Olivia Nuzzi, a journalist renowned for her sharp political insights, is stepping into the spotlight with revelations about her alleged ‘digital’ romance with none other than Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. While she deliberately refrains from mentioning his name, the details she shares leave little room for doubt.
In an exclusive preview obtained by The New York Times, Nuzzi’s upcoming book, American Canto, delves into her emotional entanglement with a mysterious ‘politician.’ This figure, unmistakably, is Kennedy, whom Nuzzi had covered extensively during his 2023 presidential campaign while she was New York Magazine’s Washington correspondent. The fallout from this purported affair led to her losing the position, despite her claims that it was purely a digital connection.
Nuzzi’s narrative in the book is one of genuine affection, as she confesses to falling in love with Kennedy, even though she was engaged and he was married for a decade. The emotional complexity of their relationship is underscored by her reluctance to initially express ‘I love you,’ though she eventually did.
Kennedy, in this retelling, seems equally captivated, affectionately calling her ‘Livvy’ and crafting poems for her, adding a layer of poignancy to their unconventional liaison.
She said she didn’t tell Kennedy ‘I love you’ at first, but eventually did.
He called her ‘Livvy’ and wrote her poems.
RFK Jr. even told Nuzzi he wanted her to have his baby, she claimed.
Nuzzi’s ex-fiancé, journalist Ryan Lizza, had said in a court filing that Nuzzi had made claims that Kennedy wanted to ‘impregnate’ her to him as well. Lizza also said that Nuzzi described the relationship as ‘toxic,’ ‘psychotic,’ and acknowledged the ‘huge power disparity’ between herself and Kennedy.
Journalist Olivia Nuzzi (left) has broken her silence on the alleged digital affair she had last year with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (right)
Nuzzi hasn’t shared proof of the alleged affair, telling the New York Times correspondent, ‘I don’t have anything to say about that,’ when asked if her text messages with Kennedy still exist.
In the book, Nuzzi wrote about loving Kennedy’s ‘blue as a flame’ eyes.
She said she loved that ‘the sight of something as trivial as a rose’ would move him to tears, but also was attracted to his ‘particular complications and particular darkness.’
Kennedy even promised to take a bullet for her, Nuzzi wrote.
In reality, Nuzzi took the fall for their alleged relationship.
In September 2024, the news broke that New York Magazine was placing Nuzzi, the magazine’s first-ever Washington correspondent, on leave due to a problematic relationship.
She said in a statement that ‘communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal.’
Behind the scenes, as the scandal exploded in Washington, she secretly told Kennedy she would do whatever he needed for his political survival.
Olivia Nuzzi (left) was engaged to Ryan Lizza (right), another prominent political reporter, when engaged in an alleged ‘digital’ affair with presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (left) poses with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines (right), as he announces an independent run for the White House in October 2023
By this point in the campaign cycle, Kennedy had dropped out of the race and endorsed President Donald Trump, and was holding out for a Cabinet position.
‘If it’s just sex, I can survive it,’ Kennedy told Nuzzi two months before the 2024 election, she claimed.
Kennedy was nominated for the HHS position just days after Trump won the election.
Nuzzi put herself in self-imposed exile in Los Angeles, but was given a second chance in journalism almost a year later, with Vanity Fair announcing in September that she would serve as West Coast editor.
Her book was due to come out sooner, but Nuzzi pushed the release date so it didn’t coincide with the memoir of Cheryl Hines – Kennedy’s wife – coming out.
Hines’ book, Unscripted, was released three days ago.
As for the status of her relationship with Kennedy, now serving as HHS secretary, Nuzzi said they haven’t been in touch.
‘I haven’t spoken to him in a year,’ she told the Times.
Nuzzi, Kennedy and Hines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
