Olivia Nuzzi's RFK Jr. Affair Led To Some Major Legal Drama

Following political journalist Olivia Nuzzi's alleged affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the young reporter found herself embroiled in a legal battle with her ex-fiancé, Ryan Lizza. The drama began when Nuzzi filed a protective order against Lizza, claiming he was blackmailing her over her illicit text messages and digital interactions with Kennedy. Things have only gotten more murky and problematic from there.

On November 12, Nuzzi — who got engaged to Lizza in 2022 — filed a request to withdraw the protective order, and Lizza responded with a fiery rebuke of Nuzzi's behavior. "Olivia shamelessly used litigation with false and defamatory allegations as a public relations strategy ... " Lizza said in a statement to the New York Post. "Olivia lied to me for almost a year. She lied to her editors. She lied to her readers. She lied to her colleagues. She lied to reporters. And she lied to the judge in the case."

Nuzzi was placed on leave and eventually terminated from her role at New York Magazine after it was revealed that she'd behaved unprofessionally with Kennedy while reporting on his presidential campaign. Nuzzi accused Lizza of leaking personal text messages to her editor, which he has denied. Lizza, a Washington correspondent for Politico, was placed on leave amid an internal investigation by the publication. The pair were also contracted to write a book together about the 2020 election, but those plans have obviously since fallen through.

The extent and nature of Nuzzi's involvement with RFK Jr. remains ambiguous. A representative for Kennedy — who is married to actress Cheryl Hines — has denied the allegations, and stated that he and Nuzzi only met a single time, for their interview. Additionally, Nuzzi admitted in a press release in September 2024 (via NPR), "The nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal ... The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict."

The inappropriate behavior allegedly occurred largely via texting, phone calls and FaceTime correspondence. "Olivia told multiple people that they told each other they loved each other [over the phone] every time they talked," an unnamed source told Page Six in October. Another source told Puck News that Nuzzi sent nude photos of herself to Kennedy as she became infatuated with him, and that the pair had virtual sex over video calls.

In a court document Ryan Lizza filed in October (via the New York Post), Nuzzi allegedly said that Kennedy was a "70-year-old 'sex addict' that he told her he wanted to 'possess,' 'control,' and 'impregnate' her." Lizza also claimed that Nuzzi told him Kennedy had manipulated her emotionally and that their affair had been toxic. Meanwhile, Kennedy — who has been embroiled in rumors regarding numerous alleged affairs — has yet to directly comment or respond.