New York magazine's political reporter Olivia Nuzzi allegedly shared "demure" nudes of herself to former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the scandalous "sexting" affair, according to a report. The pair started "sexting" sometime after Nuzzi interviewed the 70-year-old Kennedy for a profile that was published in November.
Although the relationship between Nuzzi and Kennedy was reportedly limited to a digital connection, it involved the exchange of provocative images from the 31-year-old journalist, as revealed by Puck News on Friday, citing an inside source. The star reporter was put on leave on Thursday after editors at New York magazine became aware of the illicit relationship between the two.
Naked Truth
Kennedy's team initially claimed that he and Nuzzi had only met in person "once" for the November article. However, Puck News reported on Friday that they had several meetings.
In a separate Friday night statement, a Kennedy spokesperson called the latest claims "completely and entirely false" while once again saying that the former presidential candidate and Nuzzi had only met once.
After the explosive news of their emotional affair surfaced on Thursday night, New York magazine announced that Nuzzi "had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign," which violated the magazine's ethical standards.
Sources told The New York Post that New York magazine's higher-ups were already aware of the relationship and had confronted Nuzzi about it, contradicting reports that she had voluntarily disclosed the affair to her editors.
Nuzzi insisted that the relationship "was never physical" and that Kennedy had never served as a source for her reporting.
"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," she said in a statement, without naming Kennedy.
An Affair to Remember
Nuzzi and Kennedy — son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy — were allegedly involved in sexting while she was engaged and he was married. Sources told the NY Post that the explicit messages were first exchanged around the new year.
The duo " weren't being particularly careful," about keeping their relationship under wraps, another source told The Post Friday.
"There's a reason New York mag found out," the source explained.
Kennedy has been married to "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actress Cheryl Hines, his third wife, for over ten years.
Nuzzi got engaged to political reporter Ryan Lizza in September 2022, but the couple has since ended their engagement.
Lizza confirmed their breakup in a statement to Politico on Friday, where he referred to Nuzzi as his "former fiancée."
