How Long Gone 879. - Olivia Nuzzi
Dec 5, 2025
Olivia Nuzzi, West Coast Editor at Vanity Fair and author of American Canto, shares her insights on navigating the tumultuous landscape of Washington journalism during the Trump era. She discusses the personal impact of online criticism and the tribal nature of backlash, especially misogyny. Nuzzi reveals her thoughts on the art of storytelling and how public narratives shape perception. Diving into her sobriety and adrenaline-seeking adventures, she connects pop culture dynamics with political character studies, offering a fascinating look at modern media.
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Expect Noise When You Reappear
- Olivia expected intense backlash when she re-emerged after a hiatus and noted attempts to shout over her voice.
- She wrote American Canto to document a decade of reality-warping around Trump's rise, not to chase controversy.
Hide Names To Highlight Ideas
- Redacting names made Olivia's book feel timeless and less about gossip.
- She removed identifiers to let readers focus on philosophy and psychology instead of personalities.
Attention As The Ultimate Currency
- Olivia values readers' attention and aims to produce work that matters beyond ego.
- Her success metric is longevity: a book considered valuable decades from now.
