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.
