Olivia Nuzzi Eyes New Journalism Gig Nearly a Year After She Lost Her Job over RFK Jr. Sexting Scandal: Report

Political journalist Olivia Nuzzi may be preparing for a comeback after a high-profile sexting scandal with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. derailed both her career and personal life last year.

On Aug. 24, Semafor reported that Vanity Fair’s new editor-in-chief, Mark Guiducci, is seeking to bring in bold, recognizable voices as part of his effort to reinvent the magazine. Among those he has spoken with is Nuzzi, once celebrated as a Forbes “30 Under 30” honoree, who made her mark covering MAGA politics after becoming New York magazine’s first Washington correspondent in 2017.

While it’s unclear whether Nuzzi has been formally offered a position, Semafor noted that she and Guiducci have discussed the possibility of her joining as a writer.

Nuzzi’s career came crashing down in September 2024 when New York magazine revealed she had disclosed to editors that she was involved in a relationship with a former reporting subject during campaign coverage. The magazine stated that had they known about the relationship, she would not have been allowed to continue covering the presidential race. She was placed on leave before parting ways with the publication.

At the time, Nuzzi admitted in a statement to PEOPLE that some of her communications with a reporting subject had “turned personal,” though she emphasized the relationship was never physical and that she did not use the subject as a source. She expressed regret for failing to disclose the situation, saying she understood how it created the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Though neither Nuzzi nor New York magazine publicly identified the individual, CNN reported the subject was Kennedy, then 70, who had just exited the 2024 presidential race to endorse Donald Trump. Nuzzi had previously profiled Kennedy in November 2023.

The revelation also shook her personal life. Nuzzi was engaged to Politico’s chief Washington correspondent, Ryan Lizza, when the news broke. In the aftermath, rumors swirled that she and Kennedy had exchanged explicit texts, with many of the claims surfacing through Lizza himself, who is now her former fiancé.

Court filings later revealed that Lizza accused Nuzzi of “catastrophically reckless behavior” and claimed she had described her interactions with Kennedy as “toxic,” “unhealthy,” and “indefensible.” He alleged that she told him Kennedy sought to “control” and “possess” her.

Kennedy’s camp has consistently denied those accounts. A spokesperson previously told The Wall Street Journal that Lizza’s version of events was untrue and that Kennedy had only met Nuzzi once for an interview, which the spokesperson said led to a critical article. Speaking to PEOPLE in 2024, Kennedy’s team dismissed the allegations as “categorically false,” calling them “triple hearsay” arising from a dispute between others.

Despite the scandal, Kennedy went on to join President Trump’s Cabinet as secretary of health and human services.