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Olivia Nuzzi

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Olivia Nuzzi
Born (1993-01-06) January 6, 1993 (age 31)
New York City
EducationFordham University
OccupationJournalist
Years active2011–present
Notable credit
PartnerRyan Lizza (engaged 2022–2024)

Olivia Nuzzi (/ˈnuːtsi/ NOOT-see; born January 6, 1993)[1] is an American political reporter who was the Washington, D.C., correspondent for New York magazine from 2017 to 2024. Prior to her time at New York, Nuzzi was a writer for The Daily Beast covering the Trump 2016 presidential campaign. In September 2024, New York placed her on leave after she disclosed having a personal relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while she was reporting on the campaign.[2][3] The following month, Nuzzi and New York "parted ways".

Early life and education

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Nuzzi was born in New York City, the daughter of Kelly and John Nuzzi. John Nuzzi, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, worked for the New York City Department of Sanitation for 20 years and died in December 2015.[4][5] Nuzzi wrote about her father after his death for The Daily Beast.[5] Her mother, Kelly Nuzzi, died in February 2021. After her death, Nuzzi wrote about her for New York.[6] She has a brother, Jonathan.[4]

Nuzzi grew up in the River Plaza neighborhood of Middletown Township, New Jersey.[7] Nuzzi attended and graduated from Middletown High School South.[7] She attended Fordham University.[8]

Career

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Nuzzi began her writing career as a teenager in 2011, as a monthly political columnist for the triCityNews, an alt weekly based in Asbury Park, New Jersey.[7] She also wrote for More Monmouth Musings, a politically conservative blog and news website.[7]

Weiner mayoral campaign

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While she was a 20-year-old junior at Fordham University in 2013, Nuzzi volunteered as an intern for Anthony Weiner's New York City mayoral campaign.[9] During her brief stint with the campaign, she was hired as a staff writer by NSFWcorp and described her experiences as an intern on the Weiner campaign in a blog post on July 28, 2013.[10] In it, she asserted that Weiner referred to her and another female intern as "Monica," that an unnamed source told her that Weiner had lied to his campaign manager, who had quit as a result, and that the manager was one of a "series of staffers who have fled the campaign."[9]

The New York Daily News commissioned her to write a follow-up article about the campaign[11] that became a July 30, 2013, front-page story.[9] According to Nuzzi, some of her fellow interns were working in the campaign because they were hoping to meet Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, and, through Abedin, her boss Hillary Clinton, to be involved in Clinton's anticipated run for the presidency.[9]

In an interview with Talking Points Memo that was published that day, Weiner's communications director Barbara Morgan, who later said she thought her interview was off the record, used several profane and vulgar slurs to describe Nuzzi and said Nuzzi "was clearly there because she wanted to be seen.... she would just not show up for work," that Nuzzi had signed and violated a non-disclosure agreement, and that Morgan had earlier "tried to fire her, but she begged to come back and I gave her a second chance."[12] Morgan later apologized to Nuzzi, and Nuzzi accepted the apology.[8]

Presidential campaigns and national correspondent

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Nuzzi was hired by The Daily Beast in May 2014 while still attending Fordham.[13] Nuzzi left school before graduating to take the job.[7] At The Daily Beast, Nuzzi covered the presidential campaigns of Rand Paul and Chris Christie, as well as Donald Trump's political rise.

In November 2016, Politico named Nuzzi one of the "16 Breakout Media Stars" of the presidential election.[14] In December 2016, Mediaite listed Nuzzi as one of 2016's 25 "most influential" people in news media.[15] In 2018, Forbes included Nuzzi on its annual "30 Under 30" list.[16]

In February 2017, Nuzzi was hired by New York magazine to be its Washington correspondent.[17] She has also written for Politico Magazine,[18] GQ, Esquire,[19] and The Washington Post.[20]

In early 2018, Nuzzi admitted to entering the home office of Corey Lewandowski, Trump's former campaign manager, without permission, and taking a photo, while Lewandowski accused her of also taking a photo album of his.[21][22] Nuzzi said, "You know, I just walked into the house, because nobody was answering at the door."[23] She left the home after texting her boyfriend. Nuzzi said he advised her that "it probably wasn't legal and that I should leave. I was like, 'Fuck.'"[21][23]

In October 2018, Trump invited Nuzzi into the Oval Office for an exclusive interview.[24]

Recognition

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In 2017, Nuzzi was named to Forbes's 2018 "30 under 30" list.[25] In 2019, Nuzzi was awarded a “NEXT” award[26] by the American Society of Magazine Editors. She was also a finalist for the 2023 National Magazine Award for feature writing.[27]

Television

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In 2022, AMC announced that Nuzzi would write and executive produce A Message from the State, a black comedy, with Gina Mingacci, the executive producer of Killing Eve.[28] Nuzzi also made an appearance playing herself in the Showtime series Billions.[29] Nuzzi produced a documentary for MSNBC, Four Seasons Total Documentary, about Rudy Giuliani's botched attempt to contest the 2020 election results.[30] In April 2023, Nuzzi began hosting the companion podcast for HBO's White House Plumbers miniseries.[31] In 2024, Nuzzi hosted Working Capital, a six-episode interview series on Bloomberg Television, featuring conversations with politicians and businessmen.[32][33]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. scandal

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In September 2024, former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy reported in his newsletter Status that Nuzzi "engaged in an inappropriate relationship" with presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who she had covered in a profile story in November 2023.[34] Nuzzi was put on leave from New York after acknowledging being in a non-physical "personal relationship" with Kennedy.[35] The relationship was described by a third party as "emotional and digital in nature."[36] Puck News's Dylan Byers reported that Nuzzi had sent Kennedy nude photographs.[37] Kennedy allegedly bragged about the intimate photos that he had received from Nuzzi.[38] Darcy said that Nuzzi's actions constituted a "conflict of interest," saying Nuzzi was "one of the most high-profile journalists in America, and she arguably wrote one of the most consequential pieces of the 2024 campaign, which was about what she called the conspiracy of silence to protect Joe Biden. And given that readers did not know that this relationship was ongoing with RFK, it raises questions about conflict of interest, because RFK has been an active participant in the 2024 campaign."[39]

New York said Nuzzi's actions were "a violation of the magazine's standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures," adding that "had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign." While "an internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias," the magazine apologized for "violating our readers' trust."[40] On October 21, New York published a statement that the publication and Nuzzi had "parted ways".[41]

A spokesperson for Kennedy said he "only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece."[34] The spokesperson added, "RFK Jr. did not boast about having photos of Nuzzi."[38]

Personal life

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Nuzzi resides in Washington, D.C.[7] In September 2022, she became engaged to Politico's chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza.[42] In September 2024, following the public revelation that Nuzzi had an affair with Kennedy, Lizza announced he had ended his relationship with Nuzzi.[43]

In October 2024, Nuzzi filed a protective order against Lizza saying he "explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation—a threat he has since carried out."[44] Nuzzi alleged Lizza hacked her devices "for the purposes of stalking and surveilling me and to collect materials to deploy as blackmail to intimidate me back into a relationship and to inflict public ridicule and humiliation as well as professional damage as punishment when I would not return to the relationship."[45]

References

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  1. ^ "Saturday's birthdays". Politico. January 6, 2018.
  2. ^ "A Note to Our Readers". New York. September 19, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  3. ^ Stelter, Brian (September 20, 2024). "New York magazine writer Olivia Nuzzi placed on leave after disclosing RFK relationship". CNN. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "John Nuzzi Obituary; Age 60". Asbury Park Press. January 13, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Nuzzi, Olivia (December 21, 2015). "Remembering My Dad, a Tough Guy With A Big Heart". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  6. ^ Nuzzi, Olivia (February 28, 2021). "4 Minutes With Jill Biden". New York. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Burton, John (February 25, 2016). "What It's Like On The Campaign Trail: Middletown's Olivia Nuzzi Reports For The Daily Beast". The Two River Times.
  8. ^ a b Franke-Ruta, Garance (July 31, 2013). "My Brunch With the Anthony Weiner Intern". The Atlantic.
  9. ^ a b c d Nuzzi, Olivia (July 29, 2013). "Intern reveals reasons for joining Weiner campaign". The New York Daily News.
  10. ^ Nuzzi, Olivia (July 24, 2013). "Anthony Weiner Called Me "Monica"". NSFWCORP. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  11. ^ Sterne, Peter (November 9, 2013). "NSFW Corp lays off three, including one famous former Anthony Weiner intern". Politico. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  12. ^ Walker, Hunter (July 30, 2013). "Top Weiner Aide Trashes Intern Who Wrote Campaign Tell-All". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  13. ^ Gold, Hadas (May 5, 2014). "Daily Beast adds congressional reporter". Politico. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  14. ^ Gold, Hadas (November 6, 2016). "16 breakout media stars of 2016". Politico. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  15. ^ "Mediaite's 2016 Most Influential in News Media". Mediaite. December 7, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  16. ^ "2018 30 Under 30: Media: #24: Olivia Nuzzi". Forbes. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "New York magazine hires Olivia Nuzzi to cover Trump". Politico. January 31, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  18. ^ Nuzzi, Olivia (February 13, 2014). "Portrait of the Governor as a Young Man". Politico Magazine. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  19. ^ "Olivia Nuzzi". Esquire. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  20. ^ Nuzzi, Olivia (November 23, 2016). "Five myths about the alt-right". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  21. ^ a b Miles, Frank (March 27, 2018). "New York Magazine reporter doubles down as outrage grows over alleged home invasion of Corey Lewandowski's DC crash pad". Fox News. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  22. ^ Flood, Brian (May 3, 2018). "Corey Lewandowski says lawyer informed New York Magazine it's liable for criminal acts of star reporter". Fox News. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  23. ^ a b Gstalter, Morgan (March 29, 2018). "Lewandowski suggests reporter took his photo album". The Hill. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  24. ^ Nuzzi, Olivia (October 10, 2018). "My Private Oval Office Press Conference With Donald Trump, Mike Pence, John Kelly, and Mike Pompeo". New York. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  25. ^ "30 Under 30: Media". New York. November 15, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  26. ^ "ASME NEXT Awards 2019 Winners Announced". ASME. January 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  27. ^ Orr, Amani (February 24, 2023). "New York Receives 10 National Magazine Award Nominations". New York. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  28. ^ White, Peter (January 12, 2022). "Olivia Nuzzi Developing Pitch-Black Satirical DC Drama At AMC". New York. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  29. ^ Leeds, Sarene (January 30, 2022). "Billions Recap: Statement Win". New York. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  30. ^ Schager, Nick (November 7, 2021). "'Four Seasons Total Documentary' Takes Us Inside the Trump Presidency's Most Humiliating Moment". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  31. ^ "White House Plumbers Podcast | Official Trailer | HBO". YouTube. April 15, 2023.
  32. ^ Steinberg, Brian (July 9, 2024). "Olivia Nuzzi Will Host Bloomberg Interview Series". Variety.
  33. ^ Robertson, Katie (September 20, 2024). "Olivia Nuzzi, New York Magazine Writer, Put on Leave Over R.F.K. Jr. Relationship". The New York Times.
  34. ^ a b Darcy, Oliver (August 3, 2024). "Olivia Nuzzi on leave from New York magazine after RFK relationship". Status. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  35. ^ "A Note to Our Readers". New York Magazine. September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  36. ^ Stelter, Brian; Gold, Hadas (September 20, 2024). "New York magazine writer Olivia Nuzzi placed on leave after disclosing RFK relationship | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  37. ^ Byers, Dylan (September 21, 2024). "We Need to Talk About Olivia & Ryan". Puck. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  38. ^ a b Srivastava, Aditi (September 23, 2024). "RFK Jr. bragged about having 'intimate' photos of reporter Olivia Nuzzi amid sexting scandal: Report". Hindustan Times.
  39. ^ Kafka, Peter (September 20, 2024). "'I agonized over it': Behind the scenes with the reporter who uncovered the RFK Jr./Olivia Nuzzi story". Business Insider. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  40. ^ "A Note to Our Readers". New York Press Room. September 19, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  41. ^ Reilly, Liam; Gold, Hadas (October 21, 2024). "Olivia Nuzzi is out at New York magazine over undisclosed relationship with RFK". CNN Business. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  42. ^ "POLITICO Playbook: What's behind the latest Manchin drama". POLITICO. September 23, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  43. ^ Howard, Andrew (September 20, 2024). "NY Mag correspondent placed on leave for relationship with RFK Jr". Politico. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  44. ^ Polantz, Katelyn (October 1, 2024). "Olivia Nuzzi accuses ex-fiance of orchestrating blackmail campaign amid RFK relationship". CNN. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  45. ^ "Olivia Nuzzi accuses former fiancé of leaking her ties to RFK Jr". NBC News. October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
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