New York magazine star reporter Olivia Nuzzi is exiting the publication just weeks after revelations she had a personal relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who she had profiled for the magazine.
Nuzzi’s departure comes as a third-party review into her work by the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine found “no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias,” the magazine announced Monday in a note to readers. “Nevertheless, the magazine and Nuzzi agreed that the best course forward is to part ways,” it read. “Nuzzi is a uniquely talented writer and we have been proud to publish her work over her nearly eight years as our Washington Correspondent. We wish her the best.”
Separately, in an memo to staff, New York editor-in-chief David Haskell wrote that he was “happy that the recently completed external review agreed with our initial conclusion that her reporting was sound and needs not correction.” Still, Haskell reiterated that Nuzzi’s “action created at the very least the appearance of a conflict and violated policies we have in place to protect our readers’ trust and a culture of honesty and respect in our newsroom.”
In a statement to Vanity Fair, Ari Wilkenfeld, an attorney for Nuzzi, said her client “is gratified though not surprised that two different investigations have determined that her reporting on the 2024 campaign was sound and that she did nothing wrong.”
“For nearly eight years, she consistently produced critically celebrated and hugely popular journalism in her capacity as the Washington Correspondent for New York Magazine,” Wilkenfeld continued. “She is grateful for the editors, fact checkers, and artists with whom she worked and to the readers who have supported her with their time, subscriptions, and engagement. She looks forward to the next chapter of her career.”
The Nuzzi-Kennedy scandal has roiled New York and transfixed the media and political worlds. On Sept. 19, Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter revealed Nuzzi had been put on leave from the magazine after they learned about her relationship with the former presidential hopeful.
As Vanity Fair previously reported, Haskell confronted Nuzzi on Sept 13 at the magazine's offices, telling her he had heard about the relationship with Kennedy. Nuzzi initially denied the relationship before admitting to it.
Pursuing a romantic relationship with a source or subject is considered a journalistic cardinal sin. But some observers believed the circumstances deserved at least some degree of nuance. The relationship, according to all parties, was never physical, and carried on via phone. It transpired largely after Nuzzi's profile had run. There's also the matter of Kennedy, who has a long history of pursuing extramarital affairs and has been accused of sexual assault.
Nuzzi’s biggest error, to some, was to evade Haskell when he first confronted her with the allegations, only revealing her relationship with Kennedy when further pressed.
While the split will put to rest speculation over Nuzzi’s future with New York, the scandal is still playing out in court. Nuzzi filed for an order of protection against her ex-fiance, Politico reporter Ryan Lizza, in Washington, D.C. Superior Court. She alleged that Lizza attempted to blackmail her over the affair when he first discovered it. Lizza has denied those claims.
Filings by Lizza made public this week re-ignited tabloid interest in the story with claims that Nuzzi told him how Kennedy wanted to “possess,” “control,” and “impregnate” her.
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