Halle Berry publicly criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, accusing him of “devaluing” women.
The Oscar-winning actress delivered the remarks during The New York Times DealBook Summit, hours before Newsom appeared on the same stage.
Berry further said Newsom should not be the next president.
Halle Berry criticized Gavin Newsom before saying he should not be the next president
Highlights
- Halle Berry condemned California Gov. Gavin Newsom for vetoing the Menopause Care Equity Act twice, calling it a devaluation of women.
- Berry stated Newsom's veto overlooked half the population and said he should not be the next president.
- The Menopause Care Equity Act aimed to mandate insurance coverage and medical training on menopause care in California.
- Berry shared her personal misdiagnosis experience, fueling her advocacy and launching a menopause awareness platform, Respin.
Image credits: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
“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 onstage, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“But that’s okay, 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,” she added.
While Newsom has not officially said he will be running for president, he has addressed the idea during interviews. In October, he told CBS News that he is giving serious thought to running for president in 2028.
The Menopause Care Equity Act would have required comprehensive insurance coverage for menopause and perimenopause care. It also directed the California Medical Board to develop a menopause-focused curriculum that physicians were required to be trained on.
Newsom vetoed the legislation in October.
His office said he supports improving access to care, but believed the proposal, as written, would raise health costs for millions of working women.
Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for the governor, said Newsom “has deep admiration for Ms. Berry’s advocacy and looks forward to working with her and other stakeholders on this critical issue.”
Image credits: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
She added that “he shares her goal of expanding access to menopause care that too many women struggle to get” and that they are “confident that by working together this year, we can expand access to essential menopause treatment while protecting women from higher bills.”
Berry has become a prominent voice on menopause awareness after her own misdiagnoses; she previously said she was incorrectly diagnosed with herpes when she was in perimenopause.
The experience pushed her to learn more about menopausal symptoms and eventually launch Respin, a platform aimed at educating women entering midlife.
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.
Berry, an advocate for menopause awareness, accused Newsom of ‘devaluing’ women
She recalled how her doctor first said she had “a really bad case of herpes”—a diagnosis she stayed with for three days, before her doctor walked back the diagnosis.
“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. “And I had all the symptoms of what that felt like.”
She also recalled the incident in 2024 in a conversation with Jill Biden, saying, “My doctor had no knowledge and didn’t prepare me, that’s when I knew, ‘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.’”
Image credits: Tom Williams/Getty Images
During the summit, Berry spoke broadly about how women in their 50s and 60s are treated in Hollywood and across the country. She said women near her age often feel invisible in the workplace and in the media.
“Our culture thinks that at 59 years old, I am past my prime,” she said. “Women are pressured to stay forever 35 … we're complimented if we seem to be aging backwards or defying gravity, as if that’s even possible.”
She said she still feels daily pressure to look younger to be “seen, relevant and desirable.”
Berry joined a group of bipartisan senators at the U.S. Capitol in 2024 to push for the legislation that would allocate $275 million toward research and education for menopause.
“The shame has to be taken out of menopause. We have to talk about this very normal part of our life that happens. Our doctors can’t even say the word to us, let alone walk us through the journey,” she said.