Reporter From Middletown Suspended Over RFK, Jr. Relationship: Reports

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A national political reporter who grew up in Middletown was placed on leave from New York magazine after she engaged in a personal relationship with a subject she wrote about, according to multiple media reports.

The journalist is Olivia Nuzzi, 31, who graduated from Middletown High School South.

According to CNN, the New York Times and Status, the person she engaged in a personal relationship with was Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ran as an independent for U.S. president but dropped out of the race last month and endorsed former President Donald Trump.

The New York Post reported the two were sexting.

Stefanie Spear, a spokeswoman for Kennedy's campaign, told CNN and NBC News Thursday: "Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece."

Kennedy Jr. is married to Cheryl Hines, an actress who starred as Larry David's wife on "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Nuzzi wrote this article, published in November 2023, about Kennedy, Jr.

New York magazine said in a statement to Status Thursday that it had placed Nuzzi on leave: "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," said the New York magazine spokesperson.

"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."

Nuzzi herself confirmed Thursday night to the New York Times that:

"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.”

Just last week, on Sept. 9, Nuzzi wrote this story for New York Magazine after Trump gave her a sit-down interview at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Nuzzi grew up in the River Plaza section of Middletown, according to this Two River Times profile on her in 2016. As a teen, she wrote for More Monmouth Musings, a conservative Monmouth County politics blog that used to be run by Art Gallagher.

She went to Fordham University, but dropped out after she got a job offer as a reporter for the Daily Beast. She was then hired by New York Magazine.

According to her Instagram account, Nuzzi became engaged in 2022 to Politico reporter Ryan Lizza. However, their engagement was called off Sept. 20, the day her alleged sexting relationship with Kennedy, Jr. became publicly reported.