Olivia Nuzzi has left New York magazine following an investigation into her coverage of the 2024 election that found no “evidence of bias,” according to the publication.
The magazine announced that Nuzzi and the publication had “parted ways” following the probe in a statement on Monday. “Last month, the magazine enlisted the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine to review Olivia Nuzzi’s work during the 2024 campaign. 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 read. “Nevertheless, the magazine and Nuzzi agreed that the best course forward is to part ways.” The magazine called Nuzzi “a uniquely talented writer” and said it had been “proud” to platform her coverage over the course of nearly eight years.
Ari Wilkenfeld, an attorney for Nuzzi, noted in a comment that two separate investigations of the reporter’s work by the magazine had found no evidence of bias. “She is grateful for the editors, fact checkers, and artists with whom she worked and to the readers who have supported her with their time, subscriptions, and engagement. She looks forward to the next chapter of her career,” Wilkenfeld said.
The decision arrives after explosive revelations in September that Nuzzi had engaged in a digital relationship with 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Kennedy dropped out of the race as a third-party candidate in August and is now supporting the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.) New York announced Sept. 19 that the high-profile journalist had been put on leave after acknowledging a relationship with a “former subject.” Status newsletter writer Oliver Darcy reported that the subject in question was Kennedy.
The relationship reportedly began after a profile that Nuzzi penned of Kennedy — which a spokesperson of his called, in a statement to several outlets, a “hit piece” — published in November 2023.
Nuzzi, whose mainstream journalism career began at The Daily Beast after she dropped out of Fordham University, has made a name for herself with colorful and stylized reporting on political figures. One October 2018 story focused on a private audience she had with then-President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Chief of Staff John Kelly and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the Oval Office as Trump sought to quell discussion of Kelly’s job performance; another September 2024 story opened with Nuzzi inspecting Trump’s injured ear after the attempt on his life two months prior.
After the Nuzzi and Kennedy story erupted in media circles and sparked a tabloid feeding frenzy, Nuzzi sued the political journalist, and her ex-fiancé, Ryan Lizza for harassment and blackmail. Lizza has reportedly taken a leave of absence from Politico, where he is the chief Washington correspondent, as the publication conducts an investigation. Lizza has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them, in a statement to THR, “disgraceful lies” and part of a “coordinated defamation campaign.”