KEY POINTS
- Ryan Lizza alleges RFK Jr. sent sexual poems and graphic texts to Olivia Nuzzi during their emotional affair.
- Lizza published the claims after Nuzzi announced a memoir detailing her infidelity.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr is facing renewed public scrutiny after political journalist Ryan Lizza alleged that Kennedy sent sexually graphic messages and 'poems' to Lizza's former fiancée, Olivia Nuzzi, during what Lizza describes as the pair's 2023–2024 'emotional affair'.
The allegations were published by Lizza himself in a lengthy Substack essay on Saturday. Neither Kennedy nor the Department of Health and Human Services has issued any public response.
Lizza Claims He Found Explicit Messages While Relationship Collapsed
Lizza, 51, wrote that he discovered the messages while reviewing Nuzzi's communications in the final months of their relationship. He claims the messages were exchanged while Nuzzi was profiling Kennedy for New York Magazine in 2023.
In the post, Lizza published a series of lines he attributed to Kennedy. One read:
'Yr open mouth awaiting my harvest.'
Another excerpt read:
'I mean to squeeze your cheeks to force open your mouth. I'll hold your nose as you look up at me to encourage you to swallow. "Don't spill a drop."'
A third passage Lizza said he found stated:
'I am a river. You are my canyon. I mean to flow through you. I mean to subdue and tame you. My Love.'
The authenticity of the messages has not been independently verified. Kennedy has not addressed the claims.
Nuzzi's Memoir Prompts Lizza to Speak Out
Lizza said he had remained silent for more than a year but felt compelled to speak after Nuzzi resurfaced publicly to promote her upcoming memoir-style book, American Canto. An excerpt was published in Vanity Fair, where she now works as West Coast editor, and she was recently profiled by The New York Times.
According to Lizza, her new public narrative left him feeling 'erased', prompting him to release his own account.
Nuzzi, 32, and Lizza were long seen as a high-profile media couple in Washington until the affair with Kennedy became widely known in 2024.
Professional Fallout at New York Magazine
In 2024, Nuzzi's employer, New York Magazine, placed her on leave after editors learned of her personal involvement with Kennedy while reporting on him. The magazine and Nuzzi later parted ways.
She has not publicly disputed Lizza's claim that their engagement ended after the affair surfaced.
Lizza Alleges Past Ethical Concerns
Lizza also claimed that Kennedy was not the only public figure Nuzzi became personally involved with. He alleged that she previously had an improper relationship with former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, whom she profiled in 2019.
These claims have not been independently confirmed and rely solely on Lizza's account.
Nuzzi's lawyer, Ari Wilkenfeld, pushed back, saying:
'In "American Canto," Ms Nuzzi discusses the only instance in her long career as a journalist in which she had an improper relationship with someone she was covering.'
He added that she would 'not dignify efforts to impugn her character with any future response.'
No Comment Yet from RFK Jr or the Biden Administration
Kennedy, who has served as Health and Human Services Secretary since early 2025 and is married to actress Cheryl Hines, has not commented on Lizza's allegations. The Department of Health and Human Services has also remained silent.
The allegations come at a politically sensitive moment for Kennedy, whose role places him at the centre of federal public health leadership. With both Lizza's detailed Substack account and Nuzzi's memoir set to circulate simultaneously, the scandal is likely to fuel intense media and political discussion for weeks.
