Kennedy’s “Digital Lover” Set to Reveal All in Explosive New Memoir
A forthcoming book by Olivia Nuzzi, a journalist embroiled in a controversial relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is poised to offer a potentially revealing account of the anti-vaccine campaigner and his ascent to political prominence – a narrative largely absent from the recently released memoir by his wife, Cheryl Hines. While Hines’ “Unscripted” has failed to capture widespread attention, Nuzzi’s “American Canto,” excerpted in Vanity Fair on Monday, promises a deeper, albeit challenging, look into Kennedy’s world, including his insistence that the reported “worm” found in his brain was a misdiagnosis.
The narrative unfolds against a backdrop of political realignment, as Kennedy broke with his family’s Democratic legacy to align with President Donald Trump, ultimately securing the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services in February 2025. His confirmation to the cabinet was narrow, passing the Senate 52-48, with only one Republican, Mitch McConnell, voting against him.
Nuzzi’s book details a connection that began during a profile assignment for New York Magazine during the 2024 presidential campaign. She describes herself as captivated by “The Politician,” confessing, “I loved his brain,” while simultaneously expressing unease over the widely publicized reports of a parasitic presence within it. Nuzzi recounts Kennedy’s attempts to allay her fears, sharing sexually charged text exchanges where he reassured her: “Baby, don’t worry.”
The alleged brain anomaly became a focal point during the campaign, prompting speculation and ridicule. According to Nuzzi, Kennedy maintained the issue was overstated, claiming a doctor he trusted had reviewed The New York Times’ obtained brain scans and determined the “shadowy figure was likely not a parasite at all.” Nuzzi acknowledges the situation had already taken on a life of its own, stating, “It was too late to interfere with what had already vaulted from the sphere of meme to the sphere of screwy legend.”
Beyond the bizarre medical claims, Nuzzi’s writing delves into Kennedy’s personality, portraying him as a man driven by insatiable curiosity and desire. “He desired,” she writes, “He desired desiring. He desired being desired. He desired desire itself.” She describes a fascination with his “private ways” of being “mad.”
However, this relationship proved professionally devastating for Nuzzi. Her failure to disclose the affair to her superiors at New York Magazine led to her dismissal, a decision her mentor, Kara Swisher, characterized as “a betrayal of the audience.” The fallout also resulted in a public breakup with fellow journalist Ryan Lizza. Kennedy initially attempted to downplay the relationship, labeling Nuzzi’s profile a “hit piece,” before publicly reconciling with Hines as he solidified his alliance with Trump.
Despite the career setbacks, Nuzzi’s prospects appear to be rebounding. Her book is generating significant buzz, and she has been hired as the West Coast editor for Vanity Fair. Jacob Bernstein, who profiled Nuzzi for The New York Times, lauded her as “a very good writer” and “a startling, complex person.”
In contrast, Hines’ memoir is described as evasive, particularly regarding Kennedy’s well-documented history of infidelity. The Times UK review noted the book’s “Herculean feat of narrative omission and overblown fantasy,” specifically highlighting the absence of any mention of a 2024 sexual assault accusation by Eliza Cooney or Kennedy’s second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, who died by suicide in 2012 after discovering a diary detailing her husband’s relationships with 37 other women. Kennedy himself has acknowledged possessing “so many skeletons in my closet.”
The only instance Hines addresses Nuzzi directly is through veiled references, recounting a conversation with Kennedy after news of their relationship surfaced while she was skiing in Italy. Hines writes that they “locked ourselves in our room and laid it all on the table,” ultimately emerging with “tightened…ties that bind.”
Ultimately, while Hines’ memoir appears to offer a carefully curated portrait of her marriage, it is Olivia Nuzzi’s forthcoming book that promises to deliver a more unvarnished – and potentially explosive – account of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s complex and controversial life.
