Amid Olivia Nuzzi And RFK Jr. Scandal, Ryan Lizza Says She Cheated On Him With A Renowned Politician

And so, the drama continues! As Washington eagerly awaits the release of former New York Magazine journalist Olivia Nuzzi’s tell-all memoir, American Canto, her ex-fiancé, Ryan Lizza, is refusing to stay silent. The veteran political journalist has dropped a bomb of his own, further complicating Nuzzi’s affair controversies with renowned figures. 

Amid renewed attention on Olivia Nuzzi’s alleged digital affair with current Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., her ex, Ryan Lizza, now says she not only exchanged explicit messages with RFK Jr. but also cheated on him with two other high-profile men, including a former presidential candidate she once interviewed.

Ryan Lizza drops explosive claims about Olivia Nuzzi’s past affairs

Olivia Nuzzi’s sexting scandal with RFK Jr. had barely begun to fade when Ryan Lizza ignited an even bigger one. In a detailed article titled “How I Found Out,” the veteran journalist claimed Nuzzi had affairs with two prominent men, including a “politician,” while she was in a relationship with Lizza. But how did he find it out?

Lizza says in the article that he discovered the affair in March 2020 after finding pages of handwritten notes spilling out of Nuzzi’s backpack when she returned from an alleged reporting trip. What grabbed Lizza’s attention was a poetic line that Nuzzi had written, and it was clearly not meant for him. Ryan wrote:

“Olivia had just returned from a reporting trip — at least that’s what she told me it was — and her Herschel backpack… was tossed beside our bed, its contents scattered on the floor. That’s when I noticed the sheets of Kimpton Hotel stationery that would alter the course of our lives… [she wrote] If I swallowed every drop of water from the tower above your house, I would still thirst for you.” 

Ryan immediately knew the note was meant for someone else as their home in Georgetown had no such tower. He became even more certain when he found an unfinished love letter on the next sheet, revealing a ‘physical relationship’ with a well-known politician, who was one of the candidates in the 2019 presidential campaign. He wrote:

“I was sure our relationship was over… She had crossed a journalistic red line. How could we write a book about the presidential campaign if Olivia had a sexual relationship with one of the candidates?”

Ryan Lizza’s allegations on Mark Sanford

That man, according to Ryan, was none other than former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, who was more than 30 years older than Olivia. Lizza claims Nuzzi profiled Sanford for New York Magazine in 2019 and was allegedly ‘infatuated’ with him. He reveals Olivia followed the politician on the campaign trail, texted him provocative photos, and eventually got intimate with Sanford at his home. 

Ryan Lizza says that while they lived together in their Georgetown home, Olivia Nuzzi spent a night away, claiming she was caring for her sick mother. He later discovered she had instead met with Mark Sanford, a GOP long shot and former congressman whose past sex scandal once derailed his marriage and governorship. After learning the truth, Lizza immediately contacted his agent. The journalist wrote:

“I looked at the date on her aborted letter to ‘Mark’: March 5, 2020 — just a few days ago. I called my agent. 'We have a big problem,' I said. 'Olivia is sleeping with Mark Sanford.'”

What Ryan Lizza said about Olivia Nuzzi’s affair with Keith Olbermann

The Sanford affair was not the only scandal; Nuzzi had allegedly cheated on Lizza with former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann as well. In his explosive new article, Ryan claims his ex-fiancée used to receive expensive clothing and Cartier jewellery worth USD 15,000 from Olbermann, who also allegedly paid for her housing and supported her financially while she attended college. Olivia later said she felt “stalked” and planned her exit with Ryan while seeing him.

While Olbermann did not address Lizza’s claims directly, the broadcaster took to his X handle on November 18, 2025, mocking the journalist’s commentary on Sanford’s dating past with Nuzzi. Sharing Lizza’s now-viral article, Olbermann wrote:

“Ryan Lizza appears to be accusing Olivia Nuzzi of an affair with Mark Sanford when she was covering HIM in 2020?”

The infamous RFK Jr. fallout that started it all, and fresh claims from Olivia Nuzzi’s upcoming memoir

Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr.’s alleged affair surfaced in early 2024, when their private digital exchanges were exposed. Reports claim their connection began in 2013 while she covered his independent campaign, and that professional conversations soon shifted into late-night personal chats. Early 2024 leaks of screenshots showing intimate messages between them fueled headlines, with Nuzzi quickly labelled Kennedy’s alleged “digital mistress.”

After reports of their digital relationship scandal broke, it ended Nuzzi’s employment at New York Magazine and her engagement to her longtime partner, Ryan Lizza. Now a West Coast editor at Variety, Olivia Nuzzi’s infamous scandal came back to the spotlight with leaked pages from her upcoming memoir, American Canto, which explores that past with explosive details. 

In her memoir, Olivia Nuzzi talked about her alleged affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and shared that their relationship was emotional and inappropriate, even if not physical. She even wrote in her memoir that RFK Jr. was the first to say, "I love you," and to send her poems. Not only this, Nuzzi also added that RFK Jr. used to call her by a series of affectionate nicknames. Kennedy allegedly even told her he wanted her to have his baby and claimed he would take a bullet for her. She also says some of their conversations took place while he was using the psychedelic drug DMT.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied the allegations, and even Nuzzi said much of the online gossip was exaggerated. Still, excerpts from her memoir American Canto suggest their connection grew unusually personal and, at times, crossed professional boundaries.

Regarding Lizza’s fresh claims, Nuzzi, Sanford, and Olbermann have yet to make official responses. What are your thoughts on these affair allegations?

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