California Governor Gavin Newsom is responding after Halle Berry publicly criticized his decision to veto the Menopause Care Equity Act, a bill she strongly supported.
Berry made her remarks on Wednesday at The New York Times DealBook Summit, where she said Newsom “overlooked women” and added that he “probably should not be our next president.”
Highlights
- Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the Menopause Care Equity Act twice, prompting Halle Berry to publicly criticize his actions as overlooking women.
- The Menopause Care Equity Act would mandate insurance coverage for menopause treatments and require doctors' education on menopause.
- Newsom and Halle Berry are reportedly in contact to reconcile differences; a related menopause bill is already in California's 2026 budget.
The governor is widely rumored to be considering a 2028 presidential run, though he has not formally announced one.
Gavin Newsom responded to Halle Berry’s accusation that he ‘overlooked women’
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Berry, 59, addressed the audience shortly before Newsom appeared on the same stage.
She argued that Newsom vetoed the bill for a second year in a row, an action through which he “has overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us.”
“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 said.
“But that’s okay, because he’s not going to be governor forever,” she added, before saying, “He probably should not be our next president either.”
The Menopause Care Equity Act would have required insurance coverage for medically necessary menopause and perimenopause treatments. It would also have mandated that doctors complete training on menopause and instructed the state medical board to create a specialized curriculum.
“I need every woman in this country to fight with me,” Berry said on Wednesday. “But the truth is, the fight isn’t just for us women. We need men, too. We need all of the leaders, every single one of you in this room—this fight needs you. We need you to stay curious. We need you to ask questions. We need you to care even when the topic feels unfamiliar and uncomfortable.”
Newsom vetoed the bill in October. “Last year, I vetoed a substantially similar bill, stating that it would limit the ability of health plans to engage in practices that have been shown to ensure appropriate care while limiting unnecessary costs,” he said in October.
Image credits: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
“That is still the case with this bill—despite my call for a more tailored solution. This bill’s expansive coverage mandate, in conjunction with a prohibition on UM, is too far-reaching.”
A spokesperson for the governor said on Wednesday that Newsom “shares her [Berry’s] goal of expanding access to menopause care that too many women struggle to get.”
However, Newsom vetoed the bill because “it would have unintentionally raised health care costs for millions of working women and working families already stretched thin—something he’s determined to avoid.”
The spokesperson said the governor “has deep admiration for Ms. Berry’s advocacy” and that he shares her goal of improving menopause care.
They added that Newsom hopes to work with Berry on a version of the bill that expands access “while protecting women from higher bills.”
Newsom revealed that there is already a menopause access-related bill in the budget for 2026
Image credits: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
On Thursday, Newsom told a TMZ reporter that his team was in contact with Halle’s manager and that the two were “reconciling this.” He added that Berry did not know that a bill to expand access to menopause care in California was already in the budget for next year.
Sources close to Newsom also revealed to TMZ that the governor was not planning to announce this bill until January 10, since it’s part of the budget.
Berry became a prominent voice on menopause awareness after experiencing misdiagnoses during perimenopause. The Oscar-winning actress has spoken publicly about symptoms she experienced and the lack of medical guidance she received, which led her to launch Respin, a platform focused on women’s health in midlife.
Image credits: Tom Williams/Getty Images
In February, Berry said on the Drew Barrymore Show that she suffered from vaginal dryness that would lead to painful sex and extreme discomfort while urinating, but for 72 hours, her doctor had diagnosed her with “a really bad case of herpes.”
“And that sent me on my own reconnaissance and my own researching, and that’s when I came up with dry vagina syndrome, that women have when they are in perimenopause,” Berry said.
In a 2024 conversation with Jill Biden, Berry said it was this incident that made her think, “Oh my gosh, I’ve got to use my platform, I have to use all of who I am, and I have to start making a change and a difference for other women.”
In October, Newsom told CBS News that he is giving serious thought to running for president in 2028.