Reporter Olivia Nuzzi Put on Leave After Admitting to 'Personal Relationship' with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; He Denies Affair
Olivia Nuzzi, a reporter at New York Magazine, has been put on leave by the outlet after she admitted to having a “personal relationship” with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while covering his presidential campaign.
The 31-year-old journalist denies having a physical relationship with RFK Jr., but did confirm that communication between the two of them “turned personal” at one point.
A spokesperson for New York Magazine has confirmed that Olivia is currently on leave while a review on the matter is conducted. The magazine also confirmed that Olivia would not have been allowed to cover the campaign if the relationship had been disclosed earlier.
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“Recently our Washington Correspondent Olivia Nuzzi 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,” the magazine said in a note to readers. “Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign. 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.”
The news first broke in an article on Status News, the new website started by former CNN reporter Oliver Darcy. After the initial article was posted, Olivia released a statement of her own.
“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 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.”
A rep for Kennedy has also spoken out, denying an affair.
“Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece,” the rep said in a statement to NBC News.
Kennedy recently dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Trump.