Sportscaster and political pundit Keith Olbermann admitted he also dated Olivia Nuzzi—the New York magazine political columnist currently on leave due to an undisclosed relationship with former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Olbermann confirmed he dated Nuzzi about 10 years ago, when Olbermann was about 55 and Nuzzi was about 21.
He said he only thought to publicly acknowledge the fling after the New York Post contacted him asking for comment. The former “SportsCenter” host told the tabloid he thought their relationship was “public knowledge.”
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“We didn’t do much to keep it quiet. I just assumed nobody cared,” Olbermann wrote on X. “Nearly all of it was really nice and (god help me) wholesome. In fact it was she with whom I got my first dog and for that I'll always be grateful to her.”
Nuzzi is currently under fire for her unreported relationship with Kennedy, whom she profiled for New York magazine. Nuzzi told the Daily Beast that her relationship with Kennedy began after the profile was written and was “never physical.”
Puck News later reported that it involved sending “demure” nude photos to the independent candidate. Representatives for Kennedy have insisted that the relationship was one-sided, with some friends of the former candidate believing she “set him up.”
The relationship with Olbermann happened about a decade ago, according to the Post. Olbermann promised to reveal more details in an episode of his podcast releasing on Tuesday.
Olivia Nuzzi said that her relationship with a “former reporting subject” became personal, but was also “never physical.”
Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Vox MediaNuzzi, who also worked for the Daily Beast from 2013 to 2017, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She was previously engaged to Politico reporter Ryan Lizza before the news of her relationship with RFK Jr. broke last week.
Olbermann has had public relationships with other high-profile members of the media and politicians. He previously dated MSNBC anchor Katy Tur in 2006.
He also previously dated retiring Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2010 and 2011, according to the Huffington Post, when she was still a state legislator and a member of the Democratic Party.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Keith Olbermann was not engaged to MSNBC anchor Katy Tur.
