Media

Olivia Nuzzi, New York magazine writer, put on leave over RFK Jr. relationship

Nuzzi told her editors about the relationship that had turned personal, the outlet said. A representative for Kennedy said the pair had met only once.

New York magazine’s Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi poses for photographers as she arrives at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 29, 2023. Jose Luis Magana / AP, File

A star New York magazine political reporter has been placed on leave after disclosing a personal relationship with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In a statement posted online Thursday night, New York magazine said that its Washington correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi, had recently acknowledged to the magazine’s editors that she had engaged in a relationship “with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign.” The outlet said the relationship was “a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures.”

A person familiar with the matter confirmed that the relationship was with Kennedy, a former Democrat who ended his independent run for president in August and has since endorsed former President Donald Trump. Trump’s campaign has named Kennedy to his transition team should he win the election in November.

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New York magazine said it had reviewed Nuzzi’s work and found “no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias.”

“She is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review,” the publication said.

Nuzzi, in a statement to The New York Times on Thursday, said that “some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal” earlier this year.

“During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source,” she said.

“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.”

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A representative for Kennedy said, “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.” The representative did not comment further.

The news was reported earlier by the media newsletter Status.

Nuzzi has worked for New York magazine since 2017, gaining a reputation for sharply written and deeply reported political features. She had a cameo appearance in an episode of the television show “Billions” and recently released a documentary series called “Working Capital” with Bloomberg.

In November 2023, she wrote a profile of Kennedy and his campaign’s potential to “turn the presidential race upside down.” In an interview in March with Times contributing opinion writer Frank Bruni, Nuzzi said the 2024 election was “a three-man race” and that “the establishment press has been reluctant to cover Kennedy like a serious contender because they fear they will face criticism for ‘platforming an anti-vaxxer.’”

Nuzzi has continued to report on the 2024 presidential race. Her most recent feature was an interview with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, in early September. The article was updated Thursday night with a note to readers containing New York’s statement about Nuzzi.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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