The View’s Fake Conservative Defends Floozy Lib Journo Olivia Nuzzi

As she did just over a year ago, Alyssa Farah Griffin, the faux conservative for ABC’s The View, came to the defense of Vanity Fair editor Olivia Nuzzi, the liberal journalist who cheated on her then-fiancé Ryan Lizza with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. During Thursday’s episode, Farah Griffin proclaimed floozy Nuzzi was “one of the best writers of my generation” and hoped she “will come forward and defend herself” from new allegations of sleeping with another politician and a former MSNBC host.

Near the top of the segment, moderator Joy Behar was perplexed that people had a problem with a journalist having affairs and sleeping with their sources: “And her ex-fiance, who’s also a political reporter, is writing a blog claiming that she had an affair with yet another politician. Okay. (…) So, what's wrong with that?”

“The problem is that's unethical under journalism standings,” co-host Sunny Hostin had to explain to her. “I mean you can’t sleep with a source because there's an immediate conflict of interest in your reporting. And she gave glowing reports – She wrote glowing reports about the two men that she allegedly had affairs with.”

Apparently tired of hearing Hostin list off Nuzzi’s transgressions, Farah Griffin interjected to defend and glaze her friend:

FARAH GRIFFIN: If I could mention; I said before when this came up, I've been friendly with Olivier over the years and I want to give her the credibility of this. She's one of the best writers of my generation. She wrote for New York magazine. She wrote –

HOSTIN: Why is she having affairs with the subjects of her –

FARAH GRIFFIN: I'll get there. I remain frustrated that when this story comes up there are so many calls for her to be held accountable, her being dragged, and RFK Jr., who allegedly participated in this gets off scot-free and is in the cabinet. That bothers me.

 

 

She went on to blame “society” and men for Nuzzi choosing to cheat and sleep around. “I think it's society's [fault],” she argued. At one point, she seemed to try to paint Nuzzi, a consenting grown adult who chose her actions to advance her career, as a victim: “The man had more power. He was 30 years older than her.”

Farah Griffin did admit that Nuzzi’s actions harmed journalism. “But I think journalism matters more than ever and when you break ethical boundaries, I think that makes people lose trust in the media,” she said. “[P]eople don't trust the media because of things like this.”

But, she pivoted to trying to wash Nuzzi’s hands of responsibility and blame the news media industry:

But I also think this is a by-product of what's happening in journalism right now. A lot of it, like, great journalists are getting laid off left and right. It’s hard to be able to pay people for good journalism. And a lot of executives frankly are telling people your personal brand, how many Twitter followers you have, your Instagram matters more than anything.

So, I think in many ways she's sort of a by-product of the moment we're in in the country, not -- it's not like something -- I just think there's so much focus on her uniquely in it rather than what does it say more about society at the moment.

 

 

While further admitting the “alleged RFK situation was inappropriate,” Farah Griffin hoped Nuzzi could bounce back. “But I think you can come back from one mistake. I don't think that should ruin your entire career. What makes me nervous about the story it sounds like there may have been other situations. And I just hope if that's untrue she will come forward and defend herself,” she said.

Nuzzi already had parlayed her journalistic malpractice into a new editor position (which Hostin accurately called into question) and a new book. The only person harmed in this was Lizza.

The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:

ABC’s The View
November 20, 2025
11:17:13 a.m. Eastern

(…)

JOY BEHAR: And her ex-fiance, who’s also a political reporter, is writing a blog claiming that she had an affair with yet another politician. Okay.

SUNNY HOSTIN: That she wrote about. She was a journalist working a story and she slept with both of the people she was profiling.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Allegedly.

HOSTIN: Allegedly.

[Laughter]

BEHAR: Yeah, well. So, what's wrong with that?

HOSTIN: The problem is that's unethical under journalism standings. Right? I mean you can’t sleep with a source because there's an immediate conflict of interest in your reporting. And she gave glowing reports – She wrote glowing reports about the two men that she allegedly had affairs with.

BEHAR: So, one of them was RFK, right?

HOSTIN: Well, apparently it was an emotional affair because it was just --

SARA HAINES: Someone with a worm. We don't name-names. We don’t know.

HOSTIN: Text message affair.

BEHAR: Is she vaccinated because that's the end of that relationship?

[Laughter]

FARAH GRIFFIN: If I could mention; I said before when this came up, I've been friendly with Olivier over the years and I want to give her the credibility of this. She's one of the best writers of my generation. She wrote for New York magazine. She wrote –

HOSTIN: Why is she having affairs with the subjects of her –

FARAH GRIFFIN: I'll get there. I remain frustrated that when this story comes up there are so many calls for her to be held accountable, her being dragged, and RFK Jr., who allegedly participated in this gets off scot-free and is in the cabinet. That bothers me. But do feel strongly. I think that -

BEHAR: Now, whose fault is that?

FARAH GRIFFIN: I think it's society's. I think that society needs to call for men –

HOSTIN: RFK Jr. has denied it though. He said there was no affair.

[Crosstalk]

HAINES: It might have been another man with a worm

FARAH GRIFFIN: The man had more power. He was 30 years older than her.

[Crosstalk]

BEHAR: One at a time. One at a time.

FARAH GRIFFIN: But I think journalism matters more than ever and when you break ethical boundaries, I think that makes people lose trust in the media.

HOSTIN: It does.

FARAH GRIFFIN: I think that part of the moment we're in, is people don't trust the media because of things like this.

But I also think this is a by-product of what's happening in journalism right now. A lot of it, like, great journalists are getting laid off left and right. It’s hard to be able to pay people for good journalism. And a lot of executives frankly are telling people your personal brand, how many Twitter followers you have, your Instagram matters more than anything.

So, I think in many ways she's sort of a by-product of the moment we're in in the country, not -- it's not like something -- I just think there's so much focus on her uniquely in it rather than what does it say more about society at the moment.

(…)

11:22:24 a.m. Eastern

FARAH GRIFFIN: But listen! I think the RFK situation, the alleged RFK situation was inappropriate. I would have never engaged. I don't think women in journalism should. But I think you can come back from one mistake. I don't think that should ruin your entire career. What makes me nervous about the story it sounds like there may have been other situations.

HOSTIN: Yes.

FARAH GRIFFIN: And I just hope if that's untrue she will come forward and defend herself.

HOSTIN: Yes. I hope she does.

FARAH GRIFFIN: Because like I said, she is tremendously talented and I think that would really help her.

BEHAR: Meanwhile she gets the bad name and these guys just walk away. As usual!

(…)