More than a year after losing her job at New York magazine due to revelations about a personal relationship with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., journalist Olivia Nuzzi is sharing her perspective.
In a new profile published Friday, Nov. 14, The New York Times reveals early details from her upcoming book, American Canto, which will be released on Dec. 2. Now the newly appointed West Coast editor at Vanity Fair, Nuzzi told the outlet that she wrote the book in secret while living in Los Angeles — a city she says became her refuge after the scandal.
According to the Times, she writes that her relationship with Kennedy began following a long-form interview published in November 2023.
Kennedy has been married to actress Cheryl Hines since 2014. At the time, Nuzzi was engaged to political journalist Ryan Lizza. Their relationship later collapsed publicly, culminating in Nuzzi filing — then later dropping — a protective order against him in September 2024 as legal disputes unfolded and she ultimately sued him before withdrawing the request.
American Canto reportedly describes Kennedy’s alleged series of digital communications with Nuzzi and includes insights from her experience covering Trump-related political circles.
Nuzzi, 32, writes that Kennedy was the first to say “I love you,” that he called her “Livvy,” wrote poems for her, and spoke dramatically about being willing to protect her — even claiming he wanted to have a child with her. Despite this, she suggests that their relationship never became physical, according to the Times’ account of the manuscript.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(753x225:755x227):format(webp)/Ryan-Lizza-Olivia-Nuzzi-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-100124-6a16dcd1ae354e1cae18ac11ac05a8de.jpg)
She also recounts the two bonding over shared tastes and values — from admiring each other’s physical features to developing a private shorthand and aligned philosophies, the Times reports.
Nuzzi believes that her former fiancé played a role in exposing the alleged relationship in September 2024, though the exact circumstances remain uncertain.
She was officially dismissed the following month after a lengthy period on leave. During that time, she accused Lizza of attempting to gather private data from her devices and using it to coerce her into staying in their relationship — allegations he forcefully denied as false and defamatory. The Times notes Nuzzi did not provide evidence for her claims.
The book also details personal confessions the two allegedly exchanged: Kennedy reportedly spoke about using psychedelics, including DMT, while Nuzzi disclosed using Adderall and having a preference for stimulants, according to the Times.
She writes that she occasionally advised him on campaign matters, but she now has no contact with Kennedy and says it has been a year since their last communication.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1001x408:1003x410):format(webp)/Who-is-Olivia-Nuzzi-03-fa5eb6bf565e4aca83f481346e9ab6f9.jpg)
Before they ceased speaking, Nuzzi recalls offering assistance during the fallout from the scandal, and claims Kennedy once argued he could withstand the controversy by saying, “If it’s just sex, I can survive it,” per the Times.
Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment on Friday, Nov. 14. His spokesperson has previously said that the two met only once — during the interview tied to the New York magazine feature.
