Gavin Newsom has a problem he’s never had before.
A Hollywood A-lister is publicly opposing him. Not a conservative celebrity. Not a political commentator. Halle Berry — Oscar winner, cultural icon, lifelong Democrat.
And she’s not backing down.
Two Vetoes, Zero Excuses
Berry’s issue is specific and bipartisan: the Menopause Care Act.
The legislation would secure insurance coverage for proven menopause treatments. It passed with bipartisan support in California’s legislature. It had broad backing from medical professionals, patient advocates, and women across the political spectrum.
Newsom vetoed it.
Then it came back the following year, with the same bipartisan support, the same medical backing, the same broad coalition.
Newsom vetoed it again.
Two years in a row. A bipartisan women’s health bill. Vetoed twice by a governor who positions himself as the champion of progressive values and women’s rights.
Berry called it out at the New York Times Dealbook Summit in December.
“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.”
Then she delivered the line that’s following Newsom everywhere.
“The way he’s overlooked women — half the population — by devaluing us in midlife, he probably should not be our next president either.”
Newsom’s TMZ Damage Control
The next day, Newsom scrambled.
He told TMZ — not Berry, not her office, TMZ — that his team would reach out to Berry’s manager. He claimed the issue was being “reconciled” and that menopause provisions were being included in next year’s budget.
Then he suggested Berry didn’t know what she was talking about.
“She didn’t know that,” Newsom said about his supposed budget fix.
“They didn’t understand that we’re already in the process of fixing it,” he said when asked what women “didn’t understand” about the bill.
Classic Newsom. Promise action on camera. Condescend to the person calling you out. Then do nothing.
Two Months Later: Silence
Berry has now confirmed that Newsom never followed through.
Nobody called. Nobody reached out. Nobody from his office contacted Berry or her team to discuss the menopause issue he publicly promised to address.
Two months. The man who wants to be president couldn’t manage a phone call.
“But he heard what I said,” Berry told The Cut. “If he is going to run to be our next president, he can’t sleep on women. Wake up, Gavin.”
This is the pattern. Newsom makes promises on camera. Then the camera turns off and the promises evaporate.
He did it with homelessness. He did it with high-speed rail. He did it with wildfire prevention. And now he’s done it with a direct, public commitment to a celebrity who has the platform to hold him accountable.
The Condescension Is the Tell
Pay attention to how Newsom responded to Berry’s criticism.
He didn’t engage with the substance. He didn’t explain his veto. He didn’t articulate why a bipartisan menopause healthcare bill deserved to be killed twice.
He told TMZ that Berry and women in general “didn’t understand” the situation.
They didn’t understand. The women advocating for their own healthcare didn’t understand. The actress who co-wrote a Time magazine opinion piece on the subject didn’t understand. The bipartisan coalition that passed the bill through the legislature didn’t understand.
Only Gavin understood.
This is how Newsom treats every constituency that challenges him. Smile for the camera, promise action, then explain that the people demanding accountability simply don’t understand his brilliance.
Berry understood perfectly. She understood that Newsom vetoed a women’s health bill twice, promised to fix it on TMZ, and then ghosted her for two months.
That’s not a misunderstanding. That’s a pattern.
Why This Matters for 2028
Newsom’s presidential ambitions are the worst-kept secret in Democratic politics.
He’s positioned himself as the future of the party. The telegenic governor of the nation’s largest state. The progressive warrior who took on Trump. The next generation of Democratic leadership.
Berry’s criticism exposes the gap between Newsom’s brand and his record.
He campaigns on women’s issues. He vetoes women’s healthcare legislation.
He promises responsiveness. He ghosts the people who call him out.
He presents himself as empathetic. He condescends to women who challenge him.
If Newsom can’t handle Halle Berry — a supporter, a Californian, a Democrat — how does he handle a general election opponent?
If he ghosts a celebrity with a massive platform after a public commitment, what does he do with the promises he makes to voters who don’t have platforms?
Hollywood Is Supposed to Be His Base
This is the part that should terrify Newsom’s political operation.
Hollywood is Democratic territory. It’s the fundraising engine that powers Democratic campaigns. It’s the cultural machine that shapes public perception. It’s the talent pool that fills rallies and produces endorsement videos.
Halle Berry isn’t a political outsider taking shots at Newsom. She’s part of the ecosystem he needs to win.
When a Hollywood A-lister publicly says you “probably should not be our next president” and doubles down two months later, that’s not a policy disagreement. That’s a constituency revolt.
Berry represents millions of women — Democratic women — who are watching Newsom’s actions rather than listening to his words. Women in midlife who need healthcare. Women who’ve been promised action and received nothing. Women who are tired of being told they “don’t understand” by men who don’t deliver.
Newsom can afford to lose a policy debate. He cannot afford to lose women.
The Menopause Bill Is the Symptom
The menopause bill matters on its own merits. Women’s healthcare during midlife transition is a legitimate medical issue that affects millions.
But the bill is also a proxy for something larger: Newsom’s fundamental governing style.
Promise everything. Deliver nothing. Blame the people who notice.
Homelessness in California has worsened under Newsom despite billions in spending and repeated promises. High-speed rail is decades behind schedule and billions over budget. Housing costs have driven millions of residents out of state. Wildfire prevention has failed catastrophically.
In every case, the pattern is identical. Bold announcement. Media praise. Quiet failure. Blame the critics.
Berry just demonstrated that the pattern extends to the personal level. Newsom promised to call. He didn’t call. When confronted, his default is to suggest the other party doesn’t understand.
Berry understands. California understands. And if Newsom runs for president, the country will understand too.
“Wake Up, Gavin”
Three words that contain an entire candidacy’s worth of vulnerability.
Wake up. Because you’re sleepwalking through governance. Because you make promises you don’t keep. Because you condescend to the people you claim to champion. Because you treat women’s healthcare as disposable when it requires your signature and urgent when it requires your soundbite.
Wake up. Because Hollywood — your base, your fundraising engine, your cultural army — is watching you fail and starting to say so publicly.
Wake up. Because if Halle Berry is willing to call you out twice, imagine what a Republican opponent will do with your record.
Gavin Newsom wants to be president. Halle Berry is telling him he shouldn’t be.
And he can’t even be bothered to pick up the phone.