New York Magazine Reporter Olivia Nuzzi Placed On Leave Over Alleged Relationship With RFK Jr.

UPDATED, with Politico comment: New York Magazine has put Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi on leave after she allegedly had a relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. amid his recent campaign for the 2024 presidential election.

Nuzzi publicly admitted to engaging in a “personal” relationship with a subject after the publication announced “a more thorough third-party review,” although neither named Kennedy in their statements.

In his Status newsletter, CNN alum Oliver Darcy reported that 31-year-old Nuzzi’s relationship with Kennedy, 70, began after she published a November 2023 profile on him.

A spokesperson for Kennedy, who is married to actress Cheryl Hines, denied the relationship in a statement to Darcy. “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece,” they said.

Nuzzi said in a statement shared with CNN, “Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal. During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source.

“The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict,” she added. “I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.”

Her statement came after NY Mag announced: “Recently our Washington Correspondent Olivia Nuzzi acknowledged to the magazine’s editors that she had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign, a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures. Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign. An internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias. She is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review. We regret this violation of our readers’ trust.”

Kennedy dropped out as a third-party candidate last month, endorsing Donald Trump in a historic first for the typically Democratic family.

Politico covered the story, but in its Playbook this afternoon, included a note from one of its co-authors, Ryan Lizza. He wrote, “Because of my connection to this story through my ex-fiancée, my editors and I have agreed that I won’t be involved in any coverage of Kennedy in Playbook or elsewhere at Politico.”