Gavin Newsom Hits Back at Halle Berry’s Scathing Criticism: ‘She Didn’t Know’

Screenshots via New York Times DealBook Summit

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) hit back at Halle Berry after the Academy Award-winning actress surprised an audience with scathing comments about the governor.

A TMZ reporter caught up with Newsom at the Newark International Airport in New Jersey on Thursday, shortly after Berry took the stage at the New York Times DealBook event, where she blasted the governor and tossed ice-cold water on his 2028 potential.

“Back in my great state of California, my very own governor, Gavin Newsom, has vetoed our menopause bill, not one, but two years in a row,” Berry told the crowd. “But that’s OK, because he’s not going to be governor forever, and the way he has overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us, he probably should not be our next president either. Just saying.”

The bill in question, AB 432, was vetoed for a second time in October. The bill would mandate certain menopause care and require extra training on the subject for professionals.

Newsom, who also spoke at the DealBook summit, told TMZ he has been in contact with Berry’s manager and, “We’re reconciling that.”

The governor claimed that despite the rejections of the bill, he’s working it into next year’s budget. His time in office will be expiring at the end of 2026, when some expect him to make a 2028 announcement.

“We’re reconciling that. I’ve included it in the budget next year. She didn’t know that,” Newsom said about Berry.

It’s unclear if Berry’s comments had any influence in pushing the bill forward.

A Newsom spokesman previously responded to Berry, claiming the bill she backs would raise healthcare costs, but the governor would like to pass it in 2026.

“He vetoed the bill because, as written, it would have unintentionally raised health care costs for millions of working women already stretched thin — something he’s determined to avoid,” Newsom spokesman Izzy Gardon said.

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