Karoline Leavitt makes headlines not only for being the youngest press secretary in the history of the White House but also because of her personal life, especially her marriage to her much older husband, Nicholas Riccio.
Unlike Leavitt, Riccio does not love the spotlight and rarely steps into it. However, being the husband of the White House Press Secretary, it is impossible for Riccio to remain completely under the radar. Therefore the two sometimes make public appearances together, and in most of them, Leavitt’s husband appears rather awkward.
However, during the couple’s latest visit to Mar-a-Lago for a wedding on February 1, 2026, Riccio appeared a little stiffer than he generally does at public events. He had possibly not expected an intimate event like a wedding to be so much like a red carpet event, but with the presence of Trump and other high-profile politicians, there was naturally a lot of press, which probably did not go very well with Riccio.
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While Leavitt looked at the cameras and smiled, her husband looked stiff and focused on his destination, walking straight ahead. Leavitt had previously talked about her and her husband’s different personalities in the Pod Force One podcast in November 2025, saying, “He’s very introverted, unlike me. He stays behind the scenes, he’s not on social media, he’s very private.”
Leavitt’s words rang especially true during the couple’s latest appearance. Besides not being a lover of the camera, Riccio might also have gotten tired of all the age-gap jokes that constantly float toward him and Leavitt, every time his wife posts the two of them together. Given that he is 32 years older than her, netizens have even called him her child’s grandfather and constantly trolled him. Leavitt allegedly once airbrushed Riccio’s face and her attempt at making her husband look younger was also met with fierce trolling.
These reasons might have made Riccio even more skeptical to get clicked with Leavitt in public. Moreover, Riccio’s job as a real estate developer pays him a lot of money but does not require him to face the camera constantly, which is another reason for his camera shyness. However, since the time he dated Leavitt, he likely knew what public attention would come his way as the now-press secretary was already running to become a U.S. congresswoman back in 2022.
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Leavitt herself stands in support of her husband and acknowledges his support for her career. Appearing on The Megyn Kelly Show, Leavitt talked about their relationship and said, “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 has also defended their relationship and denied the speculations of her marrying Riccio for money, as she claimed that the two married out of love and therefore neither money nor the age gap mattered.
While Riccio’s stiff appearance in front of the camera is drawing fresh spotlight on Leavitt’s personal life, the couple is also set to welcome another child, which further shows that despite the huge age gap and the trolls, the two are building their own happy family.
