Dan Abrams Calls Out ‘Sexism’ in Treatment of RFK Jr. Versus Reporter Olivia Nuzzi Amid Scandal

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Dan Abrams argued the treatment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 70, versus reporter Olivia Nuzzi, 31, amid their relationship scandal shows real “sexism.”

Nuzzi said in a statement last week that she was placed on leave from New York Magazine after admitting to a “personal relationship” with Kennedy Jr. following her interviewing him for a profile piece. Nuzzi said the relationship never turned physical and reports have indicated there was “sexting” happening between the politician and reporter. Nuzzi was previously engaged and Kennedy is married to actress Cheryl Hines.

Abrams, the founder of Mediaite, argued on The Dan Abrams Show, which can be heard on SiriusXM, that if Kennedy and Nuzzi’s roles were reversed, the treatment would be completely different. Nuzzi is currently waiting to see what her employer will “do to her,” Abrams explained, while Kennedy is still out giving speeches and campaigning in favor of former President Donald Trump.

Abrams said:

It’s not a good look for her — but it’s also not a good look for him. He is married, he is 70, she’s 31. And I do think there is some — I do think that some of the reaction to her versus him is sexism. The reports are that she sent him, quote, “demure” nudes of herself. And now he’s trying to claim that they were unwanted. There is no way she is sending nudes of herself without him making it clear that this was going both ways, meaning he wanted them or whatever.

But more importantly, she’s sitting on the sidelines now waiting to hear what New York Magazine is going to do to her for violating journalistic ethics. Yeah, I mean, this is a seeming violation of journalistic ethics. But what about him? He’s sitting back out there making speeches, no one’s really asking him much about it.

If it had been a 70-year-old woman politician caught up in a similar scandal with a young man, there’d be more questions for the politician, Abrams added, questions he does not seem to be facing today.

Abrams continued:

Let’s flip it. A 70 year old female political leader, you name her, I gave the example of Gretchen Whitmer only because she’s a female who is considering a presidential run. Some incredibly prominent female political leader who is being talked about as a possible presidential candidate — Whitmer is 70. And a 31-year-old star reporter sent her some form of nude of himself, and he is on the sideline waiting to find out what’s going to happen to him. And she’s married. There is no way the press corps wouldn’t be all over that 70-year-old woman to find out what happened. “What did you say? What did you send to him?”

In the Kennedy situation, Abrams said, “it’s all” on the 31-year-old female reporter, rather than the 70-year-old male politician.

“That’s a combination of the fact that it seems journalists are held to a higher standard than politicians, and women are held to a higher standard than men. Period,” he said.