Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio: Photos Highlighting Their Notable Age Difference

It’s no secret that Karoline Leavitt’s husband Nicholas Riccio is a lot older than her (after all, she’s blabbed about their massive age gap more than once). However, every once in a while, she shares a snap that highlights just how big their age difference really is — and unfortunately, the ones that do the most damage have been the ones where there’s been an attempt at making him look younger. 

While it’s perfectly natural for Riccio to show signs of aging, efforts to obscure these features have drawn criticism. Social media users have not hesitated to poke fun at the situation. One Instagram user commented on the excessive airbrushing with a playful tone, while another pointed out the inconsistency of photoshopping his face but not his hands, which often reveal more about a person’s age. The online community was quick to notice and respond.

A recent photo shared by Leavitt from a weekend getaway in early May 2025 particularly caught attention. This snapshot, compared to their Halloween photo, highlighted Riccio’s age even more.

Leavitt sometimes embraces vintage styles to lessen the visual age gap between her and Riccio. But when they attended a baseball game in 2025 with Trump aide Margo Martin and friends, Riccio’s seniority was unmistakable amidst the crowd.

As we said, Riccio looked every bit the 59-or-is-it-60-year-old, and once again, social media had a field day with the newlyweds’ massive age gap. “Wait that’s her husband??? I thought that was the baby’s grandfather,” wrote one Instagram critic. “Why u married to a grandpa,” asked another. Granted, it wasn’t all bad. Case in point: the commenter who penned, “Your gramps is hot.” Yas. 

“Did you marry your childhood best friend’s grandpa?” quipped one commenter, delivering a humorous yet pointed observation.

Luckily for Leavitt and Riccio, Martin’s pic from the day didn’t get quite as much hate as usual. However, there’s always one, and sure enough, a commenter poked fun at the disparity, writing, “Wow look at the grandpa!” Burn. 

Roughly a year before Margo Martin’s group shot, Karoline Leavitt had posted one of her own — and unfortunately for her and Nicholas Riccio, the snap of twenty-somethings alongside the lone elder Riccio made their age gap even more uncomfortable. However, Leavitt’s Instagram caption was the final nail in the coffin. “When your childhood best friend marries your brother’s childhood best friend, it makes for an unforgettable weekend,” she’d written — and shocking absolutely no one, her haters had a field day with it. 

“Did you marry your childhood best friend’s grandpa?” a commenter asked. Mic. Drop. 

One of the first glimpses of Nicholas Riccio that Karoline Leavitt shared with the internet was from her extended family’s 2023 vacation to the Dominican Republic. 

Possibly because it was their first pic together on the ‘Gram, Leavitt and Riccio didn’t look particularly affectionate. The one drawback of that? Riccio could easily pass for one of Leavitt’s older relatives. That figures, though. After all, Riccio is shockingly close in age to Leavitt’s parents. In fact, Riccio is actually older than Leavitt’s mom. 

Just over a month after the Leavitt family vacay, Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio were engaged, and Donald Trump’s future press secretary would include him in a video of her 2023 highlights. Unfortunately for the newly betrothed, though, not everyone was particularly supportive. 

“You and your dad are so cute!” one Instagram commenter quipped. “I thought your husband was your father at first,” taunted another. Others still joked that she seemed to be embarrassed by the decades-spanning age gap, with one hater joking, “You hardly show your husband for too long.” Ouch.

Think Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio were given some slack in honor of their wedding day? Think again, because when it comes to the press secretary’s haters, there are no days off. 

In response to pictures she shared on Instagram, countless commenters once again pointed out that Riccio was old enough to be her father — and some were definitely harsher than others. One standout comment? “The day you married your grandpa … it’s giving Mary [Cosby] from ‘RHOSLC,’” they wrote. For the uninitiated, the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star actually did marry her step-grandfather.

Karoline Leavitt has often credited Nicholas Riccio for being a hands-on dad who encourages her to make a name for herself professionally, so when she shared a snap from a day he brought their son to the White House, one might be forgiven for thinking the general consensus might be positive. 

However, nothing could have been further from the truth. “It’s so cute that his grandpa is so involved,” wrote one Instagram commenter. There was one positive comment, though. “All 3 of you look beautiful but grandpa is more fashionable,” a commenter wrote. Snaps for Riccio!

In a 2025 highlight reel of the year that was, Karoline Leavitt shared a clip of Nicholas Riccio introducing their son to another baby. However, our eyes immediately went to another detail from the video. That would be Riccio’s getup. 

While we’ll give him some credit and say the necklace seemed to be something a kid had given him, Riccio was also sporting a backwards cap — and what looked like the dramatic new look he’d debuted that June. That would be a youthful-looking fade haircut. Sadly for Riccio, the look did more harm than good, and instead of looking way younger, he kind of looked like a 60-something trying to look younger. 

On New Year’s Eve 2025, Karoline Leavitt shared a photo dump of what she had been up to throughout the month of December. First up, a snap of her and hubby at the White House Christmas party. The couple — who revealed their second pregnancy the same month — certainly looked loved up. However, if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Leavitt’s marriage, it’s that there will always be some whose focus stays squarely on their age difference. And with that, the year ended much as it began. 

“So cute that you brought your grandfather as your date!” one Instagram user quipped. 

One thing’s for sure: Leavitt’s haters are consistent.