The Brett Cooper Show

Episode 97 – The Political Reporter That Slept With Her Subjects
Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Brett Cooper

Episode Overview

Brett Cooper dives into the scandalous world of political journalism, centering this episode on Olivia Nuzzi, a political reporter whose personal and professional boundaries blurred dramatically. Using recent bombshell revelations—mostly from Nuzzi’s ex-fiancé Ryan Lizza’s viral Substack essay and Nuzzi’s own forthcoming tell-all book—Brett unpacks how this modern saga exemplifies the ethical and cultural chaos of our current media landscape. The story is by turns lurid, hilarious, and unsettling, and serves as a lens for broader commentaries on generational change, digital footprints, fame-seeking, and the crumbling trust in journalism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Olivia Nuzzi Scandal: Who & What?

[01:00–04:00]

• Olivia Nuzzi, well-known political journalist, entered the media spotlight due to an alleged affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while covering his presidential campaign.
• Brett admits Nuzzi was a peripheral figure until reading a scathing Substack by her ex-fiancé, Ryan Lizza:

  “I am far too acquainted with this woman. And after this episode, you will be as well.” — Brett [01:50]

• The scandal resurged following Nuzzi’s upcoming book release, and Lizza’s damning exposé.

2. Ryan Lizza’s Substack Bombshell

[04:00–09:35]

• Lizza’s essay is written with “the flair of a Jane Austen novel”—Brett calls it “remarkable literature.”
• Central revelation: Lizza discovered Nuzzi was cheating, not with RFK Jr. initially, but with Mark Sanford, former South Carolina governor and presidential candidate.
• Lizza uncovers this via love notes from Nuzzi:

  “If I swallowed every drop of water from the tower above your house… I would still thirst for you.” — Olivia Nuzzi’s note, recounted by Ryan Lizza [approx. 05:25]

• The true subject is revealed by Lizza at the end:

  “I looked at the date on her letter to Mark. March 5, 2020... Olivia is sleeping with Mark Sanford. That's not Bobby. That is not Bobby Kennedy.” — Ryan Lizza, via Brett [approx. 08:20]

• Brett is gleefully riveted, likening the reveal to a cliffhanger TV show.

3. The Viral Response & “The Politician”

[10:36–14:00]

• Lizza’s piece blows up online; attention pivots to Nuzzi’s book excerpts in Vanity Fair and NYT.
• Nuzzi coyly calls RFK Jr. “the politician”—but Brett details how it’s obviously him.
  • Evidence: RFK Jr.’s infamous “worm in the brain” anecdote gets referenced in the book.

  “I loved his brain. I hated the idea of an intruder therein.”
  “I loved the private ways that he was mad... I winced when he joked about the worm baby, don't worry, he said, it's not a worm.” — Olivia Nuzzi book excerpt, read by Brett [12:15]

• Nuzzi’s writing style is roasted for being “poetic genius” and “certifiably obsessed” with RFK Jr.

4. The Internet Digs Deeper: Receipts and Ironies

[14:00–16:30]

• Old tweets resurface, showing Nuzzi’s flirtatious tone with politicians she was reporting on.
  • “He looks happy.” / “I tend to have that effect.” — Olivia Nuzzi tweet, 2019 [14:43]
• The irony: Nuzzi wrote a 2015 article titled “Why does Hollywood think female reporters sleep with their sources?” Now she’s infamous for doing exactly that.
• Brett highlights the digital footprint’s permanence:

  “Let this be a lesson... Whatever you put online, it will always be online.” — Brett [15:50]

5. More Men, More Mess: Keith Olbermann & the “Monsters”

[16:30–17:42]

• Lizza’s essay also outed Nuzzi’s prior relationship with Keith Olbermann, who financially supported her and was eerily involved.
  • Old Olbermann tweet to Nuzzi: “Stop normalizing fucking monsters in exchange for access, Olivia.” (Brett: “He was actually being serious.”)
• Nuzzi’s meta-musing on “monsters” in her book seems both prophetic and self-referential.

  “...Where monsters spoke to me, where I listened, where I found that... I knew the language of monsters...” — Olivia Nuzzi, quoted by Brett [17:25]

• Brett comments:

  “At this rate, I think we can all just acknowledge that her type of writing is just incredibly dramatic, repetitive metaphors. And you know what? I love it because it is so certifiably insane.” [17:33]

6. The Digital Footprint Gets Wilder: Pop Star “Jailbait”

[18:20–20:12]

• Further internet sleuthing reveals Nuzzi’s teenage attempt at pop stardom—under the stage name “Livy”—with a song called “Jailbait.”

  “Deny your attention but I’ve got no shame / 16 will get you 20 don’t even think about it, baby / ‘Cause I’m not your girlfriend... Jailbait, I'm jailbait...” — Lyrics from "Jailbait" [19:39]

• Brett revels in the absurdity, tying the song’s content to Nuzzi’s later relationships with much older men.
  • Nuzzi’s own MySpace description is read aloud for its over-the-top self-mythologizing (“Livy is the past. Livvy is the future. Livvy is now. And she is about to blow your mind.”) [20:12]

7. Internet Analysis & Public Judgment

[21:00–22:00]

• Commentators online distill Nuzzi’s saga to a reality-TV arc:

  "She has the psychological temperament of a messy reality show contestant who seeks fame. Not much more to it." — Brett quoting social media [21:45]

• A surprisingly “honorable” take:

  “She’s just an open social climber who will use her crotch to get what she wants without apology... An honorable gold digger.” — @FisherKing via Brett [21:57]

  • Brett quips, “Yeah, you know what? You’re right. The bar is on the floor.”
• But it gets darker: Nuzzi retaliated against Lizza post-breakup by filing police reports and seeking a court order, accusing him of orchestrating a smear campaign (which he denied, and which Nuzzi later withdrew). [22:30]

Notable Quotes

• Brett [01:50]:
  “I am far too acquainted with this woman. And after this episode, you will be as well.”
• Ryan Lizza via Brett [05:25]:
  “If I swallowed every drop of water from the tower above your house... I would still thirst for you.”
• Ryan Lizza via Brett [08:20]:
  “I looked at the date on her aborted letter to Mark… Olivia is sleeping with Mark Sanford. That's not Bobby.”
• Olivia Nuzzi (book excerpt) [12:15]:
  “I loved his brain. I hated the idea of an intruder therein... I loved the private ways he was mad...”
• Brett [15:50]:
  “Let this be a lesson... Whatever you put online, it will always be online.”
• Brett [17:33]:
  “At this rate, I think we can all just acknowledge that her type of writing is just incredibly dramatic, repetitive metaphors. And you know what? I love it because it is so certifiably insane.”

The Bigger Picture: What Does This Say About Media?

[24:15–end]

• Brett wraps up with a larger cultural critique:

  “This does feel like a bleak representation of our current media landscape. Like completely absorbed, completely out of touch, lacking in integrity and ethics and trust. Focused more on themselves and their subjects, even sexually, than the people that they are supposed to be informing and writing for.”

• The saga mirrors why public trust in journalism is “at an all-time low”: self-promotion, blurred personal/professional boundaries, and melodramatic chaos over public service.

Segment Timestamps

• [01:00] Introduction to Olivia Nuzzi and the scandal
• [04:00] Ryan Lizza’s Substack detailed
• [10:36] Media and public response; Nuzzi’s book excerpts dissected
• [14:00] Internet sleuths dig into Nuzzi’s past
• [16:30] Nuzzi/Olbermann relationship revealed
• [18:20] “Jailbait” song & archived popstar phase
• [21:00] Online commentary and Brett’s analysis
• [22:30] Legal fallout between Nuzzi and Lizza
• [24:15] Brett’s broader reflections on journalism

Tone & Style

The episode is breathless, irreverent, and often incredulous. Brett sustains a satirical, engaging tone—roasting Nuzzi’s literary pretensions, marveling at Internet sleuths, and tying every twist back to broader questions about values and generational chaos.

This episode is a whirlwind tour through scandal, digital culture, and journalistic ethics, delivered with both gossipy relish and pointed commentary—a must-hear (or at least, must-read about) for anyone following the collision of media, politics, and personal drama in the 2020s.