Before & After Pics Prove Karoline Leavitt's Lip Filler Changed Her Entire Look
A little filler can be transformative, which nobody knows better than Karoline Leavitt. The White House press secretary is almost unrecognizable in throwback pics, and while she's certainly also made massive improvements to her eyebrow game over the years, there's no question that having her lips done has played a major role in her transformation. Nowadays, Leavitt is one of President Donald Trump's most valued staffers, but once upon a time, she was a young up-and-comer who looked remarkably different.
Of course, everyone's face changes as they age, but what doesn't typically happen over time is a fuller pout. Back when she first started working at the White House, Leavitt's lips were very much on the thinner side, and when she smiled, even imperceptible. Now, the smile Leavitt flashes today generally reads less "I-am-genuinely-happy" and more "I-am-ready-to-spit-fire-at-any-given-moment," but even in pics of her pouting back in the day, her pout was considerably less full. So, when did things change?
We first saw the beginnings of the government employee's new look around November 2022. That said, things remained subtle for some time after that — we even caught ourselves wondering if we were imagining the changes. After all, Leavitt was over-lining her lips very obviously circa 2023, so there's a possibility that played a role. By 2025, however, it was clear that she'd had a little something done. And, as you probably recall, even the president noticed. If you have a sick bag handy, now would be the time to take it out.
Karoline Leavitt's lips made headlines in 2025
Just in case you forgot, or blocked it out (and we wouldn't blame you), in October 2025, President Donald Trump went gaga over Karoline Leavitt's lips, grossing everybody out in the process. During a press gaggle onboard Air Force One, he infamously enthused, "Those lips. They move like a machine gun, right?" (via YouTube). As if that wasn't bad enough, the divisive politician clearly thought the line was enough of a standout to repeat it again in December – at a rally, no less. "She gets up there with that beautiful face and those lips that don't stop, bop bop bop [...] Like a little machine gun," he proudly told the crowd (via X, formerly known as Twitter).
But, just a few days later, Leavitt's rookie lip filler mistake was jarring in a Vanity Fair snap that instantly went viral. The outlet published a jaw-dropping, tell-all piece on the White House press secretary alongside several other prominent Trump staffers like Stephen Miller and Susie Wiles, but all eyes were on her lips. Leavitt slammed the up close look at her face in a petty Instagram Story, reposted from her hairstylist, who hyped her up as completely natural. The White House staffer also shared behind-the-scenes photos of her pouting into a TV camera to her IG feed.
Sadly, if Leavitt was trying to deny the fact that she'd had injectables, it had the opposite effect. Her fillers did look slightly better, though, so small wins. At the end of the day, if the press secretary feels more confident with plumper lips, so be it. However, there's no denying there's been a very big change, and that filler likely had a lot to do with it. Bop bop bop, and whatnot.