RFK Jr. Allegedly ‘Grabbed Nuzzi’s Hand’ During Hike Before Relationship With Reporter Started
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. allegedly “grabbed” New York magazine correspondent Olivia Nuzzi’s hand during a hike before their “personal relationship” reportedly began.
In an article for Vanity Fair on Thursday, former Daily Beast editor-at-large Lachlan Cartwright spoke to several unnamed insiders who shed light on the digital affair, which reportedly started after Nuzzi visited Kennedy’s home and accompanied him on a hike as part of her profile on the then-independent presidential candidate.
“Multiple sources described an incident on the hike in which Kennedy grabbed Nuzzi’s hand,” Cartwright reported. “Nuzzi had a conversation with another reporter who had a similar experience and called what had occurred ‘creepy.'”
He continued:
Toward the end of November the two had resolved their differences and a “flirtation” via text had begun that would grow more intense over time. The “digital relationship,” as it has become known, between a married 70-year-old and an engaged 31-year-old would go on for several months lasting until late August. Like all relationships—even, or maybe even especially, those pursued via phone—it was multilayered and it was complicated, intense at times, dormant at others. Both parties appear to agree on just one thing: It never became physical.
New York magazine announced in a statement last week that Nuzzi had been placed on leave after Oliver Darcy broke news of the relationship in his Status newsletter.
“Recently our Washington Correspondent Olivia Nuzzi acknowledged to the magazine’s editors that she had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign, a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures,” New York stated. “Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign. An internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias. She is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review. We regret this violation of our readers’ trust.”
In the aftermath of the stunning report, Kennedy’s team sought to downplay the alleged relationship.
“Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece,” said a spokesperson for Kennedy.
Other sources close to Kennedy painted Nuzzi as the aggressor, telling The New York Post that Nuzzi was “obsessed” with Kennedy and that Kennedy repeatedly blocked the reporter after she sent intimate photos to him.
One source claimed to the Post that Nuzzi would convince Kennedy to unblock her, and that “once unblocked, she bombarded him with increasingly pornographic photos and videos that he found difficult to resist.”
“After brief exchanges, he would block her again,” the source said.
Confronted about his relationship with Nuzzi on Fox News this week, Kennedy declined to comment.
