What is DMT? Olivia Nuzzi, who lost her job over alleged affair with RFK Jr., details the politician's supposed drug use in new memoir

Journalist Olivia Nuzzi stated in her upcoming memoir, American Canto, that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. allegedly used DMT despite claiming to be sober for years.

The full name of DMT is dimethyltryptamine. It is a hallucinogenic and psychedelic drug, and is found naturally in some plants and animals.

It is in the leaves, roots, and barks of Mimosa tenuiflora, Diplopterys cabrerana, and Psychotria viridis.

It is reported that the drug gives users a "near-death experience," with strong hallucinations. South American tribes have used it ritually and medicinally for centuries.

DMT is a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 in the US. The highly potent drug is illegal to make, buy, possess, or distribute.

Olivia Nuzzi started working at the publication The Daily Beast in 2014. She joined New York magazine as a Washington correspondent in 2017.

Nuzzi continued working there until 2024, when she admitted to being in an alleged romantic relationship with RFK Jr.

She claimed that they met when she was interviewing the politician for his profile story in November 2023.

RFK Jr. has been married to Cheryl Hines since 2014, and Nuzzi was engaged to another journalist at the time.

RFK Jr.'s spokesperson denied her claim, and Olivia Nuzzi was fired from New York magazine in October 2024.

According to the New York Times' November 14, 2025, profile of Nuzzi, her memoir American Canto was written by her while she was in "exile" for a year in her Los Angeles home after the scandal broke.

Olivia Nuzzi claimed that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. allegedly told her that he supposedly used DMT, while she admitted to using "uppers" like Adderall.

The profile stated that her memoir would shed light on the alleged affair from her point of view.

Olivia Nuzzi shared that she and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly never had a sexual encounter

According to the New York Times report, the journalist stated that she had a relationship with the politician via texts and calls, and that they never slept together. RFK Jr. supposedly said "I love you" to her numerous times, while she did not.

However, she claimed that she loved him as they shared the same language, skepticism, ideas, and beliefs.

Nuzzi shared that they reportedly had an "intimate" bond, and he seemingly told her that he could "take a bullet" for her and wanted to have a child with Olivia. RFK Jr. also reportedly wrote poetry for her.

She told the news outlet that she was uncertain how the news of her rumored affair was leaked to the press.

However, Olivia Nuzzi claimed that her ex-fiancé, Ryan Lizza, a fellow journalist, was allegedly involved somehow.

Last year, Olivia Nuzzi filed a protective order against him, accusing Ryan of reportedly trying to hack her devices in order to gain sensitive information so he could supposedly damage her reputation.

However, she canceled the order after a month and refused to provide any evidence to support her claims.

Meanwhile, RFK Jr. has not responded to Olivia Nuzzi's claims as of the time of writing.

Olivia was hired as an editor at Vanity Fair in September 2025. Her memoir, American Canto, is scheduled to be published on December 2, 2025.