Olivia Nuzzi’s Affair With RFK Jr Lasted Almost 9 Months, New York Magazine Editor Tells Staff

September 20, 2024 @ 9:03 PM

In an email to New York Magazine staff on Friday, editor-in-chief David Haskell addressed the scandal surrounding star reporter Olivia Nuzzi, who conducted a secret romantic relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and is now on leave while the matter is being investigated.

Among other things, Haskell told staff that the relationship lasted nearly 9 months, ended a few weeks ago, and that management only learned about it this week; He also confirmed that they learned about it before Nuzzi came clean.

According to Haskell, NY Mag “learned about the personal nature of Olivia’s relationship a few days ago. She told us it began in December, 2023 (after we had published her November profile), and it ended towards the end of August; she says it was never physical, and that she avoided him as a subject and source during that period.”

Haskell reiterated what the magazine has said in a previous statement: That Nuzzi was immediately removed from covering the 2024 campaign, that she is on leave, and that an internal investigation found “no evidence of bias” in Nuzzi’s coverage of the election during her affair, or inaccuracies that must be corrected.

“However, as I made clear to Olivia,” Haskell said, “she had created at the very least the appearance of a conflict, and, by choosing not to disclose this to her editors, had violated our policies and potentially damaged our readers’ trust.”

Haskell also reiterated that the company has hired an “independent third party” to conduct a more complete investigation of Nuzzi’s work and conduct during the period she was conducting her affair with Kennedy. The results of that investigation, Haskell said, “will influence our final disciplinary action.”

Read the full letter below, posted to social media by Semafor media editor Max Tani.

NY mag editor David Haskell’s note to staff on Nuzzi/RFK Jr.: “As I made clear to Olivia, she had created at the very least the appearance of a conflict, and, by choosing not to disclose this to her editors, had violated our policies and potentially damaged our readers’ trust.” pic.twitter.com/iIP6gWqzbb

— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) September 20, 2024

Nuzzi was previously engaged to Politico Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza, who in a statement provided to the New York Times said, “Because of my connection to this story through my ex-fiancée, my editors and I have agreed that I won’t be involved in any coverage of Kennedy in Playbook or elsewhere at Politico.”

It isn’t clear when Nuzzi and Lizza’s engagement ended, or how New York Magazine became aware of her relationship with Kennedy.