The “View” host Alyssa Farah Griffin came to the defense of her friend Olivia Nuzzi amidst her ongoing affair scandal with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Griffin considers the New York Magazine reporter to be a “friend” and “world-class journalist” and, as such, expressed her opinion of the scandal being sexist based on media focus on the young Washington, D.C., correspondent instead of the married, former presidential hopeful.
“That piece she wrote of RFK was scathing of him, she didn’t pull punches,” Griffin said. “I agree it blurred ethical lines. I don’t agree with what she did, I think she will acknowledge it and take responsibility, but every time I see a headline that says ‘Olivia Nuzzi Scandal’ no ‘RFK Scandal.’ A former presidential candidate who’s married for, I want to say the third time who engaged in this, who’s now a top surrogate to the Republican nominee for president. It goes back to the sexism we fall into.”
She added, “I don’t believe in cancel culture. I think she’s a person who cut her teeth in this industry. She unquestionably made a mistake, but I think if she takes responsibility, she should absolutely have a comeback.” Watch the full clip from “The View,” below.
Last week, it was revealed Nuzzi was in a secret romantic relationship with RFK Jr. and had been placed on leave while the situation was being investigated. NY Mag editor-in-chief David Haskell explained the timeline in a memo to staff.
“We learned about the personal nature of Olivia’s relationship a few days ago,” he wrote. “She told us it began in December 2023 (after we had published her November profile), and it ended towards the end of August; she says it was never physical, and that she avoided him as a subject and source during that period.”
Nuzzi was removed from covering the remainder of the 2024 presidential race despite an internal investigation finding “no evidence of bias” in her coverage.
“She had created, at the very least, the appearance of a conflict, and, by choosing not to disclose this to her editors, had violated our policies and potentially damaged our readers’ trust,” Haskell added.
