Following the news that New York Magazine journalist Olivia Nuzzi confessed to having an intimate relationship with RFK Jr., attention has focused on the way the political journalist covered the presidential candidate.
Nuzzi, 31, reportedly began her relationship with Kennedy, 70, who is married, after she profiled him in an unflattering article in November 2023.
But while that article condemned Kennedy’s “dirty” car, the “fear” that drove his campaign and how it caused a “latent panic attack” in Washington, Nuzzi’s recent coverage has been more complimentary, though he has only mentioned it a handful of times.
This includes a New York Times interview with Nuzzi in March, where the journalist insisted – despite Kennedy’s poor showing in the polls – that the presidential election was a “three-man race” and that he was a “serious contender.”
New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi has been suspended after admitting to an intimate relationship with RFK Jr., prompting renewed scrutiny over her reporting on the candidate.
Nuzzi said he had “personal” exchanges with Kennedy after she profiled him in November 2023, but insisted their encounter never became “physical.”
Nuzzi was suspended from New York Mag amid fallout over her relationship with Kennedy, which the outlet said was a “violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures.”
The magazine added that “an internal review of her published work found no inaccuracies or evidence of bias,” but if “the magazine had been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign.”
Nuzzi’s relationship with Kennedy was first revealed by Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter, reporting that the journalist and Kennedy only began dating after she spent time with him for the November 2023 profile.
In that profile, Nuzzi wrote about hiking with RFK Jr. near his $6.6 million home in Brentwood, California, which he acknowledged he shared with his wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines.
“Bobby, as he is known to his friends, walked through the French doors dressed for his morning walk in blue jeans, a black hoodie, Keens sneakers and a hostile expression,” Nuzzi wrote.
Nuzzi wrote an unflattering profile of Kennedy last fall, condemning his “dirty” car, the “fear” that drove his campaign and how it sparked a “latent panic attack” in Washington.
Nuzzi’s relationship with Kennedy reportedly only began after her November 2023 profile, in which she acknowledged his wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines.
While attention has focused on Nuzzi’s reporting on Kennedy, some observers have noted that in the spring she insisted – despite Kennedy’s poor showing in the polls – that the presidential election was a “three-man race” and that he was a “serious contender.”
He said he joined Kennedy in his pickup truck, which looked like one that “survived a nuclear war” or “a chickenpox vaccine.”
“The rearview mirror was shredded, the seat belts were chewed off, the seat cushions were chewed up, and there was dirt and dog hair everywhere. The killing machine smelled so bad I thought I was going to pass out after about 15 seconds of being in the passenger seat,” she wrote.
Kennedy’s unflattering description continued as Nuzzi described “the astonishing amount of waste produced by his dogs” during their hike, and recalled how he would gleefully point out “coyote poop” to her during the walk.
Although Nuzzi did not show any hint of their relationship on her profile, her interview with the New York Times months later has generated scrutiny in the wake of the scandal.
Speaking before Joe Biden dropped out of the race, he insisted: ‘We’re forgetting or deliberately ignoring something quite important about this election: it’s not a two-man race. It’s a three-man race.
‘Most Americans say they’re not happy with another ‘lesser evil’ contest, and they’re lucky.’
He singled out Kennedy as someone who was “running competitively in the polls, especially among young people” and noted that at the time he was “steadily gaining access to the ballot box across the country.”
Nuzzi went on to describe Kennedy as a “serious contender” and said he was “performing much better” than previous third-party presidential candidates such as Jill Stein and Gary Johnson.
In the months since, Nuzzi has only referenced RFK Jr. a handful of times in his reporting on the presidential race, even noting that Donald Trump began speaking out on “issues of enormous interest to Kennedy’s eclectic base” after endorsing the former president.
Nuzzi has spoken and reported only sparingly on Kennedy in recent months, even noting that Donald Trump appeared to warm to his platform after Kennedy endorsed the former president.
On June 27, after the fateful first presidential debate between Biden and Trump, Nuzzi praised Kennedy’s campaign and cited the millions of viewers who watched his counter-broadcast because he was not invited to the debate.
Nuzzi has also urged officials to offer RFK Jr.’s campaign Secret Service protection because of “credible threats to his safety.”
Status also reported that despite her alleged intimate relationship with Kennedy, Nuzzi did not use the independent as a source for any of her other reports.
However, Nuzzi spoke about Kennedy in several X-posts, including urging the authorities to give his campaign Secret Service protection because of ‘credible threats to his safety.’
On June 27, following the fateful first presidential debate between Biden and Trump, Nuzzi again praised Kennedy’s campaign after Kennedy went on a counter-broadcast on his own platform because he was not invited to the debate.
She stood out How RFK Jr.’s event got 5.8 million views on X, and “whether people saw it or not, it seems likely that tonight will help his campaign.”
Now that her relationship with Kennedy is under scrutiny, Nuzzi said in a statement to the Daily Beast that she denied ever having a “physical” relationship with Kennedy.
However, she admitted that their exchanges “got personal” after she visited him for the profile at his California home.
She said in the statement: ‘Earlier this year, the nature of some communications between me and a former reporter became personal.
‘During that time, I did not report directly on the subject or use them as a source. The relationship was never physical, but it should have been disclosed to avoid the appearance of a conflict.
‘I deeply regret not having done so immediately and I apologize to those I have disappointed, especially my colleagues in New York.’