On second thought...

With all the publicity Rielle Hunter has netted in recent weeks, longtime GQ contributor Lisa DePaulo, who scored the first interview with the woman at the heart of the John Edwards love-child scandal, seemed well-positioned to weigh in on the drama.

But apparently GQ Editor-In-Chief Jim Nelson canned her some time ago because he said she was not fulfilling the word count under the terms of her contributing-writer contract.

DePaulo managed to persuade Edwards’ longtime mistress to forsake Graydon Carter’s Vanity Fair and give her the first sit-down interview to GQ. The piece made waves when it hit in April 2010, garnering DePaulo worldwide headlines and morning show appearances ranging from “Today” to “Good Morning America.”

GQ’s internal numbers at the time showed it generated over 800,000 in free media exposure worth an estimated $22 million. (The story got an extra bump when Rielle complained that the accompanying photos made her look trampy.)

Hunter had an affair with the failed Democratic presidential candidate while his wife Elizabeth was battling the cancer that eventually killed her. She recently wrote a memoir, “What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter, and Me” that put her back in the news — but not with DePaulo or GQ.

Neither Nelson nor a GQ spokesman returned calls.

DePaulo specialized in non-fashion gets for the Condé Nast men’s fashion bible. In January, GQ published her sit-down with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo — one of the few lengthy interviews he’s given since taking office and one of the last pieces she wrote for the magazine.

DePaulo played on both sides of the political aisle, earlier getting former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to give his first big interview after he was bumped by President George W. Bush.

She also did cover stories on celebs ranging from Matt Damon to 50 Cent.

DePaulo, who spent nine years at the title, currently teaches at New York University.

“She delivered major scoops,” said her friend, Sheila Weller, author of “Girls Like Us.” “She was upset, but I think ultimately there was a sense of relief about not having to be on the treadmill.

“But I think any editor who would release her from her contract is crazy. The industry has become so challenged.”

Reached by Media Ink, DePaulo said, “Nine years is a long time and I loved most of it.”

D-day

Today is the deadline for Sports Illustrated’s writers and editors to volunteer for a buyout package, as SI Group Editor Terry McDonell tries to shave an estimated $3 million in costs from the budget.