In a widely circulated clip, a turkey prepared by Leavitt was seen entering the oven devoid of any spices or seasoning, sparking a wave of social media critique. The footage also revealed the final product—an overcooked, shredded turkey that appeared exceptionally dry. Accompanying the main dish were sides that drew equal scrutiny: green beans and carrots, evidently boiled without butter or seasoning, and mashed potatoes that were chunky instead of smooth, offering only a sparse hint of pepper. The pièce de résistance of the meal was a macaroni dish that seemed to lack any cheese, presenting as mere plain pasta.

The TikTok video, which highlighted the lackluster Thanksgiving spread, was later reposted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, where it quickly became a topic of ridicule. Among the comments, users speculated that the bland meal might have been catered to the dietary needs of Leavitt’s husband, Nicholas Riccio, who is significantly older than her by 32 years. “Her husband is old. This looks like food they serve on a cardiac restricted diet at the hospital,” one user quipped. Another commented, “Her husband is 90 years old and can’t handle salt and spice,” while yet another added, “It’s ok for her husband. All of his food gets puréed anyway.” The meal came on the heels of her husband’s decision to skip the traditional turkey pardon, amid ongoing discussions about their noticeable age difference.

Look at Karoline Leavitt’s completely botched and unseasoned Thanksgiving dinner! I mean this has to be one of the worst I’ve ever seen and I can’t imagine what it tasted like! 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Fa0EPt8ueH

— Suzie rizzio (@Suzierizzo1) November 30, 2025

The TikTok examining Leavitt’s holiday dish disaster was reposted to X, formerly Twitter, where people roasted the press secretary. A common theme in the replies was that Leavitt was forced to serve a tasteless dinner because of her much older husband, Nicholas Riccio, who is 32 years her senior. “Her husband is old. This looks like food they serve on a cardiac restricted diet at the hospital,” one member of the Twitterati joked. “Her husband is 90 years old and can’t handle salt and spice,” a person replied. “It’s ok for her husband. All of his food gets puréed anyway,” another snidely added. Leading up to that Thanksgiving meal, Leavitt’s husband had skipped the turkey pardon following comments about their age gap.

Just before the holiday, Karoline Leavitt made a rare public statement addressing the age difference with Nicholas Riccio. Sitting down with Miranda Devine for the episode of the “Pod Force One” podcast on November 19, Leavitt was asked how her parents reacted to meeting her much-older partner, who was closer to their age. “It’s definitely a challenging conversation to have at first,” Donald Trump’s press secretary admitted. “But then of course once they got to know him … Now we’re all friends,” she told Devine about her parents’ relationship with her husband. She also mentioned that her husband was an “introvert,” which makes sense why he would eschew the spotlight next to his much younger wife.

Earlier that month, people called out the age gap with her husband after Leavitt photoshopped a pic in a misguided attempt to conceal his years. On November 2, she posted an Instagram carousel recapping October. The first slide of the post was a snap of Leavitt and Riccio, as she held their toddler, who was dressed up as a pumpkin for Halloween. Riccio was not very festive, as he simply wore a suit for the occasion. Instagram users noticed that Leavitt tried to shave some years off of her husband’s face by photoshopping the image, which only made them bash the couple harder in the comment section. “Face tuning your senior citizen husband is wild lol,” one wrote. “The wrinkles removed on his forehead has me GAGGED,” another added. “That’s her husband ? lol I thought it was grandpa,” an incredulous user replied.