We Turned Karoline Leavitt Into A Brunette & Accidentally Fixed Her Age Gap Marriage Problem
Karoline Leavitt has accomplished a lot in her 27 years: She's the youngest White House press secretary, she's a mom, and she's in one of the biggest age gap relationships in the political world. Although she and Nicholas Riccio haven't been together long — they met in 2022, got engaged in 2023, welcomed a son in 2024, and married in 2025 — their relationship is constantly discussed. Even late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel poked fun at Leavitt's 32-year age gap. You know it has to be a big deal if it's on a celebrity host's radar.
Whenever the New Hampshire native posts a photo on Instagram of her with Riccio, trolls quickly flood the comments, asking things like if that's her dad or grandfather. Yikes. It doesn't help that her parents are closer in age to Riccio. Despite knowing what will happen, Leavitt keeps accidentally putting her major age gap on blast.
We wondered if maybe a hair change would make a difference when it comes to how Leavitt and Riccio look together. She finally changed up her grandma 'fits for something that looks more Gen Z, less Boomer. Maybe tweaking her hair might help age her so she doesn't look so young next to her husband — and we were right.
The darker hair works in her favor
Wanting to see what Karoline Leavitt would look like as a brunette, The List photoshopped a snapshot of the White House press secretary. Lo and behold, it does make a difference! She definitely looks older — just not Gen X- or Boomer-level old. Darker hair ages her about 5-10 years, which isn't a ton, but it helps get her closer to Nicholas Riccio's age.
The brown hair also compliments her darker eyebrows much better than her blonde hair does. If Leavitt is tired of people constantly trolling her marriage, maybe making a hair color change could help get some of the negative commenters off her back.
The hue alteration is giving off major teacher vibes for some reason, like she's channeling Miss Honey from "Matilda." Of course, Leavitt has never come across as the quiet and sweet type that the fictional teacher did, considering how there are numerous Hollywood stars who don't like her. Leavitt has also entered into an ugly feud with CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins, so she's not afraid to speak her mind and push back.