The hosts of The View left fans divided on Monday as they debated the “conflict of interest” surrounding the alleged affair between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and New York magazine journalist Olivia Nuzzi.
Nuzzi, a 31-year-old Washington correspondent, recently admitted that “the nature of some communications between me and a former reporter became personal,” in a statement to DailyMail.com, and was recently placed on leave.
Alyssa Farah Griffin fiercely defended her “friend” Nuzzi and said that although she does not agree with what the journalist did, she believes that “she will own up to it and take responsibility.”
Griffin’s co-host Ana Navarro called RFK Jr., 70, a “dog and ah,” but said Nuzzi’s behavior was “unethical” and stressed that the issue was a “conflict of interest” because she was “covering the presidential campaign while writing articles.”
Both Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin questioned why the backlash “fell” only on Nuzzi and not both of them, but their comments left viewers at home divided as they took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts.
Alyssa Farah Griffin (right) defended her “friend” Olivia Nuzzi during Monday’s episode of The View
It has been reported that Nuzzi allegedly “sent demure nudes of herself to RFK Jr. during their sexual relationship.”
Addressing Griffin, 35, directly, one person commented: “Sorry Alyssa, I disagree (shocking, right?). RFK is a known cheater. And Olivia Nuzzi was unethical in covering the campaign.”
Another person posted: ‘Waking up to see AFG criticizing Olivia Nuzzi doesn’t surprise me in the least, but calling her a “world class journalist” is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think Lyss?’
A third person argued: “Fuck RFK and Olivia Nuzzi. They both knew better,” and a fourth added: “The amount of hate towards men at this table is astounding. I don’t think RFK Jr. is a victim, but neither is Nuzzi.”
Someone else raged: ‘Nuzzi is supposed to be a journalist. That’s why she is held to a higher standard. She’s 31! She’s SO OLD. Why are women (white circle emoji) allowed to be infantilized until menopause? She wrote defamatory articles about Biden while keeping up this behavior with RFK, Jr.’
Another X user argued: “If you send unsolicited photos or videos to a married man, you are just as guilty as he is for accepting them and not blocking you. It takes two to tango.”
Goldberg, 68, kicked off the discussion during Monday’s show, saying, “The question really is, why does all the fallout fall on her and not him?” while Hostin, 55, explained that it had been reported that Nuzzi “allegedly sent demure nudes of herself to RFK Jr. during their sexual relationship.”
“I don’t understand why all this is being put on her. She’s 31, she’s a young journalist and from what I understand, she’s a fantastic journalist,” Hostin added.
Griffin was quick to speak up, saying: “I actually consider her a friend, she was really there for me in a part of my life when I didn’t need to. I would also say she’s a first-class journalist, she’s young but she’s considered one of the best profile writers.”
Ana Navarro called RFK Jr. a ‘dog and ah’ and said Nuzzi ‘had much more to lose’
One person at X claimed that both RFK Jr. and Nuzzi “knew better”
Another viewer said she didn’t agree with what Alyssa Farah Griffin had said.
Someone else suggested there was a lot of “man hate” at The View table on Monday.
“The article he wrote about RFK was scathing. I don’t agree with what he did and I think he will acknowledge it and take responsibility.”
The former White House aide continued: “But every time I see a headline that says, ‘Olivia Nuzzi scandal,’ no, ‘RFK scandal.’ A former presidential candidate who is married, I mean, for the third time, who was involved in this, who is now a leading supporter of the Republican presidential nominee, but it’s just this sexism that we fall into.
‘The reality is that people want to make money in this business. If you post a picture of Olivia, more people click on it than if you post a picture of this man. I think men need to take a bit more responsibility in this, it’s very predictable.
“And lastly, I don’t believe in cancel culture. I think he’s someone who’s been trained in this industry. He definitely made a mistake, but I think if he takes responsibility, he should definitely come back.”
Navarro stepped in and said, ‘Look, I think the reason he’s paying more consequences is because RFK, I think everyone already knows, is a dog and ah… It’s a bit like with Donald Trump, it’s something inherent.
“He has a long history of infidelity going back decades, his wife knows about it and doesn’t seem to mind, so what are the consequences for him? The truth is that Olivia, who I also know and think is very talented, had a lot more to lose in this, and she is losing it.”
Griffin described Nuzzi as a “world-class journalist” but said he disagrees with what she did.
Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza, who got engaged in 2022, attend the CBS News White House Correspondents’ After Party Dinner on April 29, 2023 in Washington, DC.
She continued: ‘The magazine is now conducting a review and investigation into the situation. It was unethical and it now puts all of his writings in a different perspective and they are reviewing them thoroughly to see if they see any conflict of interest.
‘The issue here is the conflict of interest. She was covering the presidential campaign while writing articles and the question is, because she had this relationship, is there a conflict of interest? If it weren’t for that, listen, you can be weird, you can send pictures, you can do whatever you want, but not if there’s a conflict of interest in your job.’
Last week it was revealed that New York magazine had placed Nuzzi on leave following her alleged affair with RFK Jr. that reportedly began when she visited his $7 million California home to write an article.
While Nuzzi confirmed that “the nature of some communications” had “become personal,” he said the relationship was never physical.
Its editors confirmed that the other party was a “former relevant subject for the 2024 campaign.”
State The romance was reportedly with the former presidential candidate, who is married to actress Cheryl Hines.
RFK Jr. has insisted he only met the political reporter once, when she profiled him last year.
“Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which resulted in a sensational article,” his spokesman said. CNNA source added that the nature of the relationship was “emotional and digital, not physical.”
(tags to translate)dailymail