Actress Halle Berry publicly rebuked California Governor Gavin Newsom for vetoing a menopause-focused bill two years in a row. Speaking at The New York Times DealBook Summit, she argued that his actions devalue women in midlife and questioned whether he should be the next U.S. president, while highlighting broader cultural attitudes toward aging women.
Halle Berry, the 59-year-old Oscar winner known for films including "Monster’s Ball," sharply criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom during her appearance at The New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday in New York City.
Berry, a vocal advocate for women’s health and the founder of the menopause-focused wellness company Respin, told the audience that "at this stage in my life, I have zero f---- left to give," explaining that her age and experience allow her to speak candidly, according to multiple outlets including Fox News and The Wrap.
Her comments centered on Newsom’s handling of a menopause bill in California. Berry pointed to the Menopause Care Equity Act, also known as Assembly Bill 432, a bipartisan measure that would require health plans or insurers covering outpatient prescription drugs to provide evaluation and treatment options for menopause and perimenopause symptoms and to expand training for health-care providers on menopause care. The legislation has passed the California Legislature twice, in 2024 and 2025, but Newsom vetoed it both times, most recently in October, citing concerns about higher health-care costs, according to reports from The Wrap, The Hill and Fox News.
“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 DealBook audience. “But that’s OK, because he’s not going to be governor forever, and with the way he’s overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us in midlife, he probably should not be our next president either. Just saying.” Versions of those remarks were reported by several outlets, including The Independent and the Los Angeles Times.
Berry’s criticism came as Newsom, who is term-limited as governor and has signaled interest in a possible 2028 presidential run, was also scheduled to appear onstage at the same summit. Her comments reportedly drew audible gasps from the crowd at Lincoln Center, according to coverage from multiple news organizations.
Beyond the policy dispute, Berry used the event to speak more broadly about how women her age are perceived in American culture. “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,” she said, according to Fox News. She argued that at 59, women are often seen as past their prime and become “invisible” in Hollywood, in the workplace and on social media.
Berry described intense pressure on women to appear perpetually youthful, noting that they are praised if they seem to be “aging backwards” or “defying gravity,” which she said creates unrealistic standards by suggesting that a woman’s worth is tied to looking younger than her years. Those comments echoed themes she has discussed in interviews and in her advocacy around menopause care and midlife health.
Newsom’s office has responded to criticism of his vetoes by pointing to his formal veto messages, in which he argued that the bill’s mandates are too far-reaching and could drive up health-care costs, and by saying he supports improving menopause care through other approaches. As of the latest reports from outlets such as The Independent, his office had not directly answered Berry’s specific remarks from the DealBook stage, underscoring an ongoing debate in California over how to prioritize and pay for expanded women’s health care, particularly for those in midlife.