Oscar winner Halle Berry’s next pick for president of the United States? Not California Gov. Gavin Newsom, she made that abundantly clear on Wednesday.
The “Monster’s Ball” and “Catwoman” star boldly called out Newsom and aimed at his potential bid for the presidency in 2028 during her address at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, where he was also a featured speaker. Berry, 59, spoke candidly about her struggles with symptoms of perimenopause and lamented the governor’s decision in October to veto Assembly Bill 432, which sought to extend insurance coverage for menopause-related care and treatment.
“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,” she told attendees at the Jazz at Lincoln Center, “but that’s OK because he’s not going to be governor forever.”
“With the way he’s overlooked women — half the population — by devaluing us in mid-life, he probably should not be our next president, either,” she continued, eliciting some groans from the audience. “Just saying.”
A spokesperson for the governor stated on Thursday that Newsom 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 statement said, before explaining Newsom’s decision to veto AB 432 in October. The statement said the bill, a modified version AB 2467 (which Newsom vetoed in 2024), “would have unintentionally raised health care costs for millions of working women and working families already stretched thin.”
The statement added: “We’re confident that by working together this year, we can expand access to essential menopause treatment while protecting women from higher bills.”
Berry, before her 17-minute address on Wednesday, made her fight for menopause awareness and care public in 2024. Last March, she revealed that the pain she experienced during sex was a result of vaginal dryness, a symptom of perimenopause, and not herpes as a doctor had incorrectly concluded. That experience, she said at the time, prompted her to raise awareness about menopause and led her to found Respin, a digital community described as a “resource for women in the midst of menopause, on the cusp of it, or preparing for it.”
Last year, the mother of two also appeared on Capitol Hill alongside several bipartisan senators to advocate for funding toward menopause education and treatment.
On Thursday, Berry underscored that the fight for increased menopause care does not fall on just women and the people who experience it.
“We need all of the leaders, every single one of you in this room, this fight needs you,” she said. “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.”
Berry also encouraged women to “refuse to be diminished during one of the most important seasons of your life.” Nearing her 60s, the actor told her audience, “I have zero f— left to give.”
“I am going to fight like hell, because my longevity depends on it. The longevity of my daughter depends on it. The longevity of women everywhere depends on it.”