Times Karoline Leavitt Accidentally Put Major Age Gap With Her Husband On Blast

There are many quirks about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. For starters, Leavitt's sense of fashion hails from a bygone era, sending mixed messages about her age and ability to find clothes from the current century. Then there's the curious case of Leavitt's much older husband Nicholas Riccio, as while the couple claims that they're a happy family after welcoming their son Niko Riccio, the general public is not as convinced. Considering that Leavitt and Nicholas have a larger age gap than Donald Trump and Melania Trump, whenever Leavitt posts a photo of her husband, many are left wondering if he's her father.

This may have led to Leavitt avoiding posting photos of her husband — Nicholas was mysteriously absent from her Valentine's Day post. It can be dire straits to publicly share images of her personal life, but it does seem that Leavitt is proud to be a mom. This pride has led her to reveal a few behind-the-scenes snaps of her life with Niko and Nicholas, although it does open the door for some repetitive criticism. Here are five times Leavitt accidentally put her major age gap with husband Nicholas on blast by posting photos of them together as a family.

In an August 2024 post on Instagram, Karoline Leavitt and husband Nicholas Riccio are seen lovingly gazing at their new son Niko Riccio. Captioning the post, "My family. My world," Leavitt was most likely not prepared for the deluge of comments all saying the same thing. While one commenter almost seemed to genuinely ask, "Grandfather of the baby?", many more appeared certain Nicholas was not the grandfather, but still wanted to poke the bear anyway. "Awwww, Grandpa holding his grandson is precious," posted one user. "That's so [sweet] grandpa holding the baby," said another. Of course, the age gap between Leavitt and Nicholas isn't the only red flag in their relationship — there's also Leavitt's choice to crop her husband's face out of the photo. 

"The way you cut his face," one commenter noted. Not only does slicing Nicholas's face off at the forehead potentially make him look younger, it also draws the eye straight towards Leavitt, making it clear she wants to be the center of attention here. Plus, Leavitt is showing off her garishly expensive wedding ring — perhaps to remind the public that she and Nicholas are, in fact, married. The duo waited until after little Niko was born to tie the knot, which is a bold choice for a couple touting family values any chance they get. Speaking of nuptials, the public noticed the same strange things when Nicholas and Leavitt attended a wedding a few weeks later.

According to Karoline Leavitt's Instagram post, she and husband Nicholas Riccio attended the "Best. Wedding. Ever." Apparently it was the wedding for Leavitt's older brother, which might have been awkward for Leavitt's parents as they're closer in age to Riccio — something the online masses certainly took note of. "Your dad looks so proud in that first photo," wrote one commenter. "Is that her father?" questioned another. Unwilling to let the grandpa jokes go, another posted, "I'm sure he's excited to have a new grandchild to dote on!"

While there are some tragic details about Riccio, one of the ongoing upsets is that he simply can't avoid the jokes around their strange age gap. At 32 years Leavitt's senior, Riccio has an uphill battle against online bullies, especially ones that are possibly avoiding having their comments removed by making their posts appear supportive of the duo. Comments like, "What a proud grandfather! I'm also a proud grandparent. Congrats," are flying under the radar while also proving a point that's simply not going away.

On March 25, 2025, Karoline Leavitt took to Instagram to brag about her family. Captioning the post, "Visiting mama at work," it appears as if Leavitt was trying to present the picture-perfect ideal of having her husband, Nicholas Riccio, bring their son Niko Riccio to tour the White House. However, Leavitt's family snap had people repeating the same sentiment once again. Among the varied comments of congratulations, there was a separate throughline that should be all too easy to guess by now.

In regard to the above picture, one commenter wrote, "you look beautiful but grandpa is more fashionable." This could possibly serve as a multi-layered dig; not only does it bring up the age gap between them, but it also points out how Leavitt's MAGA makeover has many criticizing her strange sense of style. Plus, with Nicholas being of a different generation, the commenter could also have been making a sly jab at the navy blue pinstripe suit he has on — he feels very reminiscent of the old man from those haunted Six Flags commercials. Not the most up-to-date fashion for either Nicholas or Leavitt.

The 2025 White House Easter Egg Roll was an event for the ages — there was the updated bunny suit, Melania Trump and Donald Trump refusing to hold hands, and Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio putting their age gap on full display. Leavitt and Riccio once again paraded their infant son out in front of the masses in a move that felt more spectacle than family-oriented. Leavitt was clearly in full work mode, on the phone while Riccio played the role of a man doing his best to push a stroller. By the time Leavitt posted about the event on Instagram, it seemed as if everyone was ready to dunk on her and her much older husband.

While Leavitt's caption said that the White House Easter Egg Roll was "A tradition unlike any other," the comments that followed certainly had a familiar ring to them. "The tradition of bringing your dad and baby to the... oh wait, that's your husband," read one. Another at least tried to sound nice by writing, "Aw great photo with grandpop and baby!" Another simply screamed, "Grandpa!" As much as Leavitt is trying to appear like a modern married woman, it seems the general public is not quite ready to fall for it.

In a May 4, 2025, post to Instagram, Karoline Leavitt was trying to put her luxurious life on full display, and it once again backfired. Titling the post "Weekends in Palm Beach," the carousel of photos shows snaps of Leavitt and husband Nicholas Riccio doting on their son while soaking up some sun. Similar to the time Leavitt posted about a date night with Riccio, this post seemed to have the aura of trying to present to the world that they are, in fact, a fun and cool couple. However, that ultimately had some blowback as not only did the age gap come into play in the comment section, but this time it had a twist.

Amidst the typical, "Why [you] married to a grandpa," comments was one lone question — "Why [do] you look 40??" asked one user. While she has never admitted to plastic surgery, throwback photos of Leavitt in college are nearly unrecognizable. Considering that college was not even a decade ago for the press secretary, undergoing such a major transformation is a bit jarring. It could be that Leavitt is trying to appear older to better fit in alongside Riccio. It could also be that she simply started using preventative maintenance — like Botox — at too young an age. While it is mildly suggested to start using Botox as early as someone's late 20s, the most popular age for this age-preserving procedure is closer to midlife. Hopefully, Leavitt can find time to remember she's still in her 20s, even if she's constantly on blast for her much older husband.