Olivia Nuzzi, a writer for New York magazine, has accused her ex-fiancé Ryan Lizza, a political journalist with Politico, of orchestrating a harassment and blackmail campaign against her following their breakup. Nuzzi made these accusations in a court filing in Washington, DC, and claims that Lizza threatened to expose personal information about her to ruin her life and career. Lizza denies these allegations, setting off a public dispute as the national political press discusses journalism ethics.
The situation has led to Nuzzi being placed on leave by New York magazine while they conduct a review after she revealed that she had a personal relationship with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., while reporting on him for the 2024 campaign. Lizza, who is Politico’s chief Washington correspondent, was not present at a court hearing where Nuzzi was granted a temporary no-contact order against him. Lizza has denied the allegations and plans to defend himself vigorously against the claims made by Nuzzi.
Nuzzi alleges that Lizza began harassing her with the intention of blackmailing her into a relationship with him. She claims that he stole her personal electronic device and hacked into her devices to gather and shop around damaging information about her. Nuzzi believes that Lizza may have provided false information to the media, impersonated a campaign operative to harm her, and tipped off her employer about the situation. RFK Jr. is not explicitly named in the court filing, but he is believed to be the individual with whom Nuzzi had a relationship.
In a court proceeding, a judge granted Nuzzi’s request to bar Lizza from contacting her and to keep him away from her and her workplace. The judge also approved police assistance for Nuzzi to retrieve her possessions from Lizza, as they had previously lived together. The fallout from their breakup has affected Nuzzi and Lizza’s relationships with their respective news outlets, with Nuzzi being placed on leave by New York magazine and Lizza agreeing to no longer cover Kennedy for Politico due to his relationship with Nuzzi.
A spokesperson for Kennedy stated that he had only met Nuzzi once for an interview, which resulted in a negative article. Both Nuzzi and New York magazine declined to comment, while Politico did not provide a statement. The court has scheduled a hearing for October 15, where Lizza will have the opportunity to respond to the allegations made against him by Nuzzi. The situation has drawn public attention and sparked a debate on journalism ethics within the political press.
