Callista Gingrich is being trolled online for “editing her face into oblivion” while leaving her 82-year-old husband, Newt Gingrich, Photoshop-free.
The US ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein posted a selfie with her husband in St. Moritz with a stunning backdrop of snowy mountains.
“Grateful for a birthday weekend in St. Moritz with @newtgingrich,” Gingrich wrote from the Alpine tourist spot on Saturday (March 7).
Highlights
- Callista Gingrich sparked a flurry of reactions after posting a seemingly edited selfie with her husband, Newt Gingrich.
- Many netizens found it odd that her face appeared unrealistically smooth, while Newt’s looked like that of a man his age.
- Model Chrissy Teigen previously called out the ambassador’s photo-editing skills, saying, “Get you are girl who will Facetune you both.”
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The image shows Newt’s face reflecting the natural aging process of an 82-year-old man. In contrast, the ambassador is seen with a completely wrinkle-free visage—not even smile lines around her eyes.
“Lol you couldn't put any filters on Newt?!?” one viewer asked.
“You can't edit your photo to within an inch of its life and leave poor Newt all natural,” agreed another.
“Looking cool and normal as always!” quipped someone else.
Image credits: callygingrich
“I love that she edits her face into oblivion but leaves his completely untouched,” a separate viewer wrote on X.
“You should just filter the entire photo or none of it, ma'am,” one netizen advised.
This isn’t the first time Gingrich has been called out for her not-so-subtle airbrushing. The 60-year-old diplomat has been drawing attention for her edited social media snaps for six years now.
In 2020, model Chrissy Teigen reacted to one of her wrinkle-free selfies with Newt, writing, “Get you are girl who will Facetune you both.”
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Meanwhile, others applauded the politician for not having a care in the world about the hundreds of people slamming her editing skills.
“I love how this woman edits the hell out of every single one of her photos, sits back as the entirety of Twitter roasts her over it, and just turns around and does it again, over and over and over. You do you, Cally!”
Gingrich married Newt, a former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, in August 2000.
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Her husband unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2012. The nomination that year instead went to Mitt Romney.
Gingrich previously served as ambassador to the Vatican during President Donald Trump's first term.
While serving as US Ambassador to the Holy See, the diplomat helped return a letter written by Christopher Columbus documenting his journey to the Americas that had been stolen from the Vatican Archives.
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At the 2024 Republican National Convention, Gingrich praised Donald Trump for installing three Supreme Court justices who she said were “committed to protecting our God-given right to worship.”
After his election victory that year, Trump nominated the Wisconsin politician, who is of Swiss descent, to be the US Ambassador to Switzerland.
“I am pleased to announce Callista L Gingrich will be our next United States Ambassador to Switzerland. Happily married to the Great Newt Gingrich, Callista previously served, with distinction, as my Ambassador to the Holy See,” he posted on Truth Social.
The ambassador has faced similar criticism for years, as viewers repeatedly point out the obvious airbrushing in her social media posts
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“During her tenure, Callista worked to advance and defend international religious freedom, combat human trafficking, and provide humanitarian assistance around the World,” the president added.
Gingrich is far from the only person who turns to editing apps to feel more confident before posting a social media photo.
A survey of 778 young adults commissioned by ID Crypt Global found that one-third admit to digitally doctoring their photos before sharing them online. Most said they commonly edit their photos to adjust the lighting (49%) or apply filters (30%).
Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Another common reason young people edit their photos, according to the survey, is to modify their own appearance, whether that’s changing their hair color, skin tone, eye color, or weight.
Additionally, a separate group of respondents said they edit their photos for fun using silly filters.
Image credits: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
The American diplomat is also not the first high-profile figure to have been called out for obvious editing fails. In 2024, Catherine, Princess of Wales, admitted to doctoring a family photo with her three children that she had posted for Mother’s Day.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," the princess wrote on social media at the time. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."
Catherine's statement came after several news agencies retracted the family image. For instance, the Associated Press noted the odd alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand with the sleeve of her sweater and said, "At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image."
"She always does him dirty like that," one netizen commented
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