Journalist Olivia Nuzzi No Longer Works for “New York” Magazine After RFK Jr. Drama: 'Best Course Forward'
The magazine said that, while a third-party review did not find evidence of bias in Nuzzi's 2024 campaign reporting, the political reporter has mutually agreed to part ways with the brand
Olivia Nuzzi, the political journalist who allegedly developed a "personal relationship" with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the campaign trail, has left New York magazine amid the fallout from their scandal.
On Oct. 21, New York revealed in a statement that Nuzzi, 31, is no longer employed by the outlet, one month after she was placed on leave following allegations that she grew close to Kennedy while covering his independent presidential campaign. The statement said that New York and Nuzzi agreed to "part ways" despite a third-party review concluding that she did not show signs of bias in her reporting.
"Last month, the magazine enlisted the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine to review Olivia Nuzzi’s work during the 2024 campaign," the magazine's statement reads. "They reached the same conclusion as the magazine’s initial internal review of her published work, finding no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias."
The statement continued: "Nevertheless, the magazine and Nuzzi agreed that the best course forward is to part ways. Nuzzi is a uniquely talented writer and we have been proud to publish her work over her nearly eight years as our Washington Correspondent. We wish her the best."
A spokesperson for New York magazine previously released a statement on Thursday, Sept. 19, saying that Nuzzi had recently "acknowledged to the magazine’s editors" that she engaged in a relationship with a former subject "while she was reporting on the campaign," which was "a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures."
"Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign," the spokesperson added at the time.
Nuzzi shared in a statement to PEOPLE in September that "the nature of some communication" between her and a reporting subject had "turned personal," though she claimed that she "did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source" during that time.
"The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict," she said. "I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York."
Though Nuzzi and New York omitted the name of the subject in question, a source with knowledge of the incident quickly told CNN that the person in question was Kennedy, 70, who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in August before endorsing former President Donald Trump.
In the weeks after Nuzzi was placed on leave, numerous rumors emerged about the nature of her relationship to Kennedy, who has been married to actress Cheryl Hines since 2014.
Among them are allegations from Nuzzi's ex-fiancé, Ryan Lizza, the chief Washington correspondent at Politico. Lizza is now in a court dispute with Nuzzi, and in a legal filing, he reportedly accused Nuzzi of engaging in "catastrophically reckless behavior" as Kennedy allegedly manipulated her.
Lizza also claimed that Nuzzi described her alleged relationship with Kennedy as "toxic," "unhealthy," "stupid," "psychotic," "crazy," and "indefensible," acknowledging the "huge power disparity" between her and Kennedy, CNN reported, citing the court filing.
Nuzzi allegedly told Lizza that Kennedy wanted to "control," "possess" and "impregnate" her, according to that same filing.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
A spokesperson for Kennedy told the Wall Street Journal that Lizza's account of the dynamic between Nuzzi and Kennedy "is not true." The rep previously denied the reports of a relationship altogether, saying, "Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece."
Speaking to PEOPLE, a Kennedy spokesperson said, "The accusations about Robert Kennedy are categorically false and he will not participate in reporting on triple hearsay allegations made in a dispute between other people."
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.