National Reporter from Middletown, NJ Admits ‘Personal Relationship’ with RFK Jr., Who She Covered

New York Magazine placed one of its high-profile journalists on leave after the New Jersey native admitted to a "personal relationship" with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom she had profiled for the publication.

"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," the magazine said in a statement on its website.

"Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign."

Nuzzi grew up in River Plaza and graduated from Middletown High School South. She wrote for Monmouth County publications as a teenager prior to her career as a reporter covering national politics.

Nuzzi, 31, made a name for herself during the 2016 presidential campaign and through Trump administration with her buzzy, first-person magazine profiles of political figures.

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In a statement to Status, which broke the story, Nuzzi said her relationship with Kennedy was not physical but acknowledged "the nature of some communication" between herself and the former candidate "turned personal."

"The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict," Nuzzi said in her statement to Status. "I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York."

Nuzzi wrote a profile of Kennedy for the magazine in November 2023.

A spokesperson for Kennedy denied the former presidential hopeful, who is married to actress Cheryl Hines, had an affair with Nuzzi. The spokesperson told The New York Times, "Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece."