Gavin Newsom’s past marriage to Kimberly Guilfoyle resurfaces as he eyes the White House
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2024 presidential bid has prompted renewed scrutiny of his 2001 marriage to former television personality Kimberly Guilfoyle, whose later alignment with former President Donald Trump has created a stark contrast to Newsom’s Democratic platform.
The marriage, which began when both were rising political figures, attracted media attention for the couple’s public appearances during Newsom’s mayoral campaign. Guilfoyle’s fashion and beauty were highlighted in a recent USA Today slideshow of Getty Images showing the pair looking “happy and in love.”
Guilfoyle left the marriage in the early 2000s to pursue a television career in New York and Washington, D.C. Newsom later joked, “That’s at least 10 percent as good as being there,” when reflecting on still seeing her on television. In a separate interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, he rationalized her departure, saying, “You could never deny someone their bliss, their great, you know, passion.”
“There is only room for one big ego in any marriage,” Guilfoyle reportedly told Newsom before leaving, according to a Daily Beast report.
After transitioning to political commentary, Guilfoyle became a high‑profile Trump ally, serving briefly as U.S. ambassador to Greece before being dismissed by Trump’s administration. A Wall Street Journal exposé accused her of granting an energy lobbyist extensive access, receiving a $100,000 payment from a Trump donor for influence, and traveling on funds from Greek businessmen. The Hill labeled her actions “nakedly corrupt.”
Newsom’s forthcoming campaign faces the challenge of reconciling his liberal record with a former spouse now portrayed by mainstream media as a “corrupt, morally bankrupt MAGA woman.” Political observers note that opponents could press him on his judgment in marrying Guilfoyle, potentially diverting attention from policy issues. The next step for Newsom’s team is to determine whether the past marriage will be addressed directly in campaign messaging or left as a peripheral footnote.
