RFK Jr's 'Lover' Olivia Nuzzi's Ex Ryan Lizza Takes Leave of Absence After Scandal-Hit NY Mag Writer Accuses Him of Blackmail Over 'Affair'
Robert Kennedy Jr's alleged lover Olivia Nuzzi is locked in court battle with ex-fiancé Ryan Lizza.
Oct. 2 2024, Published 7:45 a.m. ET
The ex-fiancé of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "mistress" Olivia Nuzzi has taken a "leave of absence" after being accused of blackmail.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the scandal-hit journalist, 31, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday claiming former partner Ryan Lizza "explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation – a threat he has since carried out" following her alleged affair with the 70-year-old Kennedy scion.
Lizza and Nuzzi during happier times before her rumoured romance with politician.
Now, Lizza, 50, will be taking a mutually agreed leave of absence from his work at Politico, where he is the Chief Washington Correspondent.
Star reporter Nuzzi was also placed on leave from her job at New York Magazine in the wake of her rumoured tryst with the former presidential candidate being made public last month.
The pair reportedly grew close after Nuzzi wrote a profile piece on the politician.
According to friends of Kennedy's wife, actress Cheryl Hines, the couple are now expected to divorce following his alleged betrayal.
Nuzzi denies her "affair" with Kennedy was ever "physical".
Both Nuzzi and Kennedy have insisted the relationship was never physical, but according to Page Six, the alleged fling extended to steamy sexting sessions and "incredible Facetime sex".
Following Nuzzi's blackmail claims, Lizza was issued with a no-contact order at a court hearing on Tuesday. He did not attend.
Lizza and Nuzzi were due to write a book together but the project has "stalled".
He told CNN in a statement: "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 claims Lizza's campaign of harassment started in July in a bid to blackmail her back into their relationship.
She alleges he stole an electronic device from her, hacked her and then "shopped" information around to media outlets.
Nuzzi claims Lizza is also behind her bosses finding out about her connection with Kennedy, potentially "through a third party or anonymous channel".
Kennedy was profiled by Nuzzi for a New York Magazine profile piece.
A judge on Tuesday ruled Nuzzi can have police with her when she attempts to get her belongings back from Lizza.
The matter will return to court on October 15.
Lizza was previously the New Yorker's Washington Correspondent but was fired in 2017 due to allegations of "improper sexual conduct".
He was married to his college sweetheart Christina Irene Gillespie, a family physician, at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington in June 2004 and the pair went on to have two children.
But 11 years into their marriage, they filed for divorce.
Lizza and Nuzzi documented their fondness for ghosthunting on Instagram.
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In 2022, Lizza got engaged to Nuzzi, who announced their engagement on Instagram with a series of videos showing off a huge, solitaire-cut sparkler on her ring finger.
Nuzzi also used Instagram to document the pair's love of ghosthunting.
The former couple were due to publish a book together about the 2020 election which has since stalled.
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