Karoline Leavitt’s husband, Nicholas Riccio, has become a subject of public curiosity ever since the White House Press Secretary’s personal life started making headlines alongside her political career. The New Hampshire real estate developer, who is 32 years older than Leavitt, has largely stayed out of the spotlight despite the attention their marriage has drawn.
From his rags-to-riches business story to questions about his romantic history before Leavitt, this article covers everything currently known about Nicholas Riccio, his life, career, and family with Karoline Leavitt.
Karoline Leavitt – Wikipedia
Karoline Claire Leavitt is an American political spokesperson who has served as the White House Press Secretary since January 2025 under President Donald Trump’s second administration. She holds the distinction of being the youngest person to ever hold this position in U.S. history. Before stepping into the national spotlight, she ran as the Republican nominee for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in the 2022 midterm elections.
Leavitt built her early career working in communications roles, including a stint as an assistant press secretary during Trump’s first term. Her rise to prominence accelerated quickly after she took over the White House podium, where she became known for her direct, often combative briefing style. She has become one of the most recognized faces of the current administration.
In August 2026, Leavitt announced she would be stepping down from her role at the end of the month, citing family reasons following the birth of her second child. Her tenure, her marriage to real estate developer Nicholas Riccio, and her young family have all become subjects of widespread public interest.
Karoline Leavitt Age
Karoline Leavitt was born in August 1997, which puts her at 28 years old as of 2026. Her relatively young age has been a defining part of her public persona, especially since she became the youngest White House Press Secretary in American history at just 27.
Her age has also drawn constant comparison to her husband, Nicholas Riccio, who was born in 1965. The couple shares a 32-year age gap, a detail that has followed Leavitt through much of her public life and media coverage.
Despite the attention on her age, Leavitt has managed a demanding national role while also becoming a mother twice over during her time in the position. She gave birth to her son in July 2024 and her daughter in May 2026, making her the first sitting White House press secretary to give birth while in office.
| Detail | Information |
| Born | August 1997 |
| Current Age | 28 |
| Age Gap with Husband | 32 years |
| Role | White House Press Secretary (2025–Aug 2026) |
Karoline Leavitt Plane Decoy
In August 2026, social media speculation spread claiming Leavitt had been left aboard a “decoy” aircraft in Ankara, Turkey, after reports surfaced that President Trump had been quietly moved to a separate plane following a credible security threat. The rumor gained traction shortly after Leavitt’s resignation was announced, with some users linking the two events.
Multiple outlets, including Snopes, investigated the claim and found conflicting accounts. A White House spokesperson and a New York Times reporter who broke the original story both denied that Leavitt was on the flight in question, while some other reports claimed over a hundred staffers and journalists, possibly including Leavitt, were aboard the alternate aircraft. Separately, other reporting noted Leavitt was on maternity leave during the period the incident reportedly occurred.
As of now, no verified, on-the-record confirmation from someone physically present on either flight has settled the matter definitively. The story remains an example of how quickly unverified claims about public figures can spread once a resignation or major life change is announced.
Nicholas Riccio Wikipedia
Nicholas Riccio was born on February 23, 1965, in Hudson, New Hampshire, to parents Anthony and Marilyn Riccio. He is one of four children and grew up in a working-class Italian-American household that experienced significant financial hardship after his parents divorced during his childhood.
He graduated from Alvirne High School in Hudson in 1983 before attending Plymouth State University, where he financed his own education. Riccio went on to become a self-made real estate developer, founding Riccio Enterprises LLC in 2005 after years of investing in distressed properties along the New Hampshire coastline.
Riccio remained largely outside the public eye until his relationship with, and eventual marriage to, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt drew national attention. He keeps a low public profile, has no significant social media presence, and is widely described by those close to him as introverted and private.
Nicholas Riccio Career
Nicholas Riccio entered the real estate business in the early 1990s after completing a real estate course, driven by a long-held ambition to own property. He started small, borrowing money at steep interest rates to fund his first investments, a strategy that eventually allowed him to build a substantial portfolio over three decades.
His breakthrough came when he began renovating a stretch of rundown properties on M Street in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, an idea reportedly inspired by a drive down the street with his mother. That project became the foundation for what is now Riccio Enterprises LLC, alongside its subsidiary Nautical Beach Properties.
Today, Riccio’s companies manage more than 15 buildings and roughly 70 rental units across Hampton Beach, Boston, and the White Mountains region. He has built relationships with several professional sports team owners over the years and has spoken about his long-term ambition of one day owning a franchise of his own.
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Nicholas Riccio Children
Nicholas Riccio and Karoline Leavitt share two children together. Their first child, a son named Nicholas Robert “Niko” Riccio, was born on July 10, 2024, several months before the couple officially married.
Their second child, a daughter named Viviana “Vivi” Riccio, was born in May 2026. Leavitt announced her daughter’s birth on Instagram, describing her as healthy and calling the moment one of the most meaningful of her life.
With the addition of Viviana, Leavitt became the first sitting White House Press Secretary in history to give birth while actively holding the role. Family has been cited as the central reason behind Leavitt’s decision to step down from her position at the end of August 2026.
Nicholas Riccio Net Worth
Nicholas Riccio’s net worth is most commonly estimated at around $6 million, a figure that traces back to reporting from Realtor.com and has since been cited widely across other outlets covering the couple. Some other estimates place his fortune in a broader range, up to the tens of millions, though $6 million remains the most consistently referenced figure.
His wealth comes almost entirely from real estate investment and property management rather than inheritance or political connections. Riccio built his fortune gradually, starting from a position of homelessness and financial instability in his late teens and early twenties.
| Detail | Estimate |
| Estimated Net Worth | ~$6 million |
| Primary Source of Wealth | Real estate development |
| Company | Riccio Enterprises LLC |
| Properties Owned | 15+ buildings, ~70 rental units |
His main company today oversees a mix of long-term rentals and seasonal vacation properties concentrated in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, alongside holdings in Boston and the White Mountains area.
Nicholas Riccio Previous Wives
Public interest in Nicholas Riccio’s romantic history grew significantly once his relationship with Karoline Leavitt became widely known, largely because of their 32-year age gap. Many people assumed a man in his late fifties or sixties marrying for the first time would have an earlier marriage in his past.
However, according to multiple entertainment and biography outlets that have researched his background, there is no credible reporting confirming that Riccio was married prior to his marriage to Leavitt. Reports consistently describe him as having been a lifelong bachelor before meeting her.
Some online chatter and social media speculation has floated the idea of a prior marriage, but none of it has been substantiated by verified public records or on-the-record sourcing. As it stands, the available reporting points to Leavitt being his first and only wife.
Karoline Leavitt Husband Married Before
The question of whether Nicholas Riccio was married before comes up frequently, largely fueled by the couple’s noticeable age difference. Leavitt was just 25 when she and Riccio first met during her 2022 congressional campaign, while he was already in his late fifties.
Despite the speculation this age gap has generated, reporting from outlets that have profiled Riccio’s background indicates that his marriage to Leavitt in January 2025 marked the first marriage for both of them. No documented divorce records or prior spouse has been publicly confirmed.
Leavitt herself has addressed the scrutiny around their relationship in interviews, acknowledging that the age gap was an unusual element of their story but never referencing any previous marriage on Riccio’s part. She has instead focused on describing him as her closest supporter.
Nicholas Riccio, Karoline Leavitt Husband
Nicholas Riccio is a New Hampshire-based real estate developer who became Karoline Leavitt’s husband in a private ceremony in January 2025, just days before President Trump’s second inauguration. The wedding took place at the Wentworth By The Sea Country Club in Rye, New Hampshire.
The couple first met in 2022 when a mutual friend invited Riccio to a campaign event where Leavitt was speaking at a restaurant he owned. Their relationship developed over the following years, resulting in the birth of their son in mid-2024 and their marriage shortly after.
Since marrying, Riccio has remained largely behind the scenes, letting Leavitt take the public spotlight in her national role. She has repeatedly described him in interviews as her biggest supporter, closest confidant, and a steady presence throughout her demanding career.
Nicholas Riccio Wives and Girlfriends
Before his relationship with Karoline Leavitt, Nicholas Riccio kept an especially private personal life, and virtually no information about prior girlfriends or romantic partners has surfaced in public reporting. His introverted nature and lack of a social media presence have contributed to this scarcity of information.
What is publicly documented begins with his introduction to Leavitt in 2022. Their relationship progressed from friendship to romantic partnership over roughly a year, culminating in their engagement around the 2023 holiday season.
Given the absence of verified reporting on any earlier relationships, Karoline Leavitt stands as the only publicly confirmed romantic partner in Nicholas Riccio’s adult life. This makes their story somewhat unusual compared to many public figures whose dating histories are more thoroughly documented.
How many Times was Nicholas Riccio Married
Based on all currently available and credible reporting, Nicholas Riccio has been married one time, to Karoline Leavitt. Their wedding took place in January 2025, and no records or credible sourcing point to any marriage before this one.
This detail is notable given his age at the time of the wedding, as he was approaching 60 years old when he and Leavitt formalized their relationship. Some observers have found this surprising, which has fueled ongoing curiosity and speculation about his earlier romantic history.
Absent new information or documentation surfacing publicly, the answer to how many times Riccio has been married remains a single instance: his marriage to Leavitt, which also produced two children, a son and a daughter.
Nicholas Riccio First Wife
Nicholas Riccio does not have a publicly documented first wife prior to Karoline Leavitt. Because their marriage occurred later in his life, relative to typical marriage timelines, questions about an earlier spouse have circulated online.
Biographical profiles that have investigated his background, including detailed pieces on his upbringing, homelessness, education, and business career, have not turned up evidence of any earlier marriage. His personal history before meeting Leavitt centers primarily on his financial struggles and career building rather than romantic relationships.
As it stands, Karoline Leavitt holds the distinction of being Nicholas Riccio’s first and only wife, based on everything currently documented and reported by outlets that have covered his life story in depth.
Nicholas Riccio Wives and Girlfriends
| Question | Answer |
| Current Wife | Karoline Leavitt |
| Married | January 2025 |
| Previous Wives | None confirmed |
| Previous Girlfriends | None publicly documented |
| Total Marriages | One |
To summarize what is publicly known, Nicholas Riccio’s romantic history is limited almost entirely to his relationship and marriage with Karoline Leavitt. No prior wives or long-term girlfriends have been documented by credible reporting.
This makes him something of an outlier among public figures connected to political families, where romantic histories are often more extensively covered. His private nature before entering the spotlight has kept most of his personal life, aside from his marriage, out of public record.
Family struggles Led to Living on the Streets for Young Nick Riccio
Nicholas Riccio’s childhood in Hudson, New Hampshire, was marked by financial instability from an early age. His parents divorced when he was young, and the family of four children often struggled to make ends meet, moving frequently during his upbringing.
By the age of 18, shortly after graduating from Alvirne High School in 1983, Riccio found himself without stable housing and living on the streets. He has spoken about relying on friends during this period, including calling them just to use their showers when he had nowhere else to go.
The instability continued into his college years at Plymouth State University, where he often slept in his car because he could not afford rent. These early hardships would later become a defining part of his personal narrative as he built his real estate career from nothing.
Nicholas Riccio lost Both of his Parents to Cancer
Nicholas Riccio experienced significant personal loss well before his marriage to Karoline Leavitt brought him into the public eye. His mother, Marilyn, passed away from cancer in 1997, a loss that came just as he was beginning to find his footing in real estate.
His father, Anthony, died from cancer as well, in 2002 at the age of 60. Losing both parents to the same illness within a five-year span had a lasting emotional impact on Riccio, who has spoken about honoring his mother’s memory through his business decisions.
Riccio has credited a drive down Hampton Beach’s M Street with his mother as the spark that led to his real estate breakthrough. He has said he continues to work in her honor, tying his professional success directly back to the influence she had on his ambitions.
Nicholas Riccio has Been Criticized in the Media for Marrying a much Younger Woman
Since his relationship with Karoline Leavitt became public, Nicholas Riccio has faced a wave of online criticism and mockery centered on their 32-year age gap. Social media comments beneath the couple’s photos have ranged from jokes comparing him to Leavitt’s father to harsher, more dismissive remarks about the relationship.
The scrutiny intensified after Leavitt shared wedding photos in January 2025, and the couple has even been referenced in late-night television commentary poking fun at their age difference. Leavitt has addressed the criticism directly in interviews, describing their relationship as an atypical love story rather than something to be defensive about.
Despite the public commentary, Leavitt has maintained that her parents came to accept Riccio once they got to know him, and she has consistently described him as a stabilizing, supportive presence in her demanding career. The couple has largely brushed off the criticism, choosing to keep their focus on their growing family.
FAQ’s
Who is Karoline Leavitt’s husband?
Karoline Leavitt’s husband is Nicholas Riccio, a real estate developer from New Hampshire. The couple married in January 2025 and share two children together.
How old is Nicholas Riccio?
Nicholas Riccio was born on February 23, 1965, making him around 61 years old, roughly 32 years older than Karoline Leavitt.
Was Nicholas Riccio married before Karoline Leavitt?
No credible reporting confirms a marriage prior to Leavitt. Based on available information, she is his first and only wife.
How many children do Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio have?
The couple has two children: a son, Nicholas Robert “Niko” Riccio, born in July 2024, and a daughter, Viviana “Vivi” Riccio, born in May 2026.
What is Nicholas Riccio’s net worth?
Riccio’s net worth is most commonly estimated at around $6 million, built through his real estate company, Riccio Enterprises LLC.
Was Karoline Leavitt on a “decoy plane”?
This claim went viral after Leavitt’s resignation announcement, but it has not been verified. A White House spokesperson and a New York Times reporter denied she was on the flight, and other reports place her on maternity leave at the time.
Did Nicholas Riccio experience homelessness?
Yes. Riccio was homeless around age 18 after graduating high school and continued facing financial hardship while sleeping in his car during college.
Conclusion
Nicholas Riccio’s story stands apart from the typical narrative surrounding political spouses, shaped by a childhood marked by hardship, homelessness, and personal loss, followed by decades of building a self-made real estate business.
His marriage to Karoline Leavitt, despite the public fascination with their age gap, appears to be his first, and the couple has weathered public scrutiny while raising two young children together.
As Leavitt prepares to step away from her role as White House Press Secretary at the end of August 2026 to focus on family, Riccio’s steady, low-profile presence looks set to remain a defining part of her next chapter.
