Olivia Nuzzi, a prominent writer for New York magazine, has been placed on leave following the disclosure of a personal relationship with a subject she reported on during the 2024 presidential campaign.
The magazine has initiated a third-party review into the matter after Nuzzi admitted to engaging in a personal relationship with someone relevant to the campaign. While New York did not name the individual, sources revealed to CNN that the subject was Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate who had recently endorsed Donald Trump.
According to a source, the relationship between Nuzzi and Kennedy was emotional and digital, but not physical. A spokesperson for Kennedy responded to the situation, saying, “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.”
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The first reports of the alleged relationship were released on Thursday night by Oliver Darcy through Status. In a statement to CNN, Nuzzi acknowledged that the relationship had developed into something personal, and she regretted not informing her publication sooner. She clarified that she did not report on or use Kennedy as a source during the time their relationship became personal.
“Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal. During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source,” Nuzzi 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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Nuzzi’s profile of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which she wrote last November, came before this development. The magazine stated that Nuzzi’s involvement with a subject was in violation of their conflict of interest and disclosure policies.
New York magazine confirmed Nuzzi’s leave of absence while they conduct a more comprehensive review, stating that an internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies or bias. Nevertheless, the magazine acknowledged the breach of their standards and stated, “We regret this violation of our readers’ trust.”
