White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, 28, gave fans a rare glimpse into her Thanksgiving celebrations with husband Nicholas Riccio, 60, and their baby son
Karoline Leavitt was previously shamed online for sharing a seemingly edited photo of her husband(Image: Copyright (c) 2025 Shutterstock)
Karoline Leavitt was eager to share a glimpse into her 2025 Thanksgiving celebration, posting several photos to social media, including an unedited one of her husband, Nicholas Riccio.
The image, posted to her Instagram story on Thursday, November 27, captured Riccio wearing a plaid shirt as he carved a perfectly roasted Thanksgiving turkey sitting in a disposable roasting pan on a brown granite counter. The caption read, “My handsome hubs cuttin the [turkey emoji]!!!”
The post provided a rare glimpse into Leavitt‘s personal life, highlighting her 60-year-old husband, who typically shies away from the public spotlight. One photo displayed the couple’s holiday feast, featuring green beans, mashed potatoes, mini crescents, mac and cheese and, naturally, turkey.
READ MORE: Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade fans fume as they all accuse Busta Rhymes of the same thingREAD MORE: Donald Trump Jr’s ex Kimberly Guilfoyle baffles with transparent dress at formal event
Another photo showed Leavitt placing the turkey in the oven, captioned, “The bird is in the oven… Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!” with a third picture revealing a chandelier-illuminated dining table, arranged with Thanksgiving-themed placemats and plates, reports the Mirror US.
The images come weeks after Leavitt was mocked for “editing” a photo of her husband. After she shared pictures from her Halloween celebrations, Instagram users couldn’t help but notice Riccio’s skin looked awfully smooth.
Karoline Leavitt shared an unedited image of her husband, Nicholas Riccio, to Instagram
“The airbrushing of your hub’s face to make him appear younger was the trick,” one user commented under the post, as another chimed in by saying, “Karoline, Awesome picture, but my friends noticed something: The guy on the left seems to have only his face photoshopped. His hands look like 60+ years old. What happened?”
A third person then penned, “Why does her husband look 50 but she only 28 yrs old,” with a fourth pointing out, “Man that smoothing filter on her old man’s forehead working overtime.”
Karoline Leavitt was mocked for sharing his image of her ‘airbrushed’ husband(Image: karolineleavitt/Instagram)
Leavitt, 28, has previously acknowledged that their 32-year age difference is uncommon, but emphasized it doesn’t impact their relationship. “It is very unusual,” she said during a recent appearance on Pod Force One with Miranda Devine.
She added, “He is amazing. We were acquainted as friends for quite some time, but then, of course, we fell in love. And here we are today, we’re married with a beautiful baby, and he is just an amazing guy.”
Leavitt and Riccio first crossed paths in 2022 during her congressional campaign in New Hampshire’s 1st District, during which she won the Republican nomination but was defeated in the general election by Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas.
One image from Thanksgiving showed off a chandelier-lit dining table (Image: Instagram)
The pair became engaged in 2023. Although they haven’t publicly announced a wedding date, Leavitt has updated her Instagram bio to include “wife.” They then welcomed their son, Nicholas, in July, with whom Leavitt was photographed recently as part of the White House’s Thanksgiving celebrations.
When Devine questioned whether her parents struggled with the relationship, Leavitt acknowledged initial difficulties, telling the host, “It was a challenging conversation,” she said. “Once they got to know him and saw who he is as a man and his character and how much he adores me, I think it became quite easy for them.”
Riccio, who runs Riccio Enterprises LLC, a real estate company, prefers staying out of the public eye. Leavitt characterized him as “very introverted” and noted he “stays behind the scenes.”
Karoline married real estate mogul Nicholas months before their first son Niko, was born(Image: karolineleavitt/Instagram)
However, she commended him for backing her demanding career. “He’s built his career, so he’s in a place where he can support me in mine,” she said. Leavitt also revealed that Riccio keeps close tabs on her professional activities, explaining, “He’s just an amazing guy, and he is my number one fan. He watches every interview, every press briefing.”
Galena K. Rhoades, a research professor in psychology at the University of Denver, told Newsweek that criticism of significant age differences frequently overlooks more crucial considerations.
“Age-gap relationships tend to attract scrutiny because observers often make assumptions about power, money, or control,” Rhoades said. “But these assumptions overlook what we know from decades of relationship research: age difference by itself does not determine the health of a relationship.”