It was just one week ago when we learned of Robert Kennedy Jr’s affair with New York magazine journalist Olivia Nuzzi. It’s become one of the craziest political/media scandals in years. An attractive, 31-year-old reporter engaged to a Politico editor, blowing up her life to have a digital affair with a 70-year-old marriage, anti-vaxx nutjob who was (at the time) running for president. Well, Vanity Fair’s Lachlan Cartwright has a new piece: “Where Does the Olivia Nuzzi–RFK Jr. Fallout End?” There’s more context and a better timeline, so it’s not just all Kennedy sources claiming that Nuzzi “bombarded” Kennedy with seductive photos. Some highlights:
How the affair started after Nuzzi profiled Kennedy: Multiple sources described an incident on the hike in which Kennedy grabbed Nuzzi’s hand. Nuzzi had a conversation with another reporter who had a similar experience and called what had occurred “creepy.” Toward the end of November the two had resolved their differences and a “flirtation” via text had begun that would grow more intense over time. The “digital relationship,” as it has become known, between a married 70-year-old and an engaged 31-year-old would go on for several months lasting until late August. Like all relationships—even, or maybe even especially, those pursued via phone—it was multilayered and it was complicated, intense at times, dormant at others. Both parties appear to agree on just one thing: It never became physical.
Nuzzi is not a stalker: “She was not stalking him. She did not bombard him with images,” a friend of Nuzzi’s told me.
Ryan Lizza had a heated conversation with Kennedy: Nuzzi had also, for the last several years, been dating former New Yorker writer and current Politico Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza. The two became fixtures of the DC power set and were engaged two years ago. But sources told me that in mid-August, before the Democratic National Convention, Lizza broke off his engagement with Nuzzi upon learning about her relationship with Kennedy. After he found out, Lizza and Kennedy had a phone conversation which was described to me as an “at times heated” call. Lizza declined to comment.
New York editor David Haskell heard about the affair: Haskell, sources said, confronted Nuzzi, saying he had heard about her and RFK Jr. (Haskell would later tell a colleague that the person who had told him was a woman.) The reporter, put on the spot by her boss, repeatedly denied it. Haskell presented an ultimatum. Fess up and there was a path out of the mess. Continued denials could invite corporate involvement. Nuzzi confirmed that she had in fact been in a relationship with Kennedy but stated it involved digital communication and was never physical. She was adamant it did not impact her coverage. Haskell instigated a review of her work that was conducted by an editor at New York. (Haskell declined to comment.)
Rooting for Nuzzi’s downfall: “There’s been no evidence of a journalistically smoking gun,” said a former colleague. “She made a big f–king mistake and now everyone is overjoyed with her downfall.”
Nuzzi’s future: At New York, many of Nuzzi’s colleagues that I spoke to are of the opinion that her position at the magazine is untenable. Most agree that while she is talented she crossed an ethical red line. Even if the relationship did not influence her journalism, in a highly volatile election year just the appearance of bias is damaging. They fear the scandal compromises the trust that the magazine’s readers have in the publication. Some believe her greatest sin was first lying to Haskell when confronted about the relationship. Others suggest she deserves a second shot and could be reassigned. “She’s important to the magazine and is a brilliant writer, but would she want to come back?” one asked.
“Some believe her greatest sin was first lying to Haskell when confronted about the relationship.” This is what I don’t get either. How is THAT not a fire-able offense? To have a digital affair with a subject-turned-source, a presidential candidate, while you’re covering the election, and then you LIE about it repeatedly to your boss? It’s also news to me that Ryan Lizza apparently called Kennedy and they had a “heated” conversation about the affair. That’s insane too, and how does Politico justify that, that one of the biggest editors had a biased ax to grind against Kennedy because Kennedy was text-shtupping Lizza’s fiancee? Anyway, as I’ve said – I think Nuzzi should be fired and blacklisted, but I know that’s not going to happen.
Photos courtesy of Instagram, Avalon Red, HBO.
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- MINEOLA, NEW YORK – AUGUST 21: Robert F. Kennedy Jr at Supreme Court in Mineola, New York to appeal a ballot suit. Last week, A New York judge ruled that Kennedy should not appear on the state ballot because he listed a sham address on nominating petitions on August 21, 2024 at Supreme Court in Mineola, New York. Copyright: xhoo-me.,Image: 900687927, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/hoo-me.com/MediaPunch / Avalon
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- MINEOLA, NEW YORK – AUGUST 21: Robert F. Kennedy Jr at Supreme Court in Mineola, New York to appeal a ballot suit. Last week, A New York judge ruled that Kennedy should not appear on the state ballot because he listed a sham address on nominating petitions on August 21, 2024 at Supreme Court in Mineola, New York. Copyright: xhoo-me.,Image: 900687940, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/hoo-me.com/MediaPunch / Avalon
“Haskell would later tell a colleague that the person who had told him was a woman.”
Gee, I wonder who that could be?
But she’s not a brilliant writer, she’s not Nora Ephron, she’s not Joan Didion (in the genre of reporters/writers who make themselves part of the story). She’s fine and very replaceable. Clearly this is her attempt to save her job but lying to the editor should be immediately disqualifying at NY Mag and any respectable outlet.
Honestly, I don’t know why they need an investigation to fire her. And, no, there is nothing “brilliant” about her.
She’s actually quite bad as a writer. I may just be a pill though, because I don’t find her particularly attractive either.
You’re not just a pill.
Give some random Gen Z intern with a pasison for writing a chance and they will do better.
I think she was also having a relationship with Haskell, that’s why she hasn’t been fired yet. She got with Lizza while he was married. She started up with RFK, who’s married. Who’s to say she’s not doing the same thing with her editor? This chick is for the streets.
This chick is for the streets😭😂
Ryan Lizza was ENGAGED ?!?
Yes that is the most shocking part of this whole sordid mess.
Ryan was accused of sexual misconduct at The New Yorker, which is why he got fired from there. At the time, it was a huge step down for him to become one of the four Politico morning Playbook writers. He also got divorced from his first wife, with whom he had kids. Olivia was part of his mid-life crisis. Good luck to whomever he hooks up with next.
His first wife is a physician. Guys like him always trade down.
He also lost his contributor gig at CNN and his position as an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown U. He sounds as sleazy AF.
RatFucKer Jr. bragged about Nuzzi stalking him and sending “demure” nudes (and probably much more). Her sleazy AF ex thought that she was worth a heated conversation with that worm-addled, geriatric serial adulterer and apparent necro-zoosadist. Numerous so-called journalists, overwhelmingly male, have jumped in to defend her alleged “honor”. WTH is so special about her?! I’m forced to assume that, for a woman who looks like she had a mask from The Purge grafted onto her face, she gets around.
(Yes, in general, going after someone’s appearance and/or sexual history is pretty low, but she’s an unethical, racist, pick-me who carries water for fascists and is a disgrace to hard-working women journalists everywhere, so I’m not terribly concerned with her feelings.)
She’s only 31 but has been a celebrity journalist for more than a decade. Something’s fishy.
Agree about not making comments on physical appearance but whew your assessment of her having a purge grafted face was somehow bizarrely accurate
Now THIS is what I call brilliant writing! 🤣 Whatever Nuzzi does is not in any way brilliant.
I wish I could feel bad for the fiancé but from other sources I’ve read he also seems like a horrible, horrible person.
Didn’t he sexually harass someone years ago?
He was fired for *sexual misconduct* at The New Yorker, lost his position as contributor at CNN and his lecturing position at Georgetown U. He sounds disgusting.
“There’s been no evidence of a journalistically smoking gun,”
Umm, how can anyone know that? She wrote negatively about Kennedy’s opponents and positively about her affair partner. You can’t say that her opinion didn’t get affected by her affair. Like everybody said, what is so special about her? Why are people so oppressed that she should be fired? Either she is sleeping with a lot of people, who want to protect her OR there are lots of journalists sleeping with their subjects, so they don’t want this to be a precedent.
I think, it was Anderson Cooper who said he doesn’t go to the events, dinners where the journalists mingle with politicians, because it doesn’t look ethical to have drinks with people you are supposed to question. I don’t know how these “journalists” think it is okay to have a secret affair with a politician and not a fireable offense.
And why would anyone need a smoking gun when both parties, as I understand, have admitted it? It’s not a criminal investigation. Her employers don’t need to see the texts and photos she sent (which, unless she’s totally devoid of intelligence, she deleted a week ago.)
Either she confessed because she truly did it, or she is a weird fantasist who heard the rumors about herself and is pretending that she had an affair with Ol’ Whale Chopper. Both should disqualify her from her job.
I think, by smoking gun, they are saying, there is no evidence the affair affected her journalistic work, not there is no evidence of the affair, because she already admitted it.
I agree @sevenblue, that assertion is upside-down talk worthy of the Royal Rota at its lying-est. Her hit piece on Biden IS the smoking gun. She can string paragraphs together with the help of an editor, but there’s nothing brilliant about her, as clearly shown by her brain-dead behavior here.
“…OR there are lots of journalists sleeping with their subjects, so they don’t want this to be a precedent.”
🎯
Some have even gone on record, saying so.
The way that she is being coddled because she’s supposedly so talented. Is some bullshit. And I’m not slut shaming anyone but Keith Oberman revealing that he also had a relationship with Nuzzi telling. IS she sleeping with a bunch of people, and they don’t want to be expose and this is why she’s being protected? I don’t get it.
They are just waiting it out. They will allow her back in when it dies down. The way some turn themselves inside out just to protect some white women is quite something to behold.
This scenario wouldn’t surprise me at all.
She will be on next years season of Dancing With The Stars. That’s where all the dubious people go now to rehabilitate their images….
Her journalistic ethics aside, which is important but not my point….This is another method that butt-hurt ex-boyfriends and husband’s exact revenge on women who dare to cheat on them. This is assuming that Haskell is not being truthful and it was Lizza who told.
It happened to my work colleague. She was an executive who had a consensual affair with another executive after years in an unhappy marriage. When she finally broke it off with her ex, he complained to HR (the ex was not an employee). She ended up with a reprimand for conflict of interest for not disclosing the relationship with a key employee and missed out on a promotion.
Wait, what now? Cheating is not okay, whether it’s a man or a woman doing it. If you’re unhappy in marriage, then leave.
Trust me when I tell you that workplace affairs are RUINOUS to the other colleagues who have to deal with the favoritism, power grabs, fear of retaliation, powerlessness, etc. I am dealing with that right now. Your work colleague was in no way a victim in that situation.
Nope. No cookie for your work colleague. I worked in HR for many years in several companies and they had airtight policies that affairs between employees, especially higher level ones who often have a reporting relationship with the partner, were verboten. Ironically one of the affairs that ended badly for both parties involved an HR Manager in my department and a VP Technology, who happened to be separated but still legally married.
This is the perfect time for “Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes” to apply. Not a single friend or family member or coworker warned her that this wouldn’t end well? Are we NOT teaching or ensuring that all student take ethics courses anymore? I have zero pity for this woman and suggest journalism, as a career, perhaps be closed off to her. I want to get my news stories from non-idiots, please! And worm brain, well, shudder, I need that one to crawl back under a rock and leave the daily news pages. He never has, and never will have anything to offer this world of value.
More evidence that journalism ethics are in the toilet. Both this woman and the WaPo guy should have been canned. The whole industry is now Fox News/tabloids. Its supposed to be the watchdog of politics and government for the people but now its just a dog.
She is NOT a brilliant writer. This is her description of the Trump assassination attempt (the first one):
An ear had never before been so important, so burdened. An ear had never before represented the divide between the organic course of American history and an alternate timeline on which the democratic process was corrupted by an aberrant act of violence as it had not been in more than half a century. Yet an ear had never appeared to have gone through less. Except there, on the tiniest patch of this tiny sculpture of skin, a minor distortion that resembled not a crucifixion wound but the distant aftermath of a sunburn.
I mean, WTF? This is not good writing. And, yes, she will get fired. For sure.
hahahahaha….. Ok, now that I’ve caught my breath, I’ll say that, as a writer, I’m offended that this trick is considered “brilliant” when she comes up with stuff like that. Thanks for sharing!
Another writer here, 💯 % agreed. That’s some lazy purple shit she’s laying down….
OK that is laughably bad writing!!
Is it just me, or does she resemble a pre-surgical Ivanka? There’s a MAGA type, huh?
The circling of wagons for this messy woman is not shocking to me. She’s white. And journalists saying without her no one would know the real story about Joe Biden. You mean the lies everyone shot down? Sure. Okay. Lord.
AT 62 it makes me sick that there are men and women still using sex as a means of getting ahead. Keep it out of the workplace. She should be fired and he should be….whatever it is you do to a Kennedy. The man has no shame.
On a shallow note, very shallow, all I can think is she has great skin and what does she use. Maybe she can shill for a beauty line from now on since any journalistic integrity is gone. Of course, there’s an ocean of that these days.
Everyone involved in this is a big bag of ewww. I’m surprised Nuzzi has lasted this long, whoever predicted she’ll turn to a right wing grifter next is probably right on the money.