Nuzzing to see here: Chris Licht, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CNN Worldwide, Olivia Nuzzi, and Ryan Lizza attend Cafe Milano's 30th Anniversary Party on November 11, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Haddad Media)
Welcome to the latest edition of Breaker. If this email has been forwarded, you can subscribe here and send your questions and complaints here. If you have a tip contact the 24/7 Breaker Tip Hotline via text or Signal # 551 655 2343. Anonymity guaranteed!
In tonight’s edition, it is the yarn that won’t die. The back story behind the Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza split has entered its final phase with the latest drop from Lizza’s Telos News, a 5000-word dispatch outlining efforts to mitigate Status’ RFK Jnr scoop. We reveal the latest updates from both parties and preview what’s to come. The good news is there are three parts left in the series before we can finally, FINALLY, put this one to bed.
Also tonight, in a bit of light horseplay, we reveal why one star New York Times journalist had to disclose to bosses they couldn’t cover a prominent person. Why? Because of an exchange involving a 7-year-old chestnut Belgian Warmblood horse named Lion.
It’s Thursday, which means Journo Jobs is back. Tonight, we have gigs at The Information, New York Magazine, WABC-TV, Condé Nast, Fox News, and Business Insider.
Finally, some shameless self-promotion. We joined media guru Peter Kafka on his Channels podcast this week to chinwag about being a tabloid hack, creating Breaker, and some underreported storylines to keep an eye on in 2026. You can listen here. We were also asked by Nieman Lab for our 2026 journalism prediction, which you can read here.
Mentioned tonight: Joe Kahn, Bari Weiss, Nellie Bowles, Graydon Carter, Stella Bugbee, David Rubenstein, Colman Domingo, Meredith Marks, Carole Radziwill, Emily Sundberg, Emily Davis, Ron Chernow, Laurence Milstein, Harrison Vail, Risa Heller, Sandra Bernhard, Carolyn Ryan, David Haskell, Sam Hine, Alex Vadukul, Jeremy Peters, Sydney Lemmon, Sarah Harrelson, Brock Colyar, Darren Walker, Katie Robertson, Michael Grynbaum, Carl Swanson, Chris Fisher, Orson Fry, Patrick Lenihan, Kaitlin Phillips, Megan Twohey, Kara Voght, David Bauder, Mark Stenberg, Brian Glenn, Michael Savage, Charlotte Tobitt, Caroline Waterston, Dan Friedman, Bob Iger, Jann Wenner, Jimmy Finkelstein, Richard Rushfield, Howard Polskin, Nicole Scherzinger, and more.
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Nuzzigate
(Exclusive.) It’s the story that has had the media world transfixed for weeks. The Olivia Nuzzi/Ryan Lizza saga was brought back to life on Wednesday with the latest installment from Lizza’s Substack newsletter Telos (pronounced Tell-Us – get it?) News.
Part five, which was a 5,000-word dispatch, detailed behind-the-scenes moves made by Nuzzi and associates, including her CAA agent, Rachel Adler, and former CNN comms chief, Matt Dornic. According to the dispatch, the three were in a race against time as Status’ Oliver Darcy worked to break the news that Nuzzi was under investigation at New York Magazine following a digital affair with RFK Junior (a subject she had profiled in the magazine).
Breaker has learned the series is approaching 2 million views on Substack, and Telos is now 30th placed on Substack’s bestseller list for politics. Meanwhile, Nuzzi’s book “American Canto” sold just 1,165 print copies during the first week of its release, according to Bookscan.
“Despite an unprecedented and vengeful harassment campaign aimed solely at ruining the book’s release, the book sold well over 3200 copies, which is a respectable first week for a first-time author, especially given basically no pre-sale window,” a person familiar with the situation told us.
Breaker can reveal part six of Telos’ series, which is also 5000 words and titled…
Horses For Courses
(Exclusive.) A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse, of course. But you can own one. And if you're former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, you can buy one from a New York Times reporter. Of course, of course.
In 2022, Sarah Maslin Nir, author of the books “Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love With an Animal” and the children’s series of novels, “Once Upon a Horse,” sold her equine to Quinn via her trainer.
“I sold one of my horses, Halcyon, aka Lion, a 7-year-old chestnut Belgian Warmblood, to Christine Quinn, the former New York City Council Speaker and mayoral candidate, whom, coincidentally, I had actually written about for the New York Times years before!” Nir told Sidelines magazine, whose catchline is “For Horse People, About Horse People.” If there’s any confusion about Nir’s passion for horses, her New York Times bio declares, “I love horses.” Of course, of course.
In fact, Nir’s most recent bylines for The Gray Lady are keeping to the theme, headlined “Some Horse Breeds Are Near Extinction. These People Are Trying to Save Them,” and “A Rule Disqualified Equestrians Who Bloodied Their Horses. Top Riders Fought It.”
Quinn is now a high-profile homelessness advocate and President & Chief Executive Officer at WIN, “the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing for NYC's homeless families,” according to their website. In 2023, Nir introduced Quinn at a GallopNYC event where she was being honored.
But showing she isn’t horsing around when Nir…
Janice Min on The Breaker Pod: WBD/Netflix/PSKY, working for Jann Wenner & Jimmy Finkelstein, and The Future of Hollywood
(Exclusive.) No one knows Hollywood quite like Janice Min. The former editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter and editor-in-chief of Us Weekly now runs Ankler Media, the Town’s must-read newsletter that was started by Richard Rushfield.
So with the Netflix/WBD/PSKY deal-palooza in full flight, it was lucky timing from the newsgods that Min was in New York for a flying visit from Los Angeles and joined The Breaker Pod.
From Fish Cheeks in Noho (cheers to the owner Jenn Saesue for inviting us down), we chinwagged about Netflix’s $83 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. (the pod was recorded before Paramount made its hostile bid Monday morning).
In this unmissable episode, we also discussed Disney succession, Bob Iger’s legacy, what it was like to work for Jann Wenner and Jimmy Finkelstein, AI in Hollywood, and The California Post.
Catch more in this week's episode of The Breaker Pod. Make sure you check us out and subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your pods.