Acclaimed New York magazine writer Olivia Nuzzi has been placed on leave pending a third-party review after disclosing a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 presidential campaign, CNN reports.
While the publication did not name the individual, sources have confirmed to the news outlet that the relationship was with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ran for president as an independent candidate and recently endorsed Donald Trump.
The revelation comes after an internal review by New York magazine found that Nuzzi had not disclosed the relationship, which the magazine described as a “violation of our readers’ trust.” The relationship, described as “emotional and digital in nature, not physical,” began after Nuzzi interviewed Kennedy for a profile published last November.
Nuzzi expressed regret for not disclosing the relationship sooner.
“Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal,” she said. “During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source. The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.”
A spokesperson for Kennedy, however, countered Nuzzi’s statement, calling the profile a “hit piece” and claiming Kennedy only met Nuzzi once for the interview.
New York magazine, in a note to readers, stated that the publication “regrets this violation of our readers’ trust” and that Nuzzi “would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign” if the magazine had been aware of the relationship. The magazine also stressed that an internal review has found no inaccuracies or evidence of bias in Nuzzi’s published work.
