More than a year after losing her position at New York magazine following a scandal involving former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., journalist Olivia Nuzzi is sharing her perspective for the first time.
In a newly published profile, The New York Times offers an early look at her upcoming book American Canto, scheduled for release on Dec. 2. Nuzzi, now serving as the West Coast editor at Vanity Fair, told the outlet she wrote the book privately while living in Los Angeles — a place she says she retreated to when the controversy erupted.
According to the report, Nuzzi writes that her romantic involvement with Kennedy began after she interviewed him for a long-form feature in November 2023.
Kennedy has been married to actress Cheryl Hines since 2014. At the time, Nuzzi was engaged to fellow political journalist Ryan Lizza — a relationship that later fell apart amid the public scandal. In September 2024, she filed a lawsuit and a protective order during their breakup, though she eventually withdrew the order.
American Canto details the alleged digital relationship between Nuzzi and Kennedy, as well as what she observed while covering circles aligned with Donald Trump, according to the Times.
Nuzzi, 32, claims Kennedy told her “I love you” first, affectionately called her “Livvy,” wrote poems for her and pledged to protect her — even saying he wanted to have a child with her. She suggests that despite their closeness, they never physically consummated the relationship. She also describes how they admired specific physical features of one another and bonded over shared ideas and sensibilities.
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Nuzzi reportedly attributes the public exposure of their alleged relationship in September 2024 to Lizza.
She was formally dismissed in October 2024, after weeks on leave. That same month, she accused Lizza of accessing her devices and attempting to pressure her into continuing their relationship, allegations he strongly denied as “defamatory lies.” The Times notes that Nuzzi has not provided evidence supporting those claims.
In her book, Nuzzi also recounts what Kennedy allegedly shared about his personal life — including using psychedelics and smoking dimethyltryptamine (DMT). She writes that she admitted to him that she used Adderall and enjoyed stimulants.
She says she occasionally offered him advice on campaign matters but adds that they are no longer in contact and have not spoken in a year.
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Before communication ceased, Nuzzi claims Kennedy assured her he could withstand the public fallout if the situation were framed as merely sexual, reportedly saying, “If it’s just sex, I can survive it,” according to the Times.
Kennedy did not immediately provide comment to the Times for its Friday report. His spokesperson has previously stated that he met Nuzzi only once — for the interview that led to the original New York magazine story.
