Who is Jenny Sanford? All about Mark Sanford's ex-wife as Olivia Nuzzi is accused of having an affair with former governor by ex-fiance Ryan Lizza

Former Politico reporter Ryan Lizza accused Olivia Nuzzi of having an affair with former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford. Lizza made these scandalous claims in a post that he wrote for his newsletter on November 17. The allegations popped up days before December 2, the scheduled date for Nuzzi's book release.

According to reports by People, Olivia Nuzzi did a profile of Mark Sanford back in 2019, when he challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. Lizza wrote,

"Olivia had just returned from a reporting trip—at least that's what she told me it was—and her Herschel backpack, the one with the flap that never quite closed properly, was tossed beside our bed, its contents scattered on the floor."

He further added,

"That's when I noticed the sheets of Kimpton Hotel stationery that would alter the course of our lives."

The controversy surrounding Mark Sanford brought attention to his former wife, Jenny Sanford, a former investment banker. Born in Winnetka, Illinois, in September 1962, Jenny reportedly came from a prominent family. After completing her graduation from Georgetown University, Jenny Sanford was working at Lazard Freres & Co. in New York.

Her official website describes her as a mother, author, and leader. According to the site, Jenny currently lives in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. She tied the knot with Mark Sanford in 1989, after meeting for the first time at a beach party. The former couple later welcomed four sons; however, the marriage did not last, and they got a divorce in 2010.

The divorce happened months after Mark admitted to having an affair with an Argentine woman. In 2018, Jenny Sanford got married to Andrew McKay, an investment banker from Louisville.

Olivia Nuzzi previously got involved in a separate scandal related to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

This was not the first time that Olivia Nuzzi's name was dragged in such a controversy. The New York Post reported that in 2023, Nuzzi wrote an article about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and an emotionally charged affair started between them. According to the latest post by Ryan Lizza, he broke the engagement with Nuzzi after learning about the affair.

Nuzzi even ended up losing her job at New York magazine last year after disclosing her alleged affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Her upcoming book, American Canto, reportedly involves her side of the story of the massive scandal. According to an article by The New York Times, the alleged affair began when she interviewed Kennedy for a long-term feature that was later published in November 2023.

In the book, Olivia Nuzzi claimed that it was Kennedy who said "I love you" first and that he would lovingly call her "Livvy." According to The Times, Nuzzi and Kennedy had a "common language, common skepticisms, common ideas about what was beautiful, and common beliefs about what was valuable." It was unclear as to how the alleged affair went public.

In her book, Olivia Nuzzi further wrote that they had shared personal aspects of their respective lives. According to her, Kennedy too admitted to using psychedelics. The Times reported that during this time, Nuzzi admitted to liking "uppers." She further told The Times that she was no longer in contact with Kennedy and that it had been a year since they last spoke.

As of now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not issued any response in connection to the alleged scandal. However, Kennedy's spokesperson claimed in the past that Kennedy had met Nuzzi only once during an interview.