An image of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has unexpectedly gone viral — not because of what it shows, but because of the attention surrounding its removal.
The picture, taken during a Thanksgiving‑themed press briefing, shows Leavitt and her son looking down at “Waddle” the turkey. Captured by AFP photographer Andrew Caballero‑Reynolds, it initially passed largely unnoticed.
But soon, reports surfaced suggesting the White House was unhappy with the image, calling it “unflattering.” It was pulled from AFP’s library and later removed from Getty Images. This raised questions online, though AFP maintains the decision was entirely their own.
AFP responds after removing the photo According to AFP’s Director of Communications, Grégoire Lemarchand, the agency had been “made aware” of concerns from the White House but insisted there was no outside influence over the final decision.
“During high‑volume events like White House briefings, our desk often receives a large influx of photos directly from the photographer’s camera, which are moved quickly by the editor on duty to ensure timely delivery,” he said, as reported by the Daily Beast via UNILAD.
“Upon a subsequent review of the day’s production, our editor‑in‑chief determined that this specific image did not meet our editorial standards. The angle was poor and, more importantly, we already had a selection of superior images from the same event available on the wire.”
But if the goal was to quietly move past the image, that didn’t happen. Once news of its removal spread, the photo took on a life of its own online. Social media users began sharing it widely, many noting that it had barely drawn attention before.
“Nothing makes the internet hunt for a photo faster than being told they can’t see it,” one user wrote, according to VT. Another added: “God forbid someone from the White House should have a realistic photo taken of them.” A third commented: “The audacity these people have calling anyone a snowflake is off the charts.”
