On a Tuesday morning in late October last year, star New York magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi met with the then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at his Brentwood home to find a work that could change the trajectory of her life. Like many of the compelling stories that have made Nuzzi a young star in national political reporting, this article relies on reach. Initially, she intends to interview the candidate independently for Q&A, which can be done over the phone. However, sources tell me, the editors at New York wish it was a longer feature. Nuzzi flew to California to interview Kennedy in person.
“Bobby, as he was known to his friends, walked through the French doors dressed for a morning stroll with blue jeans, a black hoodie, Keens and an unfriendly expression,” Nuzzi wrote in the story published March 22. 11. In general, it is true. , a sharp yet empathetic profile of America’s most respected political family dynasty, whose campaign, at the time, was born in the fringe swamps of the anti-vaccination movement. Voted strangely well.
Of course, after the magazine hit newsstands, Kennedy called it a “cult,” broadcasting one of the other highlights of his campaign: the deep distrust of media. The reporter and her subject argued over the story. He did not like the artwork that accompanied it, which depicted Kennedy with tears in his eyes as he raced in his “dog cart.” An update was added after publication to include Kennedy’s response on how he engaged on vaccine safety on behalf of the Trump administration.
For all intents and purposes, the couple’s communication could have ended by then. Nuzzi moved on to another story. RFK Jr. is busy during the election campaign making fake statements. Multiple sources describe an incident on a hike in which Kennedy grabbed Nuzzi’s hand. Nuzzi spoke with another reporter who had a similar experience and called what happened “scary.” (Kennedy, New York, and Nuzzi declined to comment for this story.)
By late November, the two had resolved their differences and a text “flirt” began that became more and more intense over time. The “digital relationship” as it is often called, between a 70-year-old married man and an engaged 31-year-old man will last for several months until the end of August. Like all relationships – even, or maybe even especially those pursued over the phone – are multi-layered and sometimes complex, intense, sometimes dysfunctional. Both sides seem to agree on only one thing: It never became physical.
Anyone within the blast radius of the New York media huddle knows what happened next. Oliver Darcy‘S Hot news “Status” about the relationship on Thursday night, driving X and DM crazy. And why not? This kind of thing – one of their own was involved in one of the profession’s cardinal sins with Kennedy – is known to make journalists cranky.
With just weeks to go until the historic election, Nuzzi’s work as New YorkThe Washington reporter is currently on the phone. New York Parent company Vox Media is conducting a “third-party” review of her work. She’s on leave and under a sky-high online pile. Meanwhile, Kennedy’s camp tried to build a narrative with Nuzzi as the aggressor: a woman haunted Who being chased him with nude photos, as sources told New York Post Office. This is coming from a man who has been accused of sexual assault and has a long and well-documented history of allegedly pursuing women while he was married.
“She didn’t follow him. She didn’t bombard him with images,” a friend of Nuzzi’s told me.
While reporting this week, I spoke with New York staff and insiders campaign to understand how the scandal unfolded behind closed doors—and how everyone involved can move from here.
A big part of why this story is getting so much heat is Nuzzi himself. The 31-year-old has had a meteoric rise. First page of 2013 New York Daily News story about being an intern Anthony WeinerHer campaign put her on the map. A year later, she covered the presidential campaign and Trump’s rise for The Daily Beast. New York poached her in 2017. Nuzzi’s coverage of both the Trump and Biden administrations and campaigns has at times drawn criticism. When New York published a July 4 article titled “Conspiracy of Silence to Protect Joe Biden” it drew condemnation from some Democrats. Critics say her most recent work on Trump after the first assassination attempt on his life “humanized” him. She signed with powerhouse talent agency CAA and has an AMC satirical drama set in Washington about a young female working journalist. This summer, she hosted a Bloomberg TV show interviewing people like Mark Cuban, Eric Adams, and Senator Lisa Murkowski.
Nuzzi has also been dating his ex for the past few years. New Yorker Current writer and Politico Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza. The two became DC power supply fixtures and got engaged two years ago. But sources tell me that in mid-August, before the Democratic National Convention, Lizza broke off her engagement to Nuzzi upon learning of her relationship with Kennedy. After the discovery, Lizza and Kennedy had a phone conversation that I described as a “sometimes heated” call. Lizza declined to comment.
When the September 9 issue of New York hit the newsstands, the cover was divided into one Kamala Harris piece by piece Traitor Rebecca and a story by Nuzzi titled “Look In Donald TrumpEars and Souls of.” The problem seemed to be behind her. But the words came back New York editor David Haskell, who called Nuzzi to a meeting at the magazine’s downtown offices late Friday, September 13. (The Daily Beast will report first in this meeting.)
Sources said Haskell confronted Nuzzi, saying he had heard about her and RFK Jr. (Haskell later told a colleague that the person who told him was a woman.) The reporter, pressed on the spot by her boss, repeatedly denied It. Haskell gives an ultimatum. Fess up and there’s a way out of the mess. Continued denial may invite corporate involvement. Nuzzi confirmed that she did in fact have a relationship with Kennedy but insisted it was never physical. She was adamant that it did not affect her coverage. Haskell had her work reviewed by an editor at New York. (Haskell declined to comment.)
By Tuesday, September 17, Darcy had contacted Vox and Nuzzi. Initially, representatives from Vox and Nuzzi did not participate. Both seemed to hope that they could starve the story and prevent publication, confident that the review would erase any Nuzzi bias in her work. (Haskell later told employees that an internal review “found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias.”) On Wednesday, Nuzzi was seen in the conference room. New York Office meeting with executive editor Genevieve Smith, vox president Pam Wasserstein, and communications director Lauren Starke. Haskell was in Milan for Fashion Week but joined the meeting via Zoom, as did Nuzzi’s editor, Jeb Reed, as the group discussed the review nearing completion. Around this time, Semafor received an anonymous email with a “news tip” about Nuzzi and Kennedy, its editor. Ben Smith later wrote.
On Thursday, the magazine’s planned response changed several times throughout the day. The first involved Nuzzi being placed on leave with revelations added to her work and the magazine issuing a statement. Someone else could have seen her request for “medical leave” and there would have been no statement or disclosure. Darcy continued calling. He clearly had the story and intended to publish it. By Thursday night, New York gave in and gave testimony. Nuzzi has been placed on leave. Darcy published on Thursday night. “Recently, our Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi admitted to the magazine’s editors that she had a personal relationship with a former subject involved in the 2024 campaign when she was covering the campaign, violating the magazine’s standards on conflicts of interest and disclosure of information,” New Yorkreader’s statement.
