A bitter public feud between two prominent American journalists has erupted, with Vanity Fair editor Olivia Nuzzi accusing her former fiancé, Ryan Lizza, of publishing harmful 'revenge porn' about their private life. The controversy centres on a series of personal revelations Lizza published on his Substack platform, Telos News, just ahead of the release of Nuzzi's new book.
The Core Allegations and Lizza's Defence
In his posts, Lizza, a well-known political reporter, made claims about Nuzzi's personal relationships. He alleged she had an affair with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is married to actress Cheryl Hines. Lizza also published details of what he described as a 'love letter' Nuzzi, now 32, sent to former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford in March 2020, quoting lines including, 'If I swallowed every drop of water from the tower above your house, I would still thirst for you.'
Furthermore, Lizza shared erotic poetry he claims Kennedy, 71, wrote to Nuzzi in 2024. One cited line read: 'Yr open mouth awaiting my harvest. Drink from me Love.' Nuzzi had professionally profiled Kennedy as a presidential candidate for New York magazine and covered Sanford during the 2020 election cycle.
In response to Nuzzi's accusations, Lizza told The Independent on Wednesday 3 December 2025, 'Telling the truth is not harassment.'
Nuzzi's Fierce Rebuttal and Claims of Abuse
Olivia Nuzzi launched a forceful counterattack in a post on Emily Sundberg's Substack newsletter, Feed Me, on Tuesday. She characterised Lizza's actions as 'another attempt to harass, humiliate, and harm me' and labelled the content as 'obsessive and violating fan fiction-slash-revenge porn'.
She argued that if Lizza possessed legitimate information of public interest, the ethical course would have been to give it to an impartial outlet. 'There is no glory in that, though, and no subscribers,' Nuzzi wrote, suggesting his motives were financially driven. She insisted his work 'would never meet standards for publication at any legitimate outlet.'
Broader Context and Ongoing Fallout
The scandal unfolds as Nuzzi promotes her new book, 'American Canto', published on Tuesday. In it, she details a relationship with a figure referred to as 'The Politician', widely speculated to be RFK Jr. A spokesperson for Kennedy previously told Vanity Fair in September 2024 that 'Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested.'
This episode highlights the intensely personal and professional collisions that can occur within media circles, raising serious questions about ethics, privacy, and the boundaries of journalism when reporters themselves become the story. The Independent has sought comment from Mark Sanford regarding the allegations.
