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New York magazine's Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi has been placed on leave following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The 31-year-old reporter admitted that "the nature of some communications between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal" earlier this year.
Sources told The New York Post that Nuzzi and Kennedy, 70, were allegedly "sexting" while she was engaged and he was married to actress Cheryl Hines. The relationship reportedly began after Nuzzi penned a profile on Kennedy, published in November 2023.
New York magazine stated, "Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign." The publication is conducting a third-party review of Nuzzi's work, though an internal review found "no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias."
Kennedy's camp denies the extent of their interactions. A spokesperson told CNN, "Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece." A source added that the relationship was "emotional and digital in nature, not physical."
Nuzzi, who was engaged to Politico reporter Ryan Lizza, recently called off their engagement. In 2015, she ironically tweeted, "Why does Hollywood think female reporters sleep with their sources?" alongside an article criticizing depictions of women in media as "slutty ambition monsters."
The incident has raised questions about journalistic integrity. New York magazine acknowledged the situation as "a violation of the magazine's standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures."
This controversy comes as Kennedy, who suspended his independent White House bid last month, faces a federal investigation for allegedly decapitating a dead whale two decades ago. He has since endorsed Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential race.
As the story unfolds, it serves as a reminder of the complex relationships between journalists and their subjects, and the importance of maintaining ethical boundaries in political reporting.
Sources told The New York Post that Nuzzi and Kennedy, 70, were allegedly "sexting" while she was engaged and he was married to actress Cheryl Hines. The relationship reportedly began after Nuzzi penned a profile on Kennedy, published in November 2023.
New York magazine stated, "Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign." The publication is conducting a third-party review of Nuzzi's work, though an internal review found "no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias."
Kennedy's camp denies the extent of their interactions. A spokesperson told CNN, "Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece." A source added that the relationship was "emotional and digital in nature, not physical."
Nuzzi, who was engaged to Politico reporter Ryan Lizza, recently called off their engagement. In 2015, she ironically tweeted, "Why does Hollywood think female reporters sleep with their sources?" alongside an article criticizing depictions of women in media as "slutty ambition monsters."
The incident has raised questions about journalistic integrity. New York magazine acknowledged the situation as "a violation of the magazine's standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures."
This controversy comes as Kennedy, who suspended his independent White House bid last month, faces a federal investigation for allegedly decapitating a dead whale two decades ago. He has since endorsed Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential race.
As the story unfolds, it serves as a reminder of the complex relationships between journalists and their subjects, and the importance of maintaining ethical boundaries in political reporting.
