Olivia Nuzzi and ‘New York Magazine’ have split over her relationship with RFK Jr.

New York Magazine has parted ways with star writer Olivia Nuzzi, a month after she was placed on leave due to her previously undisclosed relationship with then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The magazine announced last month that Nuzzi, 31, had violated conflict of interest and disclosure standards by engaging with a “former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign” while reporting on the election – which she would not be allowed to do. coverage if leadership had known.

Multiple news outlets identified that source as Kennedy, 70, who dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed former President Donald Trump in August. A spokesperson for Kennedy – who is married to actress Cheryl Hines – said last month that he “met Olivia Nuzzi only once in his life for an interview she requested, which resulted in a hit.”

Nuzzi, who had been the magazine’s Washington correspondent since 2017, wrote about many of the candidates running in this year’s presidential election: Kennedy profiled wrote in November 2023 about the then-Democratic candidate’s “conspiracy of silence to protect.” President Biden in July and interviewed former President Donald Trump for the magazine’s September cover story.

New York Magazine initially said that an internal investigation found “no inaccuracies or evidence of bias” in Nuzzi’s work. It announced this week that an outside investigation by the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine had reached the same conclusion.

“Nevertheless, the magazine and Nuzzi agreed that parting ways is the best path forward,” it added. “Nuzzi is a uniquely talented writer and we are proud to have published her work during her nearly eight years as our Washington correspondent. We wish her the best.”

Nuzzi acknowledged last month that “the nature of certain communications between me and a former reporter became personal” earlier this year, emphasizing that the relationship “was never physical but should have been made public to avoid the appearance of a conflict.” ”

She also said that she did not report directly on the topic at the time or use them as a source.

Her attorney, Ari Wilkenfeld, emailed NPR on Tuesday that Nuzzi is “pleased but not surprised that two separate investigations have found that her reporting on the 2024 campaign was sound and that she did nothing wrong.”

“She is grateful for the editors, fact-checkers and artists she has worked with and for the readers who have supported her with their time, subscriptions and involvement,” Wilkenfeld added. “She is looking forward to the next chapter of her career.”

Meanwhile, Nuzzi and her ex-fiance battle in court

Nuzzi accuses her ex-fiancée, political journalist Ryan Lizza, of harassing her and unsuccessfully trying to blackmail her back into a relationship after they split last summer over the affair.

Lizza, Politico’s chief Washington correspondent and co-author of the influential Playbook, denies the allegations.

But the personal drama has also had professional consequences for him. When news of Nuzzi’s relationship broke in September, Lizza said he would refrain from any coverage of Kennedy “due to my connection to this story through my ex-fiance.” The two had been engaged since 2022.

Later, after Nuzzi’s allegations against him came to light, a spokesperson told Politico multiple points of sale that Lizza had been placed on leave, and said he and the publication “mutually agreed that it is in everyone’s best interest for him to step back and take a leave of absence while an investigation is conducted.”

Nuzzi claims Lizza “explicitly threatened to reveal personal information about me to destroy my life, career and reputation – a threat he has since carried out,” according to the court documents. obtained by CNN and the WashingtonPost.

In addition, she claims, Lizza stole a personal electronic device from her, hacked her devices, leaked information about her to the press and tipped off her employer about her relationship. She says some of that information may have been “manipulated” to hurt her even more.

Nuzzi also accused Lizza of threatening her with physical violence to force her to take “his share of the financial responsibility for a joint contract with a book publisher.”

Lizza, for his part, denied Nuzzi’s claims and provided his own version of events earlier this month in legal filings in DC Superior Court, according to documents obtained by CNN and others.

He said Nuzzi’s claims were “defamatory lies designed to create sensational headlines, damage my reputation and divert press attention from Ms. Nuzzi’s catastrophically reckless behavior.” WashingtonPost reported.

In court filings, Lizza said he discovered in mid-August that Nuzzi “had been cheating on me with a married man for almost a year.” He did not mention Kennedy.

Lizza claimed Nuzzi wanted to reconcile, saying he offered to “help her get away from the disturbing relationship with her lover” but “seriously doubted” it was possible for the two to have a future together.

He also said he persuaded Nuzzi to remove her lover’s “reporting material” from her most recent story. He said he thought she should repay a publisher’s advance for their joint book project. He said this was the “second presidential cycle in a row in which Ms. Nuzzi’s personal indiscretions have sabotaged our book project.”

Lizza and Nuzzi appeared virtually in court last week, where a judge scheduled a Nov. 19 trial date to consider Nuzzi’s petition for a protective order against Lizza.

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