resulting in almost complete social isolation for the writer. The aftermath of the publication is said to have pushed him to new levels of drug abuse and alcoholism, as he claimed not to have anticipated the backlash it would cause. "All literature is gossip," Truman told Playboy magazine after the controversy erupted. "What in God’s green earth is Anna Karenina or War and Peace or Madame Bovary, if not gossip?"

Slim Keith chatting to Diana Vreeland and her husband in 1952

Diane Lane as Slim Keith

What happened next?

In the late 1970s, Capote was in and out of rehab for drugs, and news of his various breakdowns frequently reached the public. In 1978, talk show host Stanley Siegel did an on-air interview with Capote, who, intoxicated, confessed he'd been awake for two days. "I'll kill myself... without meaning to," he said. The live broadcast made national headlines.

After the revocation of his driver's license (the result of speeding near his Long Island residence) and a hallucination-based seizure in 1980 that required hospitalisation, Capote became fairly reclusive. On the rare occasions when he was lucid, he continued to promote Answered Prayers as being nearly complete, and was reportedly planning a reprise of The Black And White Ball.

Capote died in Los Angeles in 1984, from liver disease complicated by intoxication, aged 59. Upon hearing of his death, Gore Vidal famously pronounced it a "wise career move".

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