Ruthless Podcast — “This is why the liberal media is failing - DC Journo Scandal Explodes”

Date: November 21, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the D.C. journalism and media scandal swirling around journalist Olivia Nuzzi, her high-profile relationships with politicians and other journalists, the sensational fallout, and how these events reflect on the state and culture of modern media. With trademark irreverence and biting humor, the Ruthless crew break down the details of Nuzzi’s alleged affairs, book launch, and social media firestorms, exploring why these messy, personal stories are becoming the center of media attention—and what it all means for liberal (and broader) media credibility.

Key Discussion Points

1. Olivia Nuzzi Scandal & Book Launch

• Scandal Recap:
  The show opens with discussion of Olivia Nuzzi, a once-prominent New York Magazine feature writer whose career “came to an abrupt end” due to alleged inappropriate relationships with subjects she covered—particularly RFK Jr.

  • “She was quite a gifted writer, to be honest... and then in 2024, it came to an abrupt end... it was then alleged that she had developed what was characterized as at least a digital affair [with RFK Jr.],” (Josh Holmes, 04:13).

• Conflict of Interest & Media Fallout:
  The ethics of a journalist in a “digital dalliance” while reporting on a presidential candidate are dissected, noting how once such an action would have permanently exiled someone from serious journalism, but now it's part of the spectacle.

  • “This is somebody who in previous generations would have been just excommunicated from the whole thing... I’m not even mad at it,” (Josh Holmes, 07:51).

• Book Launch:
  Nuzzi's comeback via her new book, American Kanto, is discussed, with amusement at her dramatic presentation and the fact that she doesn't name RFK directly, though the subtext is obvious.

  • “She was going to put pen to paper and tell the real story of her at least digital affair. Who was asked for this? No one,” (Smug & Holmes, 07:11).

• Timeline of Scandal:

  • Nuzzi: Internal affair with RFK Jr. while engaged to journalist Ryan Lizza; joint book project with Lizza falls apart; public online fallout.
  • “They’d also secured a joint book deal to write a book about the election together... It’s like a divorce. Who gets the book?” (Comfortably Smug, 10:12).

2. Ryan Lizza’s Revenge: The Substack Bombshell

• Lizza’s Perspective:
  Lizza responds to Nuzzi’s return by publishing a well-written, dramatic Substack essay detailing the implosion of their relationship—the letter, the hotel stationery, the heartbreak.

  • “He details a long narrative that walks through all the pain and suffering... and he drops an absolute bomb,” (Holmes, 14:57).

• The Big Twist:
  Throughout Lizza’s letter, the narrative mirrors widely known rumors about RFK Jr., leading everyone to expect familiar revelations. The shock: Lizza reveals Nuzzi’s affair wasn’t (just) with RFK Jr., but with former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford!

  • “You, the audience, are like, what? We just followed this RFK story all the way through... Why does it say Mark? ... Olivia is sleeping with Mark Sanford,” (Holmes, 27:38).

• Memorable Writing & Messy Details:
  The hosts repeatedly marvel at the literary quality and slow-burn revenge of Lizza’s release, comparing him to Ernest Hemingway and Charles Dickens:

  • “He buried that in a way that only Ernest Hemingway could have,” (Ashbrook, 28:07).

• Lizza’s Domestic Revelations:
  Lizza includes details about arranging Nuzzi’s shoes and helping untangle her from a previous relationship with Keith Olbermann, prompting jokes about possible foot fetishes.

  • “In my thinking, if you’re playing with your wife’s shoes, you’re a feet dude,” (Smug, 21:33).

• Keith Olbermann’s Hilarious Response:
  Olbermann tweets a calculation of the value of gifts given during his relationship with Nuzzi—prompting delight and further mockery from the hosts.

  • “That’s like $1,250 of jewelry per celebration... What was I supposed to do, get her a gift from Kmart?” (Reading Olbermann tweet, 20:14).

3. Meta-Analysis: What This Says About Modern Media

• Messiness & Jealousy Among Journalists:
  The group notes the jealousy in journalism circles as Nuzzi lands another big job after scandal, hinting at a broader culture of hypocrisy and cannibalism within the industry.

  • “At the end of the day, these are all just jealous, horrible little monster people. ...You gotta remember, they’re terrible to each other,” (Ashbrook & Smug, 11:43).

• New Patterns of Career “Redemption”
  Scandals that once would have ended a career are now just plot points in the redemption/monetization cycle, with book deals and media coverage abounding.

  • “This has all happened in the course of twelve months... Used to be like, this is the ten-year cycle of someone’s downfall. Nope, calendar year,” (Smug, 07:17).

• Audience Appetite for Mess & Spectacle:
  The hosts and guest panelists repeatedly emphasize that none of this would have legs if the public didn’t eat it up.

  • “I think this is one of the only redeeming qualities of this town is the messy garbage these people leave behind,” (Smug, 31:03).

• Dizzying Timeline:
  Years of overlapping relationships and journalistic conflicts are charted with gleeful incredulity.

  • “Is there a timeline of her that she does this kind of a thing over and over again?” (Smug, 32:15).

• Authenticity vs. Ethics in Modern Reporting:
  Citing media writers like Dylan Byers, the gang debates if the messiness (proximity to sources, blurred lines) is simply a reflection of audience craving for “authenticity.”

  • “A situation like this would blow up a career. Is it not going to? ...Is this just what the state of [media] is?” (Smug, 46:35).

4. Recap of Olivia Nuzzi’s Pre-Scandal Career

• Origins & Recurring Patterns:
  Tracing her path from intern for Anthony Weiner’s mayoral campaign (2013), to writing about that campaign’s dysfunction, to relationships with high-profile men, the hosts suggest a motif of “getting too close” to power.

  • “She was an intern for Anthony Weiner’s mayoral campaign... she writes this piece about being an intern on that campaign—how deranged and crazy that campaign was,” (Holmes, 35:21).

• Past Jokes Turned Real:
  The group digs up old Nuzzi tweets about how Hollywood thinks “female reporters sleep with their sources,” and an even older one: “Well, this proves my ideal friends are 50- to 60-year-old men,” (42:41, 43:08). Both raise eyebrows as uncanny in hindsight.

• MySpace Embarrassment:
  A MySpace-era song Nuzzi recorded in her teens (“Baby, I’m not your girlfriend...”) is played, triggering fits of laughter and jokes about the cringe legacy of anyone who wanted to be internet-famous in the 2000s.

5. “Fun Time Friday” Spirit

• The show relishes the absurdity, sparing no one (not even themselves or their “journal buddies”) the jibes. Running gags about foot fetishes, bad pop music, “maximum impact,” and the artistic/capitalist hustle of modern journalism run throughout.

• Ongoing commercial and Q&A segments (skipped here) sandwich the episode’s investigative riffing.

6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Quotes:

• “He let the missiles out of the silo… Art. Pure cinema.” (Smug & Holmes, 14:37-14:40)
• “You, the audience, are like, what? We just followed this RFK story all the way through… And then it’s Mark Sanford!” (Holmes, 27:38)
• “These are messy, messy people, dude. These are just horrible little gremlins,” (Smug, 32:21)
• “Don’t hate the player, hate the game, because that’s the world we’re living in,” (Holmes, 47:11)
• “In my thinking, if you’re playing with your wife’s shoes, you’re a feet dude,” (Smug, 21:33)

Memorable Moments:

• Lizza’s Substack twist reveal — the bombshell that Nuzzi’s affair wasn’t with RFK Jr., but Mark Sanford (27:38)
• Keith Olbermann’s “Rain Man of jewelry” — Olbermann doing the math on gifts given during his relationship with Nuzzi (20:14)
• Hosts trying to decide who should be “in jail” after the revelations — e.g., “If all these details are true, she should be in jail, and so should Lizza,” (Smug, 33:27)

7. Discussion of Jasmine Crockett’s Epstein Gaffe

• The group takes a break from the Nuzzi saga to roast Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s embarrassing false accusation that Lee Zeldin received donations from “Jeffrey Epstein,” not realizing it was a different person with the same name.
  • “Who could have known? ...She’s too stupid to insult,” (Holmes & Smug, 60:02–60:06)
• They lampoon the way political and media figures spread, then quietly retract, damaging rumors for tactical advantage.

8. Media Culture & Audience Takeaways

• New Rules for Scandal & Redemption:
  The Speed and spectacle of scandal/redemption is a symptom of the modern media ecosystem—with little incentive for shame or reform.
• The Blurring of Ethical Lines:
  The episode underscores rising indifference to conflicts of interest—and how “getting close to the action” now sells more than detached reporting.
• Parody and Pop Culture Satire:
  The commentary is attached to a throughline of mockery: foot fetishes, pop songs, media self-dealing, and “variety program” showmanship.

Key Timestamps

• [03:08] — Olivia Nuzzi’s journalistic rise and ethical downfall
• [07:47] — The speed of modern media scandals
• [09:04] — Impact on Ryan Lizza and their joint book project
• [14:00] — Ryan Lizza’s Substack narrative begins
• [16:27] — The shoe arrangement and “feet dude” jokes
• [20:14] — Keith Olbermann’s “gift math” tweet and response
• [27:38] — The Mark Sanford twist revealed
• [32:21] — Pattern of messy, public relationship drama
• [35:21] — Nuzzi’s career origins and Anthony Weiner campaign
• [42:41], [43:08] — Old tweets joking about journalists and older men
• [44:32-45:21] — MySpace song cringe-meltdown
• [46:35] — Debate over “authenticity” vs. ethics in journalism
• [60:02] — Jasmine Crockett’s Jeffrey Epstein faceplant

Conclusion

This episode of Ruthless turns the sex, drama, and slapstick of D.C. media’s latest self-inflicted wound into both an entertaining roast and a trenchant exploration of how modern journalism—especially on the left—operates in an age of blurred boundaries and viral spectacle. With meme-level irreverence and tasty gossip, the hosts turn inside-outsider knowledge into something essential for anyone fascinated (or disgusted) by the state of American media.

Notable Closing Question:
“If Olivia Nuzzi picks up singing again, what should the title of her next album be?”
— In true Ruthless fashion, the audience is invited to pile on with song title puns in the comments.