Rampant Rumors About Karoline Leavitt We Can't Ignore
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has become a household name. She has gone from Congressional hopeful to standing in front of cameras and reporters as one of Donald Trump's most visible members. In fact, she looks unrecognizable from a throwback picture of her college self–a time that wasn't that long ago. But as press secretary, her job often involves batting down rumors, like the time she shut down chatter about a feud between Trump and Elon Musk. And if she wasn't busy enough, her having to comment on a wide variety of issues has also resulted in Leavitt finding herself tied up in a number of controversies.
But with a sudden rise in knowability comes a larger microscope on Leavitt's life, and after doing some digging, we found some rumors about her that we simply could not ignore, with one of the smaller, cheekier ones being that she might be taking makeup tips from fellow White House newcomer Kristi Noem. But given that Leavitt's White House career is just beginning, we decided to get to the bottom of some of the rumors and see what we found.
She reportedly has a bone to pick with CNN's Kaitlan Collins
It appears that there may be a new rivalry growing in Washington D.C., and it might be Karoline Leavitt versus Kaitlan Collins. Collins is CNN's chief White House Correspondent and can usually be found in the press pool whenever Leavitt gives a briefing. But the two women have butted heads enough times to make us wonder if Leavitt has a special grudge against Collins. There was the time on CNN when Leavitt adopted a chastising tone when Collins asked, "How is the administration deciding which laws to follow and which ones to ignore?" The question was in regard to Trump suddenly firing a number of investigator generals, and Leavitt used the question to offer a knowledge check to Collins as she took on a snappy tone to redirect her to check out a Supreme Court case for the answer to her question.
Another time Collins went to bat for fellow news organization the Associated Press after they were barred from the Oval Office. When Collins asked Leavitt who made that decision, Leavitt fired back with a pithy response that seemed to be a pointed reminder directed at Collins by saying, "Well first of all, let me set the record straight. It is a privilege to cover this White House." (via YouTube) And then there was the time Leavitt simply cut Collins off. After asking National Security Advisor Mike Waltz a question, Collins attempted a follow-up question only for Leavitt to ice her out entirely, silencing Collins as she turned to another reporter and simply said, "Go ahead." (via Mediaite) Maybe it's just Leavitt doing her job, but we can't help but feel like she knows exactly what she's doing with Collins.
It was rumored she lawyered up to go after The View
Plenty of people in Washington D.C. probably have an axe to grind with the opinionated co-hosts of "The View," but one rumor took it even further with word that Karoline Leavitt was lawyering up to take on the popular television show. Started by a post that originated on TikTok, a reposted clip to X, formerly known as Twitter, made the claim that Leavitt was suing ABC over comments Joy Behar made that called Leavitt's professional qualifications into question. The three minute long video is narrated by a monotonous voice that claimed that ABC was panicking behind the scenes because of Leavitt's actions and that her supposed suit "could pave the way for other public leaders to take legal action against the show for defamatory remarks."
While the post was unsubstantiated, commenters beneath it were quick to believe the claims, with many wanting to see the show canceled. One user posted, "Great to see Karoline Leavitt standing up for herself. The View's crude comments were out of line and now they're facing the consequences. Hope this lawsuit sets a precedent for accountability in the media." Unfortunately for those praying for Behar's downfall, the suit in question appears to be pure fiction, with no evidence that Leavitt has filed anything to go after the show.
She has an unusual marriage
Age might just be a number, but Karoline Leavitt has invited some rumors about her marriage given that her and her husband's ages are 32 years apart. According to People, Leavitt met her husband Nicholas Riccio when she was running for a New Hampshire congressional seat, with the two getting married in July 2024 and welcoming their first child only six months later. During an interview for "The Megyn Kelly Show", Leavitt recalled meeting Riccio, saying, "A mutual friend of ours hosted an event at a restaurant that he owns up in New Hampshire and invited my husband," adding that, "I was speaking. We met and we were acquainted as friends. And then we fell in love." (via People) It's also worth noting that Riccio is a successful real estate agent and millionaire.
As for the three decades between Leavitt and Riccio, she acknowledged some hesitance regarding the age gap to Kelly but said, "I mean it's a very atypical love story but he's incredible." However, she did appear to slip-up about their age gap, when People reported that she complimented Riccio as being "the father of my child," making him sound more like an obligation than a fated love interest. Riccio is suspiciously absent from social media, though Leavitt will sometimes manage to upload photos of them like the above wedding photos from Instagram. As for why her husband prefers to remain out of the spotlight, Leavitt told Kelly, "He's an introvert (complete opposite of me)," noting that, "I respect his privacy on here— but he's my number one fan, the best dad, and just the best man I've ever met." (via People)
She was rumored to be in a Miss Teen USA competition
It's important not to believe everything on the internet because that's how a viral video started the rumor that Karoline Leavitt was in the 2007 Miss Teen USA competition. The TikTok in question showed a video of a young, blonde woman in a blue dress and South Carolina sash with the caption, "Our new White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt." The video clip went on to show the woman providing a humorously run-on answer to the question of why a fifth of Americans couldn't locate the US on a map. And while Leavitt is also blonde, a few obvious factual discrepancies with the rumor include the fact that Leavitt would have been only 10 years old at the time -– and she also grew up in New Hampshire, not South Carolina.
While it might be funny to think of the current White House press secretary as having a goofy answer on American geography, the rumor has since been officially debunked because the actual woman in the video, Caitlin Upton, came forward to identify herself. Interestingly, Upton's reveal had nothing to do with Leavitt, but rather because JD Vance posted a version of the clip on X as an attack on Kamala Harris. According to The Post and Courier, Upton said in a since-deleted X post, "Regardless of political beliefs, one thing I do know is that social media and online bullying needs to stop." We agree, though it doesn't seem like Leavitt has learned from the case of mistaken identity given her penchant for petty interactions with news reporters.
She's been reported to have had plastic surgery
Despite Karoline Leavitt being the youngest press secretary to hold the position, rumors have circulated that she has had plastic surgery since her political career took off. The internet has consistently circulated the rumors, and some people even have reference photos to match the allegations. One user on X posted a young picture of Leavitt with the caption, "Did Karoline Leavitt [sic] she get the Ivanka plastic surgery just to please Trump? She used to look like a natural human being." Another user over on Threads commented on Leavitt's appearance during an interview on Fox, posting, "What in the plastic hell is Karoline Leavitt??"
Leavitt has not responded to allegations of going under the knife, though we do have some thoughts about her getting lip filler that could be contributing to her recent duck lips. But with Leavitt's star on the rise within Republican circles, she is likely just following the leader — and their leader is Donald Trump, the king of Mar-a-Lago. The Daily Mail coined the phrase "Mar-a-Lago face" which they defined as having too many injectable fillers, being heavy-handed with the fake tan, and noticeably plumped lips. And for a more direct comparison, plastic surgeons speaking to the outlet added that the look gave those wearing it a "Real Housewives look." And while we won't hold our breath for confirmation that Leavitt has had work done, if she has, she will only be fitting in with her peers by denying any and all rumors while everyone watching agrees on the obvious.