After it was revealed that New York Magazine journalist Olivia Nuzzi had an intimate relationship with RFK Jr., much attention has been paid to the political reporter’s coverage of the presidential candidate.
Nuzzi, 31, reportedly began her relationship with the married Kennedy, 70, after she profiled him in an unflattering article in November 2023.
But while that article condemned Kennedy’s “dirty” car, the “fear” his campaign stoked and how he created a “simmering panic” in Washington, Nuzzi’s recent reporting has been more laudatory — though she has mentioned him only a few times.
An example of this is an interview with Nuzzi in the New York Times in March, in which the reporter insisted—despite Kennedy’s low poll numbers—that the presidential election was a “three-man race” and that he was a “serious contender.”
New York Magazine journalist Olivia Nuzzi was suspended after she admitted to having an intimate relationship with RFK Jr., sparking renewed scrutiny over her reporting on the candidate
Nuzzi said she had “personal” conversations with Kennedy after profiling him in November 2023, but she insisted their meeting never became “physical”
Nuzzi was suspended from New York Mag over the fallout from her relationship with Kennedy, which the magazine said was a “violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosure.”
The magazine added that an “internal investigation into her published work found no inaccuracies or evidence of bias,” but that 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 in Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter, which reported that the journalist and Kennedy only began a relationship after she spent time with him for the November 2023 profile.
In that profile, Nuzzi described taking RFK Jr. for a walk near his $6.6 million home in Brentwood, California, which she revealed he shared with his wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines.
“Bobby, as his friends call him, came through the French doors dressed for his morning walk. He wore jeans, a black hoodie, Keens and an unfriendly look,” Nuzzi wrote.
Nuzzi wrote an unflattering profile of Kennedy last fall, condemning his “dirty” car, the “fear” that fueled his campaign and how he created a “simmering panic” in Washington.
Nuzzi’s relationship with Kennedy reportedly didn’t begin until after her November 2023 profile, in which she acknowledged his wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines
As attention has focused on Nuzzi’s reporting on Kennedy, some observers have pointed out that in the spring, despite Kennedy’s low poll numbers, she insisted that the presidential election was a “three-man race” and that he was a “serious contender.”
She said she was with Kennedy in his van, which looked like a van that had survived “a nuclear war” or “the chicken pox vaccine.”
“Rear view mirror in tatters, seat belts chewed off, cushions chewed up, 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 as a passenger,” she wrote.
The unflattering image of Kennedy continued when Nuzzi described “the astonishing amount of waste his dogs produced” during their walk, and how he gleefully pointed out “coyote poop” to her during the hike.
Although Nuzzi gave no indication of their relationship on her profile, her interview with the New York Times a few months later prompted much criticism because of the scandal.
Speaking before Joe Biden withdrew from the race, she insisted: “We are deliberately forgetting or ignoring something 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 of two evils’ matchup, and they’re lucky.”
She pointed out that Kennedy was “competitive in the polls, especially among young people” and noted that during that time he was “increasingly gaining access to the ballot box across the country.”
Nuzzi went on to describe Kennedy as a “serious candidate” and said he “performed much better” than previous presidential candidates from other parties, such as Jill Stein and Gary Johnson.
In the months since, Nuzzi has mentioned RFK Jr. only a handful of times in her coverage of the presidential race, noting, for example, that Donald Trump began talking about “topics of great interest to Kennedy’s eclectic base” after endorsing the former president.
Nuzzi has spoken and reported on Kennedy sparingly in recent months, including noting that Donald Trump appeared to warm to his platform after Kennedy endorsed the former president.
On June 27, after the ill-fated first presidential debate between Biden and Trump, Nuzzi praised Kennedy’s campaign and credited the millions of viewers who watched his rebroadcast for not inviting him to debate
Nuzzi has also called on authorities to provide Secret Service protection for RFK Jr.’s campaign due to “credible threats to his safety.”
Status also reported that despite her alleged intimate relationship with Kennedy, the Independent was not used by Nuzzi as a source for her other reporting.
However, Nuzzi has spoken about Kennedy in several X-messages, including urge authorities to protect his campaign from the Secret Service due to “credible threats to his safety.”
On June 27, after the ill-fated first presidential debate between Biden and Trump, Nuzzi again praised Kennedy’s campaign after counter-broadcasting on his own platform for not being invited to the debate.
She emphasized how RFK Jr.’s event was viewed 5.8 million times on X, and “whether people watched it or not, it seems likely that tonight will help his campaign.”
As her relationship with Kennedy comes under increasing scrutiny, Nuzzi said in a statement to the Daily Beast that she denies ever having a “physical” relationship with Kennedy.
However, she admitted that their conversations “became more personal” after she visited him at his California home for the profile.
She said in the statement: “Earlier this year, the nature of communications between me and a former reporter became personal.
‘At the time, I did not report directly on the subject, nor did I use them as a source. The relationship was never physical, but should have been made public to avoid the appearance of a conflict.
“I deeply regret that I did not do so immediately and apologize to those I disappointed, especially my colleagues in New York.”