Gavin Newsom and Kimberly Guilfoyle were once a political power couple dubbed 'the new Kennedys.' Here's a timeline of their relationship.
- Kimberly Guilfoyle and Gavin Newsom were married for five years, from 2001 to 2006.
- As the mayor and first lady of San Francisco, they were dubbed "the new Kennedys."
- Guilfoyle went on to work in the Trump White House and is engaged to Donald Trump Jr.
Kimberly Guilfoyle and Gavin Newsom, who were married from 2001 to 2006, were once a high-profile political couple dubbed "the new Kennedys."
Their paths have diverged significantly since their time as mayor and first lady of San Francisco.
Newsom, whose push for marriage equality cemented him as a national figure in the Democratic party, is now the governor of California and was floated as a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate. He married documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom in 2008.
Guilfoyle, a former assistant district attorney turned Fox News host, became a conservative influencer and advisor to President Donald Trump. She is engaged to Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr.
Despite their political differences, Guilfoyle and Newsom remained friends for years until things began to deteriorate around the 2020 presidential election.
Here's a timeline of their relationship.
San Francisco attorney Art Groza introduced the couple at a fundraiser for John Burton, who was then a member of the California State Assembly and went on to be elected to the House of Representatives, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Newsom and Guilfoyle wed at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco. At the time, Newsom worked as a county supervisor, and Guilfoyle was an assistant district attorney.
Months later, Newsom told the San Francisco Chronicle that living on different coasts had "taken a huge toll personally."
"The transcontinental marriage is tough β the only godsend is that we don't have kids," he said. "You give up your life in the traditional sense."
One image from the Harper's Bazaar spread showed Guilfoyle and Newsom lying together in formalwear on a rug at Ann and Gordon Getty's house.
In the accompanying article, Newsom described their relationship as "a wonderful combination of being in love and extraordinarily proud."
Newsom and Guilfoyle released a joint statement announcing the end of their marriage "with great sadness," The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
"Unfortunately, the demands of our respective careers have made it too difficult for us to continue as a married couple," the statement said. "Over the past 10 years, we have developed a tremendous bond of love and respect for each other. That will never change. We will remain close friends. We ask for your understanding and consideration during this difficult time."
After the two were spotted together at Newsom's birthday party, a golf championship, and an outing with then-Prince Charles and Camilla during their royal visit, The San Francisco Chronicle described their marriage as "on-again, off again."
When former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown asked about his marital status at the royal gathering, Newsom replied, "I have a very confusing life," the Chronicle reported.
Guilfoyle gave a vague answer to the Chronicle when asked if she and Newsom had gotten back together.
"If I was standing back and looking at the situation, I would say it went great β these two people obviously love each other and get along very well," she said. "But I don't have an answer for you. We are not back together."
Guilfoyle told The San Francisco Chronicle that the divorce was amicable, and that she and Newsom shared a lawyer throughout the proceedings.
"We're very close, and we're going to remain that way," she said.
Guilfoyle and Newsom did not have any children together during their marriage.
Villency and Guilfoyle welcomed a son in October 2006. They divorced in November 2009.
After Newsom's campaign manager, Alex Tourk, abruptly resigned for "personal" reasons, Newsom publicly apologized for the affair the next day, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"I want to make it clear that everything you've heard and read is true, and I'm deeply sorry about that," he said at a press conference. "I've hurt someone I care deeply about β Alex Tourk, and his friends and family. And that is something I have to live with."
Newsom and Siebel wed in Stevensville, Montana, on a ranch belonging to Siebel's parents, People magazine reported. Nancy Pelosi, former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, and actor Jason Lewis were in attendance.
The couple now shares four children.
In a profile of Newsom in The Sacramento Bee, Guilfoyle described him as "an amazing 'ideas guy' in terms of having an idea, developing it and seeing it to fruition."
She also recalled his dedication to an array of small businesses he operated, including wine shops, bars, and cafΓ©s. Guilfoyle told The Sacramento Bee that Newsom handled "everything from food selection and menus" to "all of the personnel decisions."
Newsom won the race for California governor in the 2018 midterm elections and took the oath of office in 2019.
Guilfoyle told The Washington Post that she joked with Newsom about directing Trump Jr. to campaign against his bid for governor, and that the two men discussed the hair products they use to keep their styles intact.
"Gav's hair is slicked back, and Don's hair is slicked back," she said.
Newsom told KQED host Lily Jamali that he was "still trying to come to grips with all of it."
"I wish her well, and them well," he said of Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. "And we see the world, clearly, with a different set of eyes politically."
In an interview on PROFILE by BuzzFeed News, Newsom was asked if then-President Trump had ever mentioned Newsom's past marriage to Guilfoyle in their conversations.
"We may have had a private moment on that conversation, which in and of itself, makes life just interesting," Newsom said.
When host Ben Smith asked Newsom for details, he simply said, "Life's interesting."
"If you want to see the Socialist Biden Harris future for our country, just take a look at California," Guilfoyle said in her speech. "It is a place of immense wealth, immeasurable innovation, and immaculate environment, and the Democrats turned it into a land of discarded heroin needles in parks, riots in streets, and blackouts in homes."
Fox News host Elex Michaelson asked the California governor if he had a response. Newsom opted to "respectfully defer to the next question."
When MSNBC host Alex Wagner asked if he and Guilfoyle still spoke, Newsom replied, "Nope. Not lately."
"It must be weird for you," Wagner said.
"Yeah, of course," Newsom replied.
As speculation swirled that Newsom might run for president in 2024 if President Joe Biden didn't seek a second term, Guilfoyle appeared to allude to her past with Newsom in a speech at Turning Points USA.
"In California, they have vowed to get rid of gas-powered cars with no explanation of how they are going to fund and power alternatives," Guilfoyle said. "A bunch of winners over there, folks. Ask me how I know."
"He ain't making it to the White House," she added, seemingly referring to Newsom.
On an episode of CNN's "The Axe Files" podcast, Newsom said Guilfoyle was "spending a lot of time in Democratic circles" while they were married, citing her work for a progressive district attorney and former friendship with fellow California attorney Kamala Harris, who went on to become vice president.
"She fell prey, I think, to the culture at Fox in a deep way," Newsom said of Guilfoyle. "She would disagree with that assessment, she would perhaps suggest that she found the light."
On an episode of "The Charlie Kirk Show" later that week, Guilfoyle called Newsom's comments "absurd," adding that she was a registered Republican while they were married and that it was Newsom who had changed drastically.
"I didn't change, he did," she said. "He used to be so proud to fight for small business, for entrepreneurs, for those hardworking men and women. And he's fallen prey to the left, the radical left, that is pushing him so far to the left that it's unrecognizable."
Guilfoyle also said that she thought Newsom would run for president in 2024 and that it's something he "wants very badly."