Tragic Details About Gavin Newsom

When Gavin Newsom was first elected as Governor of California in 2019, he was largely seen as a solid choice for the state. As the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic hit, most of his constituents were on board with his response, and his approval rating among California's registered voters sat at 64%.

In the years that followed, though, his popularity began to waver as he faced a recall attempt in 2021, and, by 2023, his approval rating plummeted to just 44%. Indeed, Newsom's shady side paired with the double life he was seemingly leading saw many supporters turn into skeptics. And yet, despite all of the headline-making stories tied to the governor, there is still plenty that folks don't know about him.

That's especially true when it comes to the hardships Newsom has faced (and overcome), starting with a severe learning disability that almost derailed his entire academic career as early as the first grade. These are the tragic details about Gavin Newsom's life.

Reading never came easy to Gavin Newsom. As he told "The View" in 2021, "I was the kid in the back of the classroom with my head down, just praying the teacher didn't call on me." Indeed, despite his mom's best efforts to help, he began receding into himself and falling behind in school, even pretending to be sick just so he wouldn't be forced to read out loud in class.

As early as first grade, Newsom began getting professional help, seeing speech therapists and other experts, but reading and writing remained a struggle. As his younger sister, Hilary Newsom, told the Los Angeles Times, there was a lot of frustration and plenty of tears. "He couldn't understand it, and you know, it just came so difficult," she recalled. Newsom's classmates didn't help the situation either, as they mocked his intelligence. One particularly difficult moment occurred in middle school when he was called on to read and failed. "People literally started laughing at me because I couldn't read," Newsom once shared with a classroom, per The Sacramento Bee. "I'll never forget it."

It wasn't until Newsom went snooping around his mom's room and found medical papers that he learned the truth. By that point, he was 10 years old, and his mother finally revealed he had dyslexia. She didn't want the diagnosis to have a negative impact on him, but the effect was the opposite: Newsom finally had the proof he needed that his struggles had nothing to do with being smart and could be overcome.

Once Gavin Newsom learned of his dyslexia diagnosis at age 10, he vowed to overcome the difficulties it posed. In the years that followed, he found several methods that worked for him, but that hasn't made the struggle disappear. "It doesn't go away," Newsom told AP in 2021. "I'm dealing with this every day." Indeed, even something as seemingly simple as spelling "dress" is a challenge for Newsom, who has to memorize his speeches and public addresses because reading them is out of the question.

Even in private, he has to read things his own way if he's to understand them. That means underlining passages, drawing stars next to certain words, and circling others. "If I'm not underlining things physically with a pen, I have a hard time spatially staying on the same line," he explained to the Los Angeles Times.

Getting candid with the Los Angeles Times in 2021, Newsom revealed how far-reaching and all-encompassing the struggle can be, given that he's constantly being presented with information in written form. As he told the outlet, it takes several hours and multiple read-throughs for him to comprehend his daily briefs each morning. "It's spelling, writing, and just deep struggles reading," he shared. "And the reading is comprehension because I can read two chapters and literally be daydreaming, and I'll have read every word and not remember one damn thing unless I'm underlining it."

As Governor of California, Gavin Newsom has worked tirelessly to strengthen the state's already strict gun laws by focusing on everything from safe storage requirements to the sale of bullets. The latter actually appeared on a ballot in November 2016 and it was then that Newsom revealed where his unwavering aversion to guns stems from.

Speaking with the San Francisco Chronicle, he recalled a horrific event in his family history, which he didn't witness himself but which would forever shape his outlook and policy. It was 1973 and his grandfather, Arthur Menzies (who had been a POW during World War II), chose to take his own life in a terrifying way. "My grandfather committed suicide, but not before putting his daughter — my mother — and her twin against the fireplace and saying he was going to blow their brains out," Newsom shared. Menzies then sat down at the dining room table and forced Newsom's mother and aunt to witness the gruesome act. "That's how I grew up — that's how I found out about guns," Newsom told the outlet. "I can't stand 'em."

Gavin Newsom lost his mother, Tessa Menzies, in 2002 after she made the difficult decision to end her life through assisted suicide. Menzies was in her 50s when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. However, rather than making the most of the time they had left, Newson (who was in his early 30s) pulled away. As his sister, Hilary Newsom, shared with The New Yorker, he soon became unreachable. "Gavin had trouble explaining to me how hard for him it was to be with her when she was dying," she conceded. "I had trouble explaining to him how much I needed him."

It wasn't until his mother called to tell him about her last day that he showed up. "She left me a message because I was too busy," he recalled, telling the outlet he experiences PTSD when thinking about that time. "The night before we gave her the drugs, I cooked her dinner, hard-boiled eggs," he shared.

Now, two decades older and wiser, Newsom has several regrets when it comes to his mom. As he told the Los Angeles Times, he didn't realize how much she did to help him overcome dyslexia and thrive until he became a parent himself. Reflecting on what hurts the most, he mused, "My mom had never been able to meet my kids, but I also now deeply regret never expressing appreciation to her."

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

While there were some weird aspects in Gavin Newsom and first wife Kimberly Guilfoyle's marriage, they were actually dubbed "the New Kennedys" by Harper's Bazaar in 2004. However, just a few months later, they called it quits. Sharing a joint statement in January 2005, the couple blamed their careers for their divorce and assured, per SFGate, "We have developed a tremendous bond of love and respect for each other –- that will never change." Unfortunately, that wasn't true and, as Newsom confirmed in 2022, he no longer speaks to one of his former best friends.

Around the same time as his marriage disintegrated, Newsom also ruined another important relationship with a headline-making indiscretion. As he later confirmed, he had a months-long affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk while going through his divorce with Guilfoyle. Rippey-Tourk was Newsom's appointments secretary and the wife of Alex Tourk, a loyal ally and manager of Newsom's re-election campaign. "I have hurt someone I care deeply about, Alex Tourk, his friends and family, and that is something that I have to live with," Newsom later told the media, per East Bay Times.

Gavin Newsom met actor and producer Jennifer Siebel on a blind date back in 2006. As Siebel would later tell The San Francisco Chronicle (via SFGate), they were an instant match. "We had so much in common, we were blown away," she enthused. Indeed, the couple wed just two years later and quickly went on to grow their family, welcoming four children.

Given that strong bond, Siebel's internal struggle with survivor's guilt has surely been felt on a deep level by her husband. Sitting down with the Los Angeles Times in 2023, Siebel opened up about her tragic real life story, sharing details of a fatal accident from childhood that continues to weigh on her heavily. Siebel was just 6 when she and her 8-year-old sister, Stacey, were playing on a golf cart during a Hawaiian holiday. Siebel was sitting on it when it rolled backwards, killing Stacey who had been hiding behind it. "I felt the pressure to be perfect," she recalled of the months and years that followed. "To make my parents forget, by being two daughters instead of one."

It's a feeling Siebel has held onto and it's infiltrated all parts of her life. "It's like I have to make up for that loss, and I have to do something to improve other people's lives or have an impact," she said, noting the tragedy is never far from her mind.

In December 2018, Gavin Newsom's father, Justice William Alfred Newsom III, died at age 84. As the family confirmed, the justice passed away peacefully at home, but the timing was unfortunate for California's future governor. Sadly, it was less than a month before he was set to be sworn in. However, John Burton, a friend of the late justice, pointed out they had shared plenty of other wonderful moments. "He may not have gotten to see Gavin sworn in, but he saw Gavin elected governor of this state, which was a great source of pride for Billy," Burton told CBS News. What's more, William previously had the opportunity to swear in his son as mayor of San Francisco in 2004, then again as lieutenant governor in 2011.

Gavin revealed just how special their bond was as he celebrated his dad in a touching Facebook post in 2016. "I could fill a book with what he has taught me through example," he gushed. Admitting that they weren't particularly close when he was a child, he was proud of how far they'd come. "Instead of growing apart as I have gotten older, we have only grown closer," he wrote. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

Politicians are no strangers to facing criticism, but it's not often that altercations go from verbal to physical. However, Gavin Newsom experienced just that during a scary encounter in June 2021. While visiting small businesses in Oakland, California, the governor was walking on Washington Street when a 54-year-old man approached him and allegedly threw a water bottle at him. Described by law enforcement as "an aggressive individual," he was quickly apprehended and arrested before being taken to Santa Rita Jail. There, the suspect was booked for assaulting a public official and resisting an executive officer, per the East Bay Times.

Luckily, Newsom wasn't hurt and even tried to make light of the situation. Asked by reporters about the incident, he quipped that some people had unique ways of introducing themselves. AP later made contact with a woman who said she was the suspect's sister and told the outlet he was homeless and dealing with mental health issues.

The list of celebs and politicians who can't stand Gavin Newsom is topped by Ron DeSantis. Florida's governor has openly butted heads with his California counterpart, and he had plenty to cheer about when Newsom's own parents-in-law decided to move to the Sunshine State. Jennifer Siebel's parents, Kenneth Siebel Jr. and Judith Siebel, left California in 2020 and became registered voters in Florida that same year. It was a fact DeSantis pounced on during a 2023 Fox News debate between him and Newsom dubbed the "Great Red vs. Blue State Debate." While trying to get a rise out of Newsom, DeSantis alleged he spoke to Newsom's father-in-law who told him, per the New York Post, "Florida is much better governed, safer, better budget, lower taxes, all this stuff."

DeSantis and other critics received even more ammo in 2022 when SFGate confirmed that Newsom's in-laws had made a donation to The Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC via a trust they run. While the amount was small (just $5,000), the transfer was made a week after Newsom tweeted about $100,000 he pledged to DeSantis' Democratic opponent, Charlie Crist. "I think it's safe to say Thanksgiving is going to be very awkward this year," quipped Fox News' Tomi Lahren.

In January 2025, California was ravaged by the worst wildfire in L.A. history, which all but destroyed the community of Pacific Palisades. Simultaneously, numerous other fires ripped through the area, destroying tens of thousands of structures and forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to flee. As firefighters struggled against unpredictable winds and unreliable water pressure, Governor Gavin Newsom became a target of countless critics. Indeed, he quickly became more hated by the internet than his ex, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

While many residents were furious that the state simply wasn't prepared for such a disaster, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to fully lay blame at the governor's doorstep. "Gavin Newscum should resign," he slammed. "This is all his fault!!!" Among his accusations, Trump blamed dry hydrants on Newsom's water policy, while Elon Musk added to the criticism, alleging looting was happening because Newsom had decriminalized it.

In addition to being blamed for the tragedy from all angles, Newsom had to contend with even more hatred when he tried to respond to the mounting misinformation. After he clapped back at Musk's allegations, folks took issue with Newsom spending time online rather than focusing on the problem at hand. "You have better fires to deal with...and they are real...not social media outrage of the moment," tweeted Chris Cuomo.