Ryan Lizza has re-entered the spotlight amidst controversy surrounding his ex-fiancée, Olivia Nuzzi, and her alleged affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As the scandal gains traction, attention has shifted back to Lizza's past—his 2017 firing from The New Yorker for improper sexual conduct.
Dismissed during the height of the #MeToo movement, Lizza's case is again scrutinized as his connection to Nuzzi, now linked to Kennedy's presidential campaign, brings renewed focus to his professional downfall.
Lizza, a Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, was fired from the magazine in December 2017 for engaging in improper sexual conduct. He was one of the most prominent journalists to lose his job amid a wave of allegations, partially sparked by The New Yorker itself.
Lizza's Fallout: From CNN To Politico
The New Yorker was one of the first publications to report on the harassment allegations made against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. "The New Yorker recently learned that Ryan Lizza engaged in what we believe was improper sexual conduct," the magazine said in a statement.
"We have reviewed the matter and, as a result, have severed ties with Lizza. Due to a request for privacy, we are not commenting further," the American magazine stated. Lizza quickly disputed The New Yorker's decision, issuing a statement that mentioned a complaint from one woman.
Lizza stated that he held his colleagues in the highest regard but called The New Yorker's decision "a terrible mistake" made hastily and without thoroughly investigating the relevant facts. While details about the woman mentioned by Lizza are still scarce, her lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, strongly refuted Lizza's account of the events.
"In no way did Mr. Lizza's misconduct constitute a 'respectful relationship,' as he has now tried to characterize it," Wigdor said in a statement. "Our client reported Mr. Lizza's actions to ensure that he would be held accountable and in the hope that by coming forward she would help other potential victims."
Lizza was also suspended from his role as an on-air contributor at CNN. We have just learned of The New Yorker's decision," the network said. "We are suspending Ryan Lizza from CNN while we look into this matter."
Georgetown University in Washington, where Lizza taught a course in American Politics and the Media, decided to end its association with Lizza, at least for the upcoming semester.
Lizza Addresses Nuzzi's Alleged Affair
Amidst the controversy surrounding his firing, Lizza has also addressed another personal matter: his recent breakup with his ex-fiancée Olivia Nuzzi, which followed allegations of her involvement with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In the Friday afternoon edition of Politico Playbook, Lizza, a co-author of the newsletter, issued a concise statement confirming his decision to cover the former independent presidential candidate no longer.
The 50-year-old Chief Washington Correspondent for Politico Playbook also confirmed that he had ended his engagement to 31-year-old Olivia Nuzzi. "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," Lizza wrote.
As Washington awoke to news of the scandal on Friday morning, Politico Playbook seemed to overlook Oliver Darcy's Status news story about the alleged affair. However, hours later, in their Mediawatch section, they addressed the story and included Lizza's statement.
Lizza and Nuzzi were regarded as a Washington power couple. Lizza rose to popularity after a profanity-filled interview with ex-White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci surfaced in 2017.
During the interview, Scaramucci allegedly called former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus "a 'f****** paranoid schizophrenic and a paranoiac" He also implied that Chief Strategist Steve Bannon "sucked his own c***."
In addition, the Mooch said he would fire staff members. Critics quickly noted that the interview was vulgar, especially since it involved someone representing the United States. Scaramucci was fired from the job after 11 days.
Shortly after the publication of the article, Lizza himself faced allegations of sexual misconduct, resulting in his dismissal from The New Yorker. CNN, where he also worked, investigated these claims but ultimately decided to keep him on air.
Politico hired Lizza to co-author its flagship newsletter, Playbook. Simultaneously, he and Nuzzi collaborated on a book but eventually abandoned it.
In December 2021, Page Six reported that the publisher had cancelled the book project due to the authors' inability to deliver the sensational scoops typically associated with successful political tell-alls.
Sources told the New York Post's gossip column that the duo didn't lack anything in former President Donald Trump's orbit, but people in President Joe Biden's camp "don't trust Nuzzi."
In September 2022, Nuzzi announced on her Instagram that Lizza, who was previously married, had proposed. She captioned the photo 'Fidanzati,' which means 'engaged' in Italian.
