Monmouth County reporter Olivia Nuzzi on leave for improper relationship with former presidential candidate
Olivia Nuzzi has been placed on leave by New York magazine after allegedly engaging in a romantic relationship with someone she wrote a story on: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
This comes less than a year after Nuzzi, a Monmouth County native, penned a profile on Kennedy in New York Magazine.
The story was first reported by media website Status.
"Recently our Washington Correspondent Olivia Nuzzi acknowledged to the magazine’s editors that she had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign, a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures," a spokesperson for New York magazine told Status.
"Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign. An internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias. She is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review. We regret this violation of our readers’ trust."
Status reports the alleged relationship didn't happen until after the profile was published in November.
Nuzzi released a statement saying that “earlier this year, the nature of some communication” between herself “and a former reporting subject turned personal.”
She said the relationship happened after the story was published.
“During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source," she wrote. “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.”
Status reached out to Kennedy's representatives who said “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.”
Nuzzi grew up in the River Plaza neighborhood of Middletown, and attended Middletown High School South.