Olivia Nuzzi and New York magazine have parted ways after she was suspended over her affair with Robert Kennedy Jr.
The magazine had enlisted a law firm to conduct an investigation after learning of the secret affair between Nuzzi, 31, and Kennedy, 70, last month.
The law firm reportedly found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias in the former Washington correspondent’s 2024 presidential campaign reporting.
However, the magazine said on Monday the two had agreed the ‘best course forward is to part ways.’
Nuzzi had been suspended after she’d admitted to her bosses to having an ’emotional and digital’ affair with Kennedy, who is married to actress Cheryl Hines.
Olivia Nuzzi and New York magazine have parted ways after she was initially suspended over her affair with Robert Kennedy Jr
Kennedy has insisted he only met the political journalist once when she did a profile on him last year.
‘Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece,’ his spokesman told CNN. A source added that the nature of the relationship was ’emotional and digital in nature, not physical’.
But insiders told the New York Post the pair had engaged in ‘sexting’ despite RFK Jr. being married and Nuzzi being engaged to Politico’s chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza, 50, at the time.
Nuzzi said that in early 2024, the nature of some communication between herself and a former reporting subject turned personal.
‘Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal,’ Nuzzi said.
Nuzzi had been suspended after she’d admitted to her bosses to having an ’emotional and digital’ affair with Kennedy, who is married to actress Cheryl Hines. Kennedy and Hines are see in in January, 2024
Nuzzi, 31, got engaged to Politico’s chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza, 50 in 2022
‘During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source,’ she said.
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Cheryl Hines breaks silence on RFK Jr.'s 'affair' with political reporter
‘The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.’
New York magazine acknowledged an inappropriate relationship in a statement about Nuzzi’s hiatus, deeming it ‘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,’ the statement read.
Nuzzi’s ex-fiancé Ryan Lizza is reportedly taking a ‘leave of absence’ after a bombshell court filing alleged that he blackmailed her over the rumored affair.
RFK Jr.’s spokesman said he met Nuzzi on one occasion only which resulted in a ‘hit piece’
Nuzzi claimed in DC Supreme Court that Lizza ‘explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation—a threat he has since carried out.’
Lizza said he never hacked into any of Nuzzi’s devices but rather was told of the relationship and its nature by her.
In her profile Nuzzi, described meeting the former presidential candidate at the $7 million California home he shares with his wife.
She painted a picture of RFK Jr. as an anti-establishment candidate, ‘turning the presidential election upside down’.
‘Fear — and denial — is what Kennedy seems to inspire among the staid Washington Establishment supporting the incumbent president and the gangland anti-Establishment Establishment supporting the former president,’ she wrote.
She touched on conflict in RFK Jr.’s marriage over his appearance on Steve Bannon’s show and those of other right-wing personalities.
‘Bannon was only the beginning. Poor Cheryl,’ Nuzzi wrote.
At the time the piece was published, RFK Jr. was in the election race as an independent candidate, but has since dropped out and endorsed Trump.
Nuzzi’s last article, in which she described examining Trump’s ear following the Butler assassination attempt, was published by the magazine on September 9.