White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is facing backlash online after social media users accused her of using filters and airbrushing tools to make her husband appear younger in a recent Instagram post.
Leavitt, 28, who became the Trump administration’s spokesperson in 2023, has frequently faced scrutiny for her relationship with Nicholas Riccio, 60. The couple got engaged at the end of 2023, welcomed a son, Niko, in July 2024, and tied the knot in January 2025.
Sunday’s post, featuring Leavitt and Riccio posing with their one-year-old son at the White House Halloween celebration, set off another wave of online commentary. Many commenters zeroed in on what they saw as suspiciously youthful facial features on Riccio.
“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?” one Instagram user wrote.
“Old man hands blow your cover up Karoline. Your husband’s face does not match his hands,” another commenter added.
Other social media users jumped in with their own jabs. “Man that smoothing filter on her old man’s forehead working overtime,” one quipped, while another went with a sharper punch: “Adobe ad for Photoshop.” Photographer Pat Ozols also weighed in, writing, “Photoshopping your husband to own the libs.”
Leavitt has generally kept her relationship with Riccio private, sharing occasional glimpses on social media and offering few comments in interviews. About their relationship, she has described it as “very atypical.”
