People Magazine will launch a new podcast series called “Cover-Up” to examine the late Ted Kennedy’s role in the 1969 death of former Kennedy campaign aide Mary Jo Kopechne when he drove his car off a bridge on Massachusetts’ Chappaquiddick island.
“A presidential hopeful crashes his car in the middle of the night and leaves a young woman to die,” reads an iTunes preview of the new series “Cover-Up.”
“What transpired in the hours after Ted Kennedy’s car went over the bridge in Chappaquiddick changed the course of American history.”
“Introducing Cover-Up,” a preview of the seven-part audio series, was released this week.
“After all these years, the mysteries surrounding Chappaquiddick and the Kennedy family continue to fascinate the public,” People magazine editor-in-chief Jess Cagle told Politico.
Last month, Entertainment Studios released a new movie depicting the scandal starring Jason Clarke as the future U.S. senator and youngest brother of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. The film has grossed $17 million.
Although Ted Kennedy was never charged with a crime for his involvement in Kopechne’s death, the scandal shadowed him throughout his political career and is widely believed to have influenced his decision not to pursue the presidency in 1972 and 1976.
He did launch an unsuccessful bid in 1980, losing a primary challenge to Jimmy Carter — who went on to lose to Ronald Reagan. Kennedy ultimately spent nearly 47 years as a United States senator from Massachusetts before dying of brain cancer in 2009.