Last September, the political-journalism world was rocked when New York Magazine put Olivia Nuzzi on leave after she had some kind of affair with Robert Kennedy Jr. Nuzzi was engaged, at the time, to Politico’s Ryan Lizza, and of course Kennedy is married to Cheryl Hines. Nuzzi profiled Kennedy for New York Mag, and their affair began soon after, with Nuzzi sending “demure” nudes to him, and Kennedy allegedly telling her that he wanted to get her pregnant. New York Mag ended up firing Nuzzi, and Lizza called off their engagement – but not before Nuzzi accused him of all kinds of bizarre sh-t. Well, Nuzzi got a book deal out of it.
Olivia Nuzzi is opening up about her “personal relationship” with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The former New York Magazine reporter, 32, is reportedly writing a book about her confessed sexting affair with the Secretary of Health, according to The Independent and New York Post. Nuzzi was following RFK Jr. — who has been married to actress Cheryl Hines since 2014 — on his 2024 presidential campaign at the time, and after telling New York Magazine editors about the relationship in September, she was placed on leave. Nuzzi’s upcoming book will be her first public address of the scandal since leaving the magazine.
The affair between Nuzzi and RFK Jr. began when the pair were on a hike, The Independent reported, when the politician “grabbed” Nuzzi’s hand. From there, the duo engaged in a “digital relationship,” in which Nuzzi reportedly sent RFK Jr. intimate photos, The Independent reported.
Though she admitted to a “personal relationship,” Nuzzi denied having any sort of physical relationship with the politician.
The affair continued for roughly a year, Nuzzi’s ex-fiancé Ryan Lizza claimed. Nuzzi, now the West Coast Editor of Vanity Fair, later claimed that Lizza had blackmailed her with the affair before leaking the information in an attempt to get her back, PEOPLE previously reported. Lizza, who works as the Chief Washington Correspondent for Politico, later denied Nuzzi’s allegations in a court filing.
In the court filing, Lizza alleged that, after he learned of the affair, Nuzzi told him RFK Jr. wanted to “control,” “possess” and “impregnate” her. Lizza added that the affair was “toxic,” “unhealthy,” “stupid,” psychotic,” “crazy” and “indefensible” — and, he alleged, the “huge power disparity” in the relationship facilitated the politician’s manipulation of Nuzzi, who engaged in “catastrophically reckless behavior.”
After the news about the affair broke, New York placed Nuzzi on leave. In October 2024, the outlet shared in a statement that Nuzzi was no longer employed at the publication, as she and the magazine agreed to “part ways” — despite a third-party review that determined Nuzzi did not show signs of bias in her reporting.
I forgot that Nuzzi got a job at Vanity Fair. Yikes. She should have been an unhireable pariah, but of course, she’s pretty and blonde, so she found a way to land on her feet. A job at VF and a book deal. How gross. The biggest loser might be Cheryl Hines though – she stayed with him after this story broke, and she’s now eagerly taking part in the humiliation ritual that is MAGA Republicianism.
Page Six says that the book is called American Canto (eyeroll) and that Nuzzi is definitely coming for Kennedy’s marriage to Hines. A source claims, bizarrely, that Nuzzi’s book will hurt Kennedy’s career. You guys… “A Kennedy had an affair with a moron blonde” is not a political scandal in the Trump administration, in 2025.
Photos & screencaps courtesy of New York Magazine, Bill Maher/HBO and Olivia’s Instagram.
And the grift goes on.
She is so repulsive and Vanity Fair has no credibility whatsoever with their hiring of her. Cheryl is getting exactly what she’ll deserve. The three of them should become a throuple and spare other people from their wretched souls.
Whoa, whoa, whoa—let’s pause the misogyny. Haven’t we learned anything since Monica? Olivia was 30 — and in a clearly subordinate position relative to a man far more powerful and wealthy. Poor judgment? Absolutely. But we’re educated enough to see how these dynamics play out, and who actually holds the power. Seriously, these comments are gross.
This is the kind of radical transparency we need when dealing with entitled, hypocritical, powerful Republicans who legislate for the masses and then live entirely differently behind closed doors. Imagine if all Trump’s secret side plays or Republican Grindr scandals had this level of openness.
I’m not going to infantalize a grown 31 year old adult who holds a significant amount of privilege herself and has repeatedly told the world who she is. Chalk up the affair to poor judgment if you like, but getting a book deal to sell the story of it is her choice to grift off of pain that she helped to inflict.
Did you read the linked article that explains Nuzzi’s behavior to her ex-fiancé? The phony court case she dragged him into — which she leaked to the press BEFORE he was served — when he was the one betrayed by her? The fact that this is a repeated pattern for her?
It is not misogyny to point out that she has serious integrity issues. And, unlike the Lewinsky situation, she did not report to Kennedy. She was a journalist. Also, as we see in the Young Republicans post, a 30-year-old professional is not a child.
It is absolutely laughable that she is an editor at Vanity Fair now, let alone in a lead position there.
Olivia Nuzzi embarked on this liaison with RFK Jr. as an adult, and participated in that liaison while acting as a journalist reporting on the presidential campaign. That is a MAJOR ethical failure. It doesn’t excuse RFK Jr.’s behavior, for sure. But dismissing what Nuzzi did on the grounds of her age is like what J.D. Vance is doing saying that the men in that “young Republican” chat group were “just kids” even though most were as old as or older than Nuzzi.
Shame on “Vanity Fair” for giving her a job. I hope the book tanks.
What misogyny do you see in my comment? Olivia has no credibility as a known liar and cheat. And Cheryl is shameless and gross like her husband. These are all true things with facts to back them up.
The only thing she has in common with Monica is that they’re both woman. Olivia was not taken advantage of, so keep Monica out of this.
Naaaa, not the same as Monica at all. She was not a young intern, and RFK Jr wasn’t her employer. If anything, she was the power player in the dynamic as a member of the press with the power to expose the affair during his presidential run.
In addition to everyone else’s excellent points, I want to highlight that not only was Monica a barely-graduated-from-college woman in her early 20s – still too young for her brain to have fully matured/developed, etc., but her position as an intern left her on the absolute lowest rung of power in politics, unprotected from any kinds of HR transgressions, and easily replaceable in a city full of college students and recent college grads eager to snap up a political internship (let alone one working for the president).
As a 31 year old journalist working for a fairly major news organization, covering Kennedy’s and Biden’s campaigns, Nuzzi was not just a full grown woman (and dismissing women in their 30s as being too young to know what they do is incredibly infantilizing to women) – but she was also in a position of significant professional power compared to Monica. And while RFK Jr. is/was certainly more powerful than she was, as a Politico journalist covering his campaign and his competitor’s, she certainly had the opportunity to frame some of the narrative around him just when he was most in need of savvy political narratives.
So she was hardly powerless in this situation.
And given her book seems like it’s more tell-all capitalizing on their relationship than sharing or processing a situation in which she was traumatized, she herself seems to think this was an affair of equals, and not an abuse situation.
She’s telling us she was an adult who made choices about and was an agent in this sexual relationship; we should believe her.
@ CLAMMANDERJEN No ma’am! This grown azz woman knew exactly what she was doing and comparing her to ML is wrong.
@Lover
The pain SHE INFLICTED? Are you for real? Cheryl Hines openly tormented RFK Jr’s now deceased wife while she was still married to RFK Jr. Cheryl moved into their home and her and RFK Jr put her IN THE POOL HOUSE. That woman told the deceased wife her family would be better off if their mother/his wife was dead. I get it, you hate cheating so much that all you can think of is the ‘hurt caused’ like Cheryl, a truly evil person, is the victim – but the truth is the only hurt you’re thinking of is through the lens of your own projection.
@Madyline — I’m with you on this one, even if we’re in the minority. This site loves a public flogging when it comes to cheating, and that bias is all over this thread. Power dynamics don’t end at the org chart — it’s naïve to think a man running for office doesn’t bring an imbalance of influence to any relationship. Let’s also remember: a lot of these guys are dangerously charismatic (even Trump managed to charm Maher).
Olivia was an adult, yes, but not on equal footing. There was no physical relationship, no evidence of bias in her reporting, and no reason this lapse in personal judgment should blacklist her professionally. If you’re still frothing at the mouth, just don’t invite her to dinner with your husband.
Sure she was sending the dude nudes but had “no bias”.
I have questions… What is the word “Canto?” Is that somebody’s name? How is there enough material from one year of sexting for a whole book? Most importantly: who does she think is the audience for this? I had completely forgotten about it.
In Italian, it means “song” or “hymn”, depending on context.
“Canto” is one section in an epic poem. In other words, it’s a very pretentious title.
It’s probably a slim volume.
How was she able to get another job? That’s crazy.
She is a media darling and always has been. And, yes, she is pretty and blonde. I find her talentless as a writer, but that doesn’t seem to matter.
She puts out and is right-wing.
She had a weird sexting “affair” while unmarried. That’s poor criteria for barring someone from employment. Again, these same standards would NEVER be leveled at a man.
She failed to reveal the sexting and emotional affair with RFK while reporting on Joe Biden. That’s an ethics failure. No one cares about her sleazy behavior as a woman. It’s her sleazy behavior as a journalist that should keep her away from any public facing media gig.
The affair — why scare quotes, when she herself describes it as such? — was with the subject she was reporting on. That is a BASIC violation of journalistic ethics.
It should absolutely bar her from another job in journalism.
She was sexting with a SOURCE. That is completely unethical, whether it’s a man or woman doing it.
But because she’s a woman, she’s setting back the cause of women in journalism by decades.
Some of the same media pundits who are eye rolling MVP Harris’ book and book tour are celebrating the return of Nuzzi. Tells you everything about today’s toxic media environment.
I hope she gets help .I may vomit.
I dont know about pretty and blonde. she looks like a foot with eyes. but yes thin, blonde, white
Men in media find her pretty.
I’ve never read something so oddly accurate! Thank you for this!!
“A foot with eyes” bwahahaha! Ded.
But seriously did she get a lot of work (on her face) because she has that too much Botox has aged me look. That’s a hard looking 30.
Oh, he wanted to put a baby in her placenta? 🤢🤮
And I absolutely refuse to believe that Ol’ Purge Mask Face here is a year younger than I am. Or do people who engage in demure digital relationships with worm-addled ex junkies just get the face they deserve?
Hahhhaha I can’t stop snort laughing at the placenta omg so funny. And vomit inducing. And the demure nudes OMG what does that even mean. She didn’t shove the phone up her vag but some t&a here and there? 🤣🤣🤣
This may get deleted but I’m going to add this anyway… Olivia Nuzzi is not pretty. She’s not even cute. She just gets by with being called that because she’s slender and blonde. She a racist, liar and cheater and clearly her inside matched her flat face.
And as mentioned above, she sends demure nudes and also puts out.
Demure nudes are still nudes
Exactly! She’s got a horse face just like his wife!
Probably not even really blonde.
She looks like half the contestants on The Bachelor.
“digital relationship” sounds so gross.
Vanity Fair hired her, after this? She bounced right back, after demonstrating complete lack of professionalism? Our society is rotten.
I didn’t know Vanity Fair hired her. I’m not surprised though. Ugh.
Maybe it doesn’t matter, but I do not think she is a real blonde. (Not many are. I once joked with a coworker that all of us with dark blonde/light brown hair get highlights so we look blonde, and there are no dark blonde women left.). I looked it up and Nuzzi wrote about it for The Cut, “Then, when I was 17, I went blonde. The bleach transformed my hair’s texture, making it thinner and easier to style. Lightening my hair seemed to lighten my entire being. My life became more interesting. I have never considered going back.”
Unfortunately, I’m not surprised she got a book deal out of it.
As a side note, I cannot stand RFK Jr’s voice. I could not live with that in my life.
The shelf life of young blond reporters in NYC is very short. They get chewed up and spit out, to be replaced very quickly by someone who thinks it can’t happen to her. Make hay while the sun shines. Go write that book.
She’s not pretty or blonde!
Right? Pretty is in the eye of the beholder.
My biannual Olivia Nuzzi info dump:
She started making waves in the scene of writers pretending to be interested in BLM while she was actually texting and schmoozing with all the nazi’s and white trolls – therefore it all fits in with Washington toxic maga media.
She’s a Kristi Noem/Bari Weiss type, and her writing style is of course so florid and long winded that new Vanity Fair et al thinks it is valid. There’s so much stuff about her that’s toxic and her hero is Ann Coulter (the profile she did on Coulter was typically preening and adoring). Spare me with any sympathy about ‘misogyny’ that Nuzzi trades in…
Sorry to be old, but what happened to shame? I’m so sick of tell all books and confessionals admitting and gloating about infidelity for fame, profit or both. I don’t buy the overcome with passion, we were soulmates BS, tattoo my love forever or until the lettuce turns brown.
Yuck.
She’s a very good writer and I’ve enjoyed her work in the past, but jeez, sometimes New York media scene makes me sick.
Are people clamoring for this book?
What a grift.
I completely forgot about this too! Hope Simon & Schuster didn’t pay much for this— who wants to read about a no-name journalist sexting with Bobby Jr? There must be more info to leak, or else the content is barely enough for a magazine profile, right?
I’m officially canceling my VF subscription.