Karoline Leavitt is opening up about the “challenging conversation” she had with her parents when she started dating her now-husband Nicholas Riccio, 32 years her senior.

On Wednesday’s episode of the podcast “Pod Force One with Miranda Devine,” the White House press secretary said Riccio, a real estate developer, now enjoys a quiet relationship with her parents, Bob and Erin, but admitted that getting to that point took some time.

“It’s definitely a challenging conversation at first,” he explained. “But once they met him and saw who he is as a man and his character and how much he adores me, I think it became pretty easy for them. And now we’re all friends.”

She went on to note, “My husband greatly respects my parents and the way they raised me, and we have a lot of fun together when they come to visit.”

Leavitt, 28, married Riccio, 60, just days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. The couple are parents to a 1-year-old son, Niko.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (center) with her husband Nicholas Riccio and their son, Niko.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (center) with her husband Nicholas Riccio and their son, Niko.

JIM WATSON via Getty Images

Like many couples with significant age differences, Leavitt and Riccio have faced a lot of public scrutiny. Earlier this month, Leavitt was accused of editing a photo of Riccio taken when the couple took Niko to the White House for a Halloween party.

“That retouching of your center’s face to make it look younger was the trick,” one person wrote on Instagram.

Another added: “Adjusting the face of your husband, an elderly person, is crazy lol.”

Appearing on Megyn Kelly’s SiriusXM radio show in February, Leavitt acknowledged that she and Riccio had “a very atypical love story,” but went on to describe her husband as “my biggest supporter.”

“He is my best friend and my rock,” she said at the time. “He has built a very successful business himself, so he now fully supports me in achieving success in my career.”

She shared similar sentiments in her “Pod Force One” chat, also describing Riccio as a hands-on father who was content to stay “behind the scenes.”

“He’s very introverted, unlike me,” she said. “He’s not on social media. He’s very private, which I respect. He’s a self-made man.”

Listen to Karoline Leavitt’s interview about “Pod Force One” here. Her comments about her husband begin around 36:25.