Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza
New York Magazine political reporter Olivia Nuzzi is accusing ex-fiance Ryan Lizza of exposing “personal” details about her in the hope of tarnishing her life.
According to CNN, Nuzzi, 31, submitted a court filing in Washington, DC’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, October 1, that detailed Lizza’s alleged actions in “mid-August,” which was roughly one month prior to the couple revealing their split on September 20.
The outlet reported that Nuzzi wrote in the filing that Lizza “explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation—a threat he has since carried out.”
The dramatic turn of events comes after details into Nuzzi’s alleged connection with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., husband of actress Cheryl Hines, were revealed publicly on September 20. (Nuzzi acknowledged the relationship in a statement shared with the outlet at the time, confirming that she “had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign.”)
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During Tuesday’s court hearing, which Lizza, Politico’s chief Washington correspondent, was absent from, Nuzzi was granted a “temporary no-contact order” against Lizza, per CNN.
In a statement on Tuesday, Lizza denied Nuzzi’s accusations, telling CNN, “I am saddened that my ex-fiancée would resort to making a series of false accusations against me as a way to divert attention from her own personal and professional failings. I emphatically deny these allegations and I will defend myself against them vigorously and successfully.”
Nuzzi was placed on leave by New York Magazine just prior to the outlet releasing a public apology after Nuzzi’s relationship with Kennedy Jr. was exposed. The outlet stated that Nuzzi failed to disclose a “personal relationship” with an undisclosed subject. (Nuzzi had written a feature on RFK Jr. in 2023.)
“She [Nuzzi] is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review,” the New York Magazine statement read. “We regret this violation of our readers’ trust.”
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For his part, RFK Jr., 70, has denied having an “inappropriate relationship” with Nuzzi, with a representative telling NBC News on September 20 that he “only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.”
Per Nuzzi and Lizza’s social media accounts, the pair had been engaged since 2022. It is not clear exactly when the couple decided to go their separate ways.
In a statement published by Politico‘s Playbook section on September 20, Lizza stated: “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.”