New York magazine writer Olivia Nuzzi placed on leave after disclosing RFK relationship

By Brian Stelter, CNN

New York (CNN) — One of America’s most acclaimed magazine writers, Olivia Nuzzi of New York magazine, has been placed on leave while a “third-party review” is conducted after the publication said Nuzzi disclosed that she “had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign.”

While the magazine did not identify the subject, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN that the relationship was with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who ran for president as an independent candidate and recently endorsed Donald Trump. The person said the relationship was emotional and digital in nature, not physical.

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

The alleged relationship was first reported on Thursday night by Oliver Darcy in Status.

In a statement to CNN, Nuzzi said her relationship with a reporting subject had “turned personal” and that she regretted not disclosing it to the publication.

“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.”

In a note to readers, New York magazine said Nuzzi is “currently on leave,” and the publication is “conducting a more thorough third-party review.”

Nuzzi penned a profile of Kennedy last November, in which she went hiking with the then-candidate, and has since written numerous other features about Trump and the 2024 campaign.

Kennedy has been married to actor Cheryl Hines since 2014. A representative for Hines declined to comment Friday on his relationship with Nuzzi. While Hines had supported her husband’s presidential run, appearing at campaign events, she has not commented on Kennedy’s decision to throw his support behind Trump.

According to the magazine, Nuzzi “recently” acknowledged a relationship with a reporting subject, which was 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 New York magazine statement added.

The magazine also said that “an internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias.” Still, the magazine said, “we regret this violation of our readers’ trust.”

In a note to staff on Friday obtained by CNN, New York Magazine editor David Haskell said editors had learned of Nuzzi’s relationship with Kennedy “a few days ago” and were told it began in December, after her profile of Kennedy published, and ended in August.

Haskell said that while editors had not found evidence of bias in her reporting during that period, “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.”

“I am so deeply proud of the work we make together, and I am sorry this brings a cloud of distraction over us,” he added.

Nuzzi had been engaged to marry Ryan Lizza, Politico’s chief Washington correspondent and Playbook co-author.

In a note to readers Friday in the Playbook PM newsletter, Lizza wrote, “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.”

CNN’s Hadas Gold contributed reporting.

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