4 Wild Rumors About Karoline Leavitt's Strange Age-Gap Marriage

Karoline Leavitt's major age gap with her husband Nicholas Riccio has been put on blast quite a few times. It's not difficult to see why it's such a hot topic, however. Leavitt is 32 years younger than Riccio, making their age gap older than even Leavitt was when the pair first got together. Because of this, critics and supporters alike can't help but wonder how the relationship works. It doesn't help that Leavitt isn't all that forthcoming about her life with Riccio, either. 

From what she's shared, Leavitt and Riccio met while she was running for New Hampshire's first congressional district against Chris Pappas. "A mutual friend of ours hosted an event at a restaurant that he owns up in New Hampshire, and invited my husband. I was speaking and we met, we were acquainted as friends, and we fell in love," Leavitt once revealed on "The Megyn Kelly Show." 

Leavitt added that the staggering age difference between them did give her pause, but apparently, the two had fancied each other too much for it to matter. However, Leavitt has been pretty mum on the details about her marriage since her conversation with Kelly. Despite her increased presence in the spotlight after becoming White House press secretary, Riccio's own public appearances seem to have only gotten rarer. With Leavitt seemingly trying to keep her personal life under wraps, it's unlikely that she'll ever address these wild rumors plaguing her relationship.

Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio are just one of many political couples with massive age gaps. When the gap is particularly significant in these kinds of relationships, it's not uncommon for accusations of grooming to emerge. This has been the case with Leavitt, who quite a few believe might've been groomed by her husband when they first met. "Seems like more daddy issues from MAGA. Also, not 100% sure it is, but this sure has at all the indicators of grooming," one user posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "He groomed her when she was younger and now she married him. Super creepy," another user commented on Reddit. 

One Redditor didn't rule out the possibility of Leavitt being groomed, but they needed more information before they arrived at a conclusion. "Typically people get to know each other before marrying. If they went to the same church then there are chances that this could be a case of grooming," they posted. Leavitt only revealing surface-level details about her and her husband's first meeting has seemingly helped fuel the rumors a bit. However, the problem with the theory is that Leavitt wasn't exactly a child when she and Riccio first crossed paths. Since they met back in 2022, Leavitt would've been around 25 years old when she laid eyes on her life partner.

Karoline Leavitt might've been more interested in her husband's money than his heart if these rumors are to be believed. Although Leavitt had yet to leave an impression in the world of politics, her husband Nicholas Riccio was already well-established and successful by the time they became friends. Riccio is a real estate developer and the owner of Riccio Enterprises LLC. While being the White House press secretary is certainly a lucrative gig, it pales in comparison to Riccio's $6 million net worth. And since Leavitt wasn't even making press secretary money yet when she first started dating Riccio, who'd already been a millionaire, we can understand why many might believe she was financially motivated to marry her husband.

What might add more fire to the gossip, however, was that Riccio reportedly helped fund Leavitt's campaign when she ran for New Hampshire's first congressional district. Riccio was revealed to be a member of her finance committee while she pursued a spot in Congress. There are even reports claiming that she might actually owe Riccio $2,000 for his financial contributions toward her campaign. Of course, the reports don't prove that Leavitt had dollar signs instead of hearts in her eyes when Riccio charmed her, but they certainly give the rumor mill more material.

The times Karoline Leavitt dresses way older than she looks have seemingly become more frequent and noticeable since President Donald Trump included her in his administration. Leavitt may be trying to overcompensate for her age with her wardrobe, and trying to appear older than she is, so she doesn't come off as too young next to her much older contemporaries. If that's the case, Leavitt's strategy might be working. A few posters on Reddit were surprised to hear what Leavitt's real age was while a member of the Trump administration. "She is 27? She looks 40," the commenter said.

In response, another Redditor blamed her husband Nicholas Riccio for Leavitt's downgraded fashion. "That's because she dresses and does her hair like an older woman because her husband and everyone she works for are pushing 60+. She couldn't possibly try to look her age because then she wouldn't fit in," they said. However, to add on to that theory, we also wonder if Leavitt's style is an attempt to better conceal the age difference between her and her husband, especially since, thanks to Leavitt's wardrobe, at least one other Redditor couldn't tell how much younger she was than her husband when looking at a picture of them. "Yeah in that picture they look pretty well-matched, I wouldn't have clocked an age gap at all," they said.

From what little she's said of her marriage, Karoline Leavitt has reassured that Nicholas Riccio couldn't have been prouder and more supportive of her career, but that might not be the case forever. There's a risk that Leavitt and Riccio might develop two different priorities in their lives thanks to both their careers and their ages. While Leavitt embraces the attention that comes with being a notable political figure, her husband may prefer a much quieter lifestyle. Leavitt alluded to as much when she once admitted that her husband wasn't nearly as outgoing as she was, and was an introvert at heart who didn't even use social media.

Additionally, a relationship expert cautioned that Leavitt's political ambitions could cause a rift between the power couple. "For example, as Karoline continues to build her career, her husband may be entering a phase where he wants to slow down, travel more, or focus on different priorities. If their goals and expectations aren't continuously discussed and aligned, this could create tension," Louella Anderson once told The Mirror. With all the red flags in Leavitt's marriage with Riccio, which include their ages and apparently completely opposite personalities, we just can't ignore the rumors that their marriage just isn't built to last. One user on Reddit even gave a bleak prediction for how their relationship might come to an end. "In 4 years she will take half his money and dump him after trump is out of office," they said.