Despite Karoline Leavitt's pricey wardrobe being ugly as sin, the youngest White House press secretary in history clearly fancies herself a good Catholic. Ever since she first took the podium in the esteemed press briefing room, she has made eye-catching cross necklaces a staple of her look, with at least one of them possibly even costing Leavitt a pretty penny, according to a diamond pro who spoke exclusively to The List (hey, the vow of poverty is just for priests, right?). At any rate, many have
called the Trump staffer out for frequently wearing a symbol associated with Christianity while also vehemently defending her boss's controversial policies, with everyone from angry social media users to legendary comedian Jon Stewart getting in on the action.
And while the Trump administration's go-to play seems to be acting unbothered by any criticism or parody, Leavitt briefly getting rid of her cross necklace may be a subtle sign that Stewart's scathing roast actually got to her a little bit. In a June 2025 episode of "The Daily Show," he played several clips of the White House press secretary, including one where she claimed, "It's frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit." In response, Stewart exclaimed, "That's all he's doing! By the way, I think the more she lies, the bigger her cross gets."
He continued by quipping, "Is that possible? It's like some sort of weird Pinocchio cross." Shortly after the episode aired, Leavitt attended a press briefing with her cross notably absent. Granted, this could be entirely coincidental, but it's still suspicious.
Read more: Karoline Leavitt's Breakup With Trump Is Coming Faster Than A MAGA Minute
Karoline Leavitt Similarly Ditched Her Cross After Being Ridiculed On South Park
To be fair to Karoline Leavitt, it's worth noting she has cycled her cross necklaces in and out on multiple occasions, so there may be nothing more to it. However, every time she goes without the jewelry, it seems to come after some sort of public backlash or lampooning. For instance, the size of the White House staffer's cross necklace was the subject of online jokes as far back as January 2025, and she actually stopped wearing it for a time around then too. Leavitt brought the much-talked-about accessory back in early April, but with the twist of it being a new, smaller version, implying that the online chatter had an impact behind the scenes. Just two months later, she stopped wearing it again following Jon Stewart's jokes, only to quickly bring it back once more.
The press secretary eventually ditched it again in August, with some pundits speculating that it was a result of Leavitt's depiction in the now-infamous Season 27 premiere of "South Park," which ruthlessly skewered the Trump administration. We're not sure we buy that, though. She was spotted wearing a cross necklace shortly after the episode aired in July, and didn't decide to leave it at home again until August. So, if that was the cause, it was a pretty delayed response. Netizens also seem fairly skeptical.
"Getting lots of stories today blaming South Park for Karoline Leavitt's wardrobe changes, especially dropping the 'cross necklace.' The clips don't look that bad to me, so guessing the real reason is the cross started burning her skin when she lies?" one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, joked. To their point, "South Park" actually took it fairly easy on Leavitt compared to President Donald Trump himself.
Loved this read? Our free newsletter features even more celeb gossip, beauty tips, and can't-miss style moments from sites like The List, Glam and more.
Read the original article on The List.
