Olivia Nuzzi’s upcoming memoir, American Canto, promises to be explosive, revealing salacious text messages between the former New York Magazine reporter and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The memoir reportedly details a digital and emotional affair that could be devastating to Kennedy’s marriage with actress Cheryl Hines.
An anonymous source told Page Six, “It’s hard to imagine RFK surviving this with his marriage and job intact.”
Nuzzi, who worked as Washington correspondent for New York Magazine from 2017 to 2024, became well-known for her coverage of political power players in D.C.
Her memoir will reportedly also discuss her relationship with her ex-fiancée, fellow journalist Ryan Lizza, which ended amid allegations of her being “emotionally involved” with Kennedy while covering his presidential campaign.
Kennedy, 71, has denied any inappropriate relationship, with representatives stating that he met Nuzzi only once in a professional context.
The connection, sources say, was “emotional and digital in nature, not physical.”
New York Magazine conducted an internal review and found “no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias” in Nuzzi’s reporting on Kennedy, though the controversy contributed to her departure from the magazine.
The memoir will reportedly also cover Nuzzi’s decade-long coverage of President Donald Trump, per the Daily Mail.
Sources indicate the book could be controversial for the Trump administration as well, with concerns about Nuzzi’s safety and potential attempts to block the publication.
Simon & Schuster reportedly hired crisis PR expert Risa Heller—known for work with disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner, Jared Kushner, and Jeff Zucker—to manage the rollout of the memoir.
The fallout from the Kennedy affair has reportedly impacted Nuzzi personally more than Kennedy.
She lost her job at New York Magazine and ended her engagement with Ryan Lizza. A subsequent legal dispute between Nuzzi and Lizza involved claims of threats and blackmail, which Nuzzi later withdrew. Lizza called the allegations “disgraceful lies” and a “coordinated defamation campaign.”
Meanwhile, Hines, 60, has largely remained publicly composed despite the controversy.
She continued to appear with Kennedy at events but reportedly declined to live in a Georgetown home the couple had purchased, citing discomfort with the political spotlight.
Last year, she told US Weekly, “Lots of emotions with rumors! But, it will all be in my book. I’m writing a book. I’ve been taking notes—serious notes.”
Hines’s memoir, Unscripted, is scheduled for release on Nov. 11. Executives at Simon & Schuster reportedly attempted to keep Nuzzi’s memoir separate to avoid overlapping with Hines’s book.
According to an apparent Amazon listing, American Canto has a publication date of December 2, with a hardcover priced at $30 and an ebook at $15. No preliminary copies are reported to exist for internal review, and the book is being stored on a separate server to maintain secrecy.
