The New York magazine reporter has been granted a no-contact order against Ryan Lizza, whom she accuses of threatening to release her personal information to blackmail her.
- Oct 2, 2024
AceShowbiz - Olivia Nuzzi's relationship with her ex Ryan Lizza has turned ugly following the expose of her affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The New York magazine reporter has accused her ex-fiance of organizing a campaign of blackmail and harassment against her after learning of her secret relationship with RFK Jr.
In an August filing, which was obtained by CNN on Tuesday, October 1, Nuzzi accused Lizza of threatening to release her personal information and even hacking into one of her electronic devices to blackmail her. In the filing made before a judge in Washington DC's Superior Court, she wrote 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 31-year-old also accused the prominent political journalist with Politico of using a "third party or anonymous channel" to tip off her employer that she had been romantically involved with RFK Jr. Nuzzi said she believes Lizza began his alleged harassment at the beginning of July as a way to blackmail her back into a relationship with him and punish her when she wouldn't take him back.
Nuzzi has been granted a police escort to collect her belongings from the apartment the former couple shared. A court hearing is set for October 15.
Lizza has since responded to Nuzzi's claims, saying in a statement on Tuesday, "I am saddened that my ex-fiancee 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."
On Tuesday night, Politico said Lizza was taking a leave of absence from the publication while it conducts an investigation into the matter. "POLITICO and Ryan Lizza have mutually agreed that it is in everyone's best interest for him to step back and take a leave of absence while an investigation is conducted," a spokesperson for the outlet said.
In September, Nuzzi admitted to her editors that she "had engaged in a personal relationship" with RFK Jr., a clear violation of the magazine's journalistic standards. She has since been put on leave.
A spokesperson for Kennedy, meanwhile, denied any deeper connection between him and Nuzzi. The spokesperson asserted, "Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece."
Lizza later confirmed that he and Nuzzi had called off their engagement following the expose of her affair with RFK Jr., while Nuzzi is said to be still in love with the 70-year-old politician despite his denial of their affair.