New York magazine suspends star reporter over claims of romantic relationship with RFK Jr

‘An internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias,’ magazine spokesperson says of Olivia Nuzzi

New Yorkmagazine has revealed that it has placed its Washington Correspondent Olivia Nuzzi on leave amid claims that she had a romantic relationship with Robert F Kennedy Jr.

A spokesperson for the publication told Status that Nuzzi recently “acknowledged to the magazine’s editors that she had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign, a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures.”

“Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign,” the spokesperson told Status. “An internal review of her published work has 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. We regret this violation of our readers’ trust.”

Nuzzi didn’t initially share with New York magazine that she had had a supposed relationship with Kennedy and the outlet only became aware recently, people familiar with the issue told Status.

The supposed relationship didn’t start until after a profile she wrote of Kennedy was published in November last year, a person close to Nuzzi told Status, adding that she didn’t use Kennedy as a source as she reported on the campaign. Another person familiar told the outlet that the relationship is thought to have begun around the new year.

Reporter Olivia Nuzzi arrives for the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, April 29, 2023. She’s been placed on leave after allegedly engaging in a relationship with Robert F Kennedy Jr (AFP via Getty Images)

Kennedy, who is married to Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines, ran initially in the Democratic primary before running as an independent. He recently dropped out and endorsed former President Donald Trump. A spokesperson for Kennedy rejected the claim that he had had a relationship with Nuzzi.

“Mr Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece,” the spokesperson told Status.

This spring, when Kennedy was still in the race, Nuzzi told The New York Times, “It’s not a two-man race. It’s a three-man race.”

“A majority of Americans say they are unhappy with another ‘lesser of two evils’ contest, and they’re in luck, as they have a range of third-party candidates to choose from,” she added. “One of those candidates, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is polling competitively, especially among young people, and he’s steadily gaining ballot access across the country.”

Kennedy has since attempted to get off ballots in swing states as he’s now backing Trump.

Nuzzi said in a statement: “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.”

She added: “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.”