Nuzzi, Lizza, and the RFK Jr scandal: Why Vanity Fair removed Olivia Nuzzi as West Coast Editor

In recent weeks, Nuzzi’s tenure with the magazine had come under scrutiny following new claims by her former fiance, the journalist Ryan Lizza. In a series of essays spread over weeks, Lizza alleged that Nuzzi was further involved with Kennedy’s presidential campaign than she had previously disclosed, and that she had been romantically involved with another politician as well.

In a separate statement, Nuzzi said, “I love Vanity Fair, and this decision was made out of respect for the staff and faith in the future of the publication.”

Here is what to know.

First, who are Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza?

Nuzzi is a 32-year-old magazine writer who has exclusively interviewed high-profile politicians, including Kennedy, President Donald Trump, and former President Joe Biden. Her journalistic career has been swift but ridden with controversy – she was hired by The Daily Beast while attending Fordham University in 2014. She then worked as the New York Magazine’s Washington correspondent in 2017. She has written in Politico, The Washington Post, GQ and Esquire. Her memoir, American Canto, released last week, in which she recalled the “improper relationship with someone she was covering,” referencing RFK.

Ryan Lizza is a 51-year-old political journalist who currently manages the independent publication, Telos, hosted on Substack. He has previously worked with CNN, Politico, The New Yorker and GQ, and has contributed to The New York Times and New York Magazine. He has reported on issues spanning several presidencies, from Bill Clinton to the present Trump administration. He was fired from New York Magazine in 2017 following its investigation into an allegation of sexual harassment. Investigations into similar allegations of “improper sexual conduct” at CNN, Politico and Rolling Stone, where he worked, permitted him to continue to work with them.

Nuzzi and Lizza started dating in 2018 and were engaged in 2022. The duo were set to write a jointly-authored book on the 2020 election, which never materialised. They ended their engagement last year after Lizza announced that Nuzzi had allegedly cheated on him with RFK, whom she had profiled as part of the latter’s presidential run in 2023. In September 2024, she filed a restraining order against Lizza, alleging he had hacked her devices, collected materials to blackmail her and threatened her with physical violence. She withdrew this amidst a flurry of countersuits that December.

So what is the scandal, and why has it come to attention now?

The timing is centred on the release of American Canto. As part of its publicity, The NYT profiled Nuzzi on November 14, while Vanity Fair carried an excerpt of the book on November 17, shedding light on her relationship with RFK, whom she calls The Politician. A day later, Lizza began publishing his series of essays on Telos, alleging that there was more to Nuzzi’s dalliance with RFK, and that she had engaged in gross violations of journalistic ethics.

In his first essay on November 18, he claimed that Nuzzi had had a similar affair in 2020 with Mark Sanford, a presidential candidate whom she had also profiled. In response to this, Nuzzi’s lawyer issued a statement, saying, “In ‘American Canto,’ Ms. Nuzzi discusses the only instance in her long career as a journalist in which she had an improper relationship with someone she was covering.”

In another essay on November 27, Lizza alleged that Nuzzi had acted as RFK’s de facto political operative to perform “catch-and-kill” operations, to sniff out any negative coverage of him or narratives that could hurt him. “As she later revealed to me during hours of conversations, Olivia did this regularly throughout 2024: canvassing sources who trusted her, obtaining their opposition research on Bobby, and then feeding it directly to the candidate,” he wrote.

This essay also details her alleged extensive involvement in RFK’s campaign, writing him campaign memos, providing him with media strategy guidance, and even using a hidden recorder to listen in on Trump’s campaign plans.

Nuzzi has largely denied the allegations raised by Lizza, calling them abuse “now relocated to the public square and dressed up as some sort of noble crusade”. However, the grave nature of the claims apparently took Vanity Fair by surprise, which until last month, seemed aware of the existence of Nuzzi’s relationship with the health secretary, but not its alleged extent.