‘Unflattering’ Karoline Leavitt photo scrubbed from internet after White House meltdown

An unflattering image of Karoline Leavitt was removed from online photo libraries after news organizations were “informed” that the White House did not like the image.

The White House has been accused of pulling an “unflattering” image of Karoline Leavitt from online photo libraries.

The image, taken in November, was removed from circulation after news organizations were reportedly “informed” that the White House did not like it. The photo was taken as photographers snapped dozens of images of the White House press secretary, whose striking face before her MAGA makeover had already been on display, during a Thanksgiving-themed press briefing last year.

Leavitt brought his young son to the event, which also included an appearance by “Waddle,” the turkey who received the traditional presidential pardon. “We have Waddle,” Leavitt told reporters, “Come in, Waddle!” This comes after Trump abruptly turned on Leavitt and accused his team of making a shocking mistake.

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The turkey entered the room and stood next to the lectern while the reporters asked him a series of jovial questions. “Waddle, why are you getting a pardon? What did you do wrong?” » we asked.

Several images showed Leavitt and his son enjoying the event, but one of them reportedly angered the White House. The photo, taken from a low angle, shows Leavitt smiling at the turkey while holding his son on his hip.

Leavitt found the image so unflattering that AFP was “informed” of the White House’s displeasure and quickly removed the image from its library, Status reports.

The image was also automatically removed from the Getty Images library. The exact image is no longer available to Irish Star, but we have included a similar photo taken at the same briefing.

AFP director of brand and communications Grégoire Lemarchand confirmed that the White House had informed him that it did not like the image, but said the decision to remove the photo was an “internal editorial decision”, pointing to the “bad” camera angle.

“During high-volume events like White House briefings, our office often receives a large influx of photos directly from the photographer’s camera, which are moved quickly by the editor on duty to ensure on-time delivery,” Lemarchand told the outlet.

“After further review of the day’s production, our editor determined that this specific image did not meet our editorial standards. The angle was poor and, more importantly, we already had a selection of higher quality images from the same event available on the feed,” he explained.

“While we have been informed that White House staff found the photo unflattering, we want to be clear that there has been no formal request to remove it, nor any outside pressure,” Lemarchand added.

Anne Flanagan, vice president of brand and communications at Getty Images, told Status that AFP maintains full editorial control over its images. She did not confirm whether Getty had also received a complaint about the photo from the White House.

The incident comes as the Trump administration reportedly cracks down on unflattering images.

The Defense Department has barred news photographers from briefings on the Iran war after the release of images of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deemed “unflattering,” two people familiar with the decision told the Washington Post.

Members of Hegseth’s team reportedly told colleagues they didn’t like his appearance in footage taken during a March 2 briefing. Photographers were not allowed to attend the next two briefings at the Pentagon, March 4 and 10, the two people familiar with the decision said.

Irish Star has contacted Getty for comment.

The news comes after Leavitt lost the plot on social media after a huge problem with the White House’s new plans was revealed.