Halle Berry Draws Gasps for Saying Gavin Newsom Is ‘Devaluing’ Women and ‘Shouldn’t Be Our Next President’ Moments Before He Comes on Stage

Halle Berry used her time onstage at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to do more than talk about business and wellness — she also publicly criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom for twice vetoing a bill aimed at improving medical care for women going through menopause.

Berry, 59, spoke candidly about women’s health, her wellness company Respin Health, and the broader cultural attitudes toward women in midlife. During her remarks, she turned directly to politics, calling out Newsom, 58, who was scheduled to appear at the same event shortly after her.

She was referring to the Menopause Care Equity Act (AB 432), which Newsom vetoed for the second year in a row in October. The measure, which Berry has backed, was designed to make it easier for women to access treatments for menopause symptoms, according to Politico Pro.

“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 audience.

“But that’s okay, because he’s not going to be governor forever, and with the way he has overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us in midlife, he probably should not be our next president either,” she continued, drawing an audible reaction from the crowd. “Just saying.”

Berry made the pointed comments after noting that Illinois had recently become the first state to mandate coverage for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

In response to her criticism, a spokesperson for Newsom said in a statement, “The governor has deep admiration for Ms. Berry’s advocacy and looks forward to working with her and other stakeholders on this critical issue. He shares her goal of expanding access to menopause care that too many women struggle to get.”

The spokesperson explained that, in his view, the bill’s current language posed financial risks: “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.”

“We’re confident that by working together this year, we can expand access to essential menopause treatment while protecting women from higher bills,” the statement added.

Newsom’s current term as governor ends in January 2027, and term limits prevent him from running again. In an October interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, he said he would decide whether to pursue a presidential bid after the 2026 midterm elections.

Elsewhere in her DealBook remarks, Berry challenged the idea that women should accept poor health as the price of longevity. “The days of outliving men by doing it in poor health are over,” she said, adding, “Why? Because we simply deserve better.”

“At this stage in my life, I have zero f—- left to give,” she added bluntly.

Explaining why she feels so strongly about this moment, Berry said, “In 2025 there is a lot to still be talked about and discovered and uncovered, especially if you are a woman who is navigating midlife and thoughtfully considering your longevity, because in 2025 I, Halle Berry, and women of my age are simply devalued in this country.”

“Our culture thinks that at 59 years old, I am past my prime, and that women my age start to become invisible in Hollywood, in the workplace, on social media. Women are pressured to stay forever 35,” she continued. “We’re complimented if we seem to be aging backwards or defying gravity, as if that’s even possible, and if we somehow manage to look younger than our years, we’re suggesting that that’s the gold standard that our worth should be measured by.”

She went on to criticize the extreme beauty standards placed on women. “We’re encouraged to contort our bodies and our faces in truly extreme ways to chase this elusive fountain of youth. And sadly, I have to admit, I too, feel this pressure every single day … I feel that pressure to change myself in order to stay seen, relevant and desirable.”

“The question is for whom? … I don’t know, but what I do know is as long as I let my worth be defined by my physical self, I am in a losing battle. Because the truth is, we cannot turn back Father Time. And guess what? We shouldn’t have to,” Berry said.

Berry has previously opened up about her own difficult entry into menopause and how little information she was given beforehand — an experience that helped inspire the creation of her women’s wellness brand, Respin Health.

During a panel at a Bare It All event in June, she recalled, “I had no idea that I was in menopause at this time of my life.”

“I was 54 years old, no doctor that I had had even mentioned the fact that I would enter into menopause. So I had this unrealistic idea that maybe I would — okay, don’t laugh — but maybe I would just skip it,” Berry admitted.