Olivia Nuzzi ex Ryan Lizza takes leave of absence after NY Mag writer accuses him of blackmail over RFK Jr ‘affair’

Ryan Lizza is reportedly taking a leave of absence following a lawsuit claiming he blackmailed ex-fiancée Olivia Nuzzi over her rumored affair with RFK Jr.

The New York Magazine writer, 31, was put on leave last month after it was revealed she had an “emotional and digital affair” with the former presidential candidate, 70, after she profiled him for a story in November.

Now that Nuzzi has accused Lizza of “explicitly threatening to reveal personal information about me to destroy my life, career and reputation – a threat he has since carried out” in the D.C. Supreme Court, he will part ways with mutual consent absence from his work at Politico.

Both Lizza and Politico — where Lizza is the chief Washington correspondent — agreed to the furlough, which will last at least until an internal investigation is completed, according to Semafor.

Both Nuzzi and RFK Jr. have insisted the relationship was never physical, with their tryst reportedly extending to steamy sexting sessions and “incredible” FaceTime sex, while friends told Page Six Nuzzi was in awe of 70-year-old RFK Jr. ‘sexual stamina’.

But Nuzzi has now filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of Washington DC, alleging blackmail claims against Lizza.

Lizza was given a restraining order during a court hearing on Tuesday. He was not present.

He told it CNN in a statement: “I am saddened that my ex-fiance is resorting to making a series of false accusations against me as a way to distract from her own personal and professional shortcomings.

“I emphatically deny these allegations and will vigorously and successfully defend myself against them.”

Nuzzi claims that Lizza began a campaign of harassment in July in an attempt to blackmail her back into their relationship.

Nuzzi claims that Lizza stole an electronic device from her, hacked her and then ‘shopped’ information to the media.

The 31-year-old reporter claims her former partner is also behind her bosses behind her connection to RFK Jr. come, possibly ‘through a third party or an anonymous channel.’

A judge ruled Tuesday that Nuzzi can have police with her as she tries to get her belongings back from Lizza.

The case will return to court on October 15.

Previously a Washington correspondent for the New Yorker, Lizza was fired in 2017 over allegations of “inappropriate sexual conduct” when he joined a list of powerful industry figures facing allegations related to the #MeToo -movement.

He was married to his college sweetheart Christina Irene Gillespie, a general practitioner, in June 2004 at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington. The couple had two children, but after eleven years of marriage they filed for divorce.

In 2022, the correspondent became engaged to Nuzzi, who announced their engagement on Instagram with a series of videos that showed a huge, solitaire-cut sparkler on her ring finger.

The former couple was set to co-publish a book about the 2020 election, which has since stalled. Page Six had reported that they were struggling to come up with the expected political scoops, with Biden’s team especially wary of Nuzzi.

On Tuesday, DailyMail.com revealed that close friends of RFK Jr’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines, expect her to file for divorce in the wake of the controversy.

In an exclusive interview, a Hines confidante said the television star, 59, was “blindsided” by the scandal and believed her husband’s philandering was a thing of the past.

Kennedy and Nuzzi’s tryst reportedly began after she profiled him in an unflattering article for New York Magazine in November 2023.

In her story, Nuzzi condemned Kennedy’s “filthy” car, the “fear” that drove his campaign, and how it tended to trigger a “simmering panic attack” in Washington.

Nuzzi wrote about how she met RFK Jr. went for a walk near his $6.6 million home in Brentwood, California, which she acknowledged he shared with his wife Cheryl, best known as the star of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

“Bobby, as he is known to friends, walked through the French doors dressed for his morning walk in blue jeans, a black hoodie, Keens and an unfriendly expression,” Nuzzi wrote.

She said she joined Kennedy in his van, which looked like a van that “survived a nuclear war” or “the chickenpox vaccine.”

“Rear view mirror smashed to pieces, seat belts chewed off, cushions gnawed open, dirt and dog hair on every surface. The death machine stinks so bad I thought I was going to pass out after about 15 seconds of riding shotgun,” she wrote.

Kennedy’s unflattering portrayal continued as Nuzzi described “the astonishing amount of waste produced by his dogs” during their walk, recalling how he joyfully pointed out “coyote s***” to her during the walk.

Although the pair insist their relationship was never physical, it reportedly extended to steamy texting and FaceTime sessions.

Nuzzi was placed on leave after admitting in a statement to DailyMail.com last month that “the nature of any communications between me and a former reporter have become personal.”