Ryan Lizza | |
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 Lizza inKelly Writers House on March 27, 2013 | |
| Born | Ryan Christopher Lizza (1974-07-12)July 12, 1974 (age 51) Dix Hills, New York, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) |
| Occupation | Political journalist |
| Notable credits |
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| Spouse | Christina Gillespie |
| Partner | Olivia Nuzzi (engaged 2022–2024) |
| Children | 2 |
Ryan Christopher Lizza[1] (/ˈlɪzə/LIZ-zə; born July 12, 1974) is an American journalist. His 2017 interview with White House Communications DirectorAnthony Scaramucci resulted in Scaramucci's dismissal.[2] He was a senior political analyst forCNN[3] and formerly the chief Washington correspondent forPolitico. In 2025, he launched his independent publication on theSubstack platform,Telos.
In late 2017, Lizza was accused of sexual misconduct in the context of theMe Too movement.[4] After a decade-long run asThe New Yorker's Washington correspondent,[5] the magazine's internal review of theallegation against Lizza led to his dismissal.[6] However, in light of their own investigations, several other media organizations including CNN,Politico, andRolling Stone declined to terminate or bar Lizza from employment.[7][8]
Lizza attended theBerkshire School,[9] a private co-educational boarding school in the town ofSheffield, Massachusetts, and received his bachelor's degree from theUniversity of California, Berkeley.[10]
Lizza started his career at theCenter for Investigative Reporting inSan Francisco, where he worked on theEmmy Award-winningFrontlinedocumentaryHot Guns.[11][12] In 1998, he joinedThe New Republic, where he became senior editor. From 1998 to 2007, Lizza covered PresidentBill Clinton'simpeachment, theFlorida recount in the 2000 presidential election, theGeorge W. Bush administration, and the2004 presidential election. In 2004, he also wrote about politics forThe Atlantic, including one of the first national magazine profiles ofBarack Obama.[13] From 2004 to 2006, Lizza was a contributing editor forNew York magazine,[14] where he wrote about national politics. In 2006 and 2007, Lizza was also a correspondent forGQ.[15] From 2002 to 2007, Lizza regularly contributed toThe New York Times.[16]
In 2004,The Washington Post described Lizza as part of the latest "crop of younger journalists who grab the attention of the media establishment through dogged reporting, sparkling writing or provocative analysis."[17]
In 2007, Lizza became the Washington correspondent forThe New Yorker, where he covered the White House, three presidential elections (2008, 2012, and 2016), the administrations ofGeorge W. Bush,Barack Obama, andDonald Trump, and wrote the magazine's "Letter From Washington" column.[18] Lizza covered the2008 U.S. presidential election forThe New Yorker, and wrote an extended profile of Obama's career in Illinois politics.[19] During the campaign, a cartoon in theNew Yorker allegedly caused the Obama campaign to exclude Lizza from Obama's campaign plane, with a lack of space cited as the reason.[20] In 2017, Lizza was fired fromThe New Yorker in relation to anallegation of sexual harassment.[6]
On December 17, 2018,Publishers Marketplace reported that Lizza andOlivia Nuzzi, the Washington correspondent forNew York magazine, were writing a "coauthored account of the 2020 presidential campaign" for Avid Reader Press, an imprint ofSimon & Schuster.[21][22]
On August 30, 2019, in a note to staff, Carrie Budoff Brown,Politico’s editor, and Matthew Kaminski,Politico’s Editor-in-Chief, announced that Lizza was joiningPolitico as Chief Washington Correspondent.[23]
Lizza leftPolitico in 2025 to launch his ownSubstack publication,Telos.[24]
On December 11, 2017,The New Yorker fired Lizza, saying that he engaged in "improper sexual conduct".[6] Lizza calledThe New Yorker's characterization a "terrible mistake" that had been "made hastily and without a full investigation of the relevant facts".[6] The alleged victim supported the magazine's version of the events; in a statement, her attorney,Douglas Wigdor, said, "[I]n no way did Mr. Lizza’s misconduct constitute a 'respectful relationship' as he has now tried to characterize it."[25][6]
Lizza was temporarily suspended by CNN pending an investigation; six weeks later, the network announced that its "extensive investigation" had yielded "no reason to continue to keep Mr. Lizza off the air".[26]Politico,Rolling Stone, and other media organizations were later said to have reached similar conclusions during their investigations, determining not to bar Lizza from employment.[7][8][25]
In 2008, Lizza was a finalist for the National Magazine Award for Reporting, which "honors the enterprise, exclusive reporting, and intelligent analysis that a magazine exhibits in covering an event, a situation, or a problem of contemporary interest and significance".[27]
In June 2009,The Washingtonian included Lizza on its list of Washington's "50 Top Journalists" and described him as a writer who "change[s] the way readers see the world".[28] That same year, his profile of President Barack Obama was nominated for aNational Magazine Award.[29]
In 2011, Lizza received an Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting on Congress Honorable Mention[30] and Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting Honorable Mention[31] for his reporting on Congress's failed attempt to pass climate legislation.[32]
In 2012, Lizza won the Edwin M. Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence "for his coverage of the U.S. foreign policy battles during the 'Arab Spring.'"[33]
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On April 27, 2013, theWhite House Correspondents' Association presented Lizza with theAldo Beckman Award for Journalistic Excellence "for his remarkable efforts to provide an independent perspective on President Barack Obama's presidency and re-election."[34]
In 2015, Lizza was a finalist for the Newhouse School Mirror Award competition honoring excellence in media industry reporting (Best Single Article, Digital Media).[35]
Lizza's writing was included in the 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 editions ofThe Best American Political Writing.[36]
Lizza is a resident ofWashington, D.C. Formerly, he was married to Christina Gillespie, a doctor.[37] He has two children.
In September 2022, Lizza became engaged toNew York magazine correspondentOlivia Nuzzi.[38] On September 20, 2024, he confirmed that they were no longer engaged. The breakup of the engagement was rumored online as due to her affair on the campaign trail with former presidential candidateRobert F. Kennedy Jr.[39] To avoid any implication of bias or conflict of interest, Lizza suspended coverage of Kennedy Jr. in response to the sensational reports regarding the alleged Nuzzi affair with the candidate.[40][41]
In November 2025, Lizza began publishing personal accounts about how he learned of Nuzzi's affair with Kennedy, and alleged that Nuzzi had also had an affair with Republican presidential candidateMark Sanford. Lizza's highly stylized account and his use of apaywall earned him widespread criticism for sensationalizing and exploiting his breakup for personal gain.[42]
Ryan Lizza is one of 262 celebrities, politicians, CEOs, and others who have been accused of sexual misconduct since April 2017(tying Lizza to the Me Too movement).
Lizza has denied the allegation and investigations into Lizza's conduct by CNN, Politico and other media companies determined there was no reason to keep Lizza off the air or bar him from employment.
Last month, Penske called a meeting with Rolling Stone's female editorial staff ... Concerns were raised about how it would be perceived if Lizza were to work at Rolling Stone, and whether Lizza was ultimately a good fit... But after Lizza was cleared by CNN, and Rolling Stone had conducted its own due diligence, the editors moved forward with freelance assignments, as originally planned.
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