For someone who supposedly hates putting her personal life in the spotlight, Karoline Leavitt sure gives us plenty of reasons to side-eye her marriage. A 32-year age gap is already enough to raise eyebrows, but the grandma outfit-loving White House secretary recently made a slip-up that makes their dynamic even more questionable.
For those out of the loop, Leavitt is married to property developer Nicholas “Nick” Riccio, a man old enough to be her father — and, well, her latest comment isn’t helping shut down that observation. Riccio was reportedly involved in her finance committee during her failed 2022 congressional run in New Hampshire. Fast forward a year, and they were married, and long after, they had a baby. While Riccio apparently encouraged Leavitt to return to work just days after giving birth, he’s rarely seen in public with her. She told fans on Instagram that he “hates social media” but insists he’s her “number one fan, the best dad, and just the best man I’ve ever met.”
Cute, right? Well, until she slipped up. In what can only be described as a verbal faceplant, Leavitt kind of implied in an interview that Riccio was her “dad.” Uh, what? We get praising your partner, but that wording? For a man more than three decades older? Let’s just say, for someone who doesn’t want scrutiny on her personal life, she’s not exactly making it easy to look away.
Karoline said that their marriage is ‘atypical’
In what seems like a desperate attempt to shut down speculation about her marriage, Karoline Leavitt decided to overshare — and, well, it’s safe to say that subtlety is not her strong suit. She practically popped a vein trying to convince the world that Nick Riccio is the perfect man and the ultimate love of her life. “He is my greatest supporter, he’s my best friend, and he’s my rock,” she gushed during an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show” of all places. “He’s built a very successful business himself, so now he’s fully supportive of me building my success in my career.”
Then came the recap of their love story. Apparently, they met through mutual friends at an event, and that was that. But even Leavitt admitted that their significant age gap made her hesitate at first. “I mean, it’s a very atypical love story, but he’s incredible,” she mused. Still, she kept pushing the Riccio PR campaign, piling on the praise before making yet another verbal blunder. “He’s the father of my child, and he’s the best dad I could ever ask for,” she raved. Uh, best dad? Of whom, exactly, Karoline? Because that wording just sent the internet into a tailspin.
She then pivoted to Riccio’s unwavering support as she went full steam ahead in her role as one of Donald Trump’s loudest defenders. “I say, ‘I walked into your life, and it’s been a circus ever since,’ but God bless him because he’s fully on board,” she added. For someone who literally gets paid to talk, Leavitt sure has a knack for saying things that make people question her even more. Can’t wait to see what she slips up on next.
