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Olivia Nuzzi, who was raised in Middletown and attended Middletown High School, is believed to have started her relationship with Kennedy after writing a profile on him in November 2023, the Washington Post says citing a vague memo to staff from David Haskell.
“We learned about the personal nature of Olivia’s relationship a few days ago,” editor David Haskell wrote in the memo. “She told us it began in December 2023 and it ended towards the end of August; She says it was never physical, and that she avoided him as a subject and source during that period.”
A spokesperson for Kennedy issued a statement saying he met Nuzzi only once, but did not deny the affair. In the profile, Kennedy and Nuzzi went hiking together.
“Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece,” the spokesman said.
Nuzzi, who was recently engaged to Politico reporter Ryan Lizza, acknowledged the affair in a statement to CNN's Brian Stelter.
"Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal," Nuzzi said. "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."
Kennedy is married to actress Cheryl Hines, who previously starred on "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
Nuzzi's coverage included a profile of Donald Trump following the first assassination attempt on his life and a critical piece about President Joe Biden's cognitive abilities following his debate performance in June that led to him dropping out of the race.
"Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign," New York Magazine said in a statement. "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.
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