A star political reporter was suspended after her boss learned that former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. bragged that she had sent him intimate photos, the Daily Beast reported.
Olivia Nuzzi, 31, initially denied a relationship with Kennedy, 70, the Beast noted, citing a source familiar with the matter.
But Nuzzi, who wrote a November 2023 profile of Kennedy, reportedly changed her story after New York magazine editor in chief David Haskell pressed her to tell him the truth.
The private meeting took place Sept. 13 in the magazine's downtown Manhattan headquarters, where Haskell said a source told him Kennedy had told friends he was in a romantic relationship with Nuzzi and had photos of her, the Daily Beast reported.
Nuzzi's suspension was first reported Thursday by the Status.News website. Puck News reported Friday that her relationship with Kennedy involved sexting during which she sent him "demure" nude photos of herself.
In a statement, Nuzzi said: "Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal. During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source."
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.
Kennedy, who is married to actress Cheryl Hines, best known for her work on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," has denied any relationship with Nuzzi.
"Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece," a Kennedy spokesperson said.
In a leaked memo to New York magazine staffers, Haskell said an internal review of Nuzzi's work published since December "found no inaccuracies or evidence of bias that require corrections."
Haskell also said the magazine was hiring an "independent third-party" to conduct its own review to see "if there is more we need to disclose or anything we need to correct" and also "influence our final disciplinary decision."
Nuzzi was formerly engaged to Politico chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza, who on Friday wrote in its Playbook PM, "Because of my connection to this story through my ex-fiancée, my editors and I have agreed that I won't be involved in any coverage of Kennedy in Playbook or elsewhere at Politico."
