Jennifer Siebel Newsom is drawing criticism after resurfaced remarks showed her comparing a childhood tragedy to the experiences of prison inmates.
In a video that circulated this week, the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom described bonding with incarcerated men at San Quentin by sharing the story of her sister’s death.
Siebel Newsom was 6 years old when, during a family vacation in Hawaii in 1981, a golf cart she was sitting in went into reverse and fatally struck her 8-year-old sister, Stacia. Authorities determined the incident was an accident, and she was not punished.
Then came the line that’s blowing up.
Siebel Newsom said her experience was “similar” to theirs, suggesting some inmates may have committed crimes due to being in the “wrong place, wrong time.”
That’s where the sympathy breaks down.
Yes, what happened to her was a tragic accident. Authorities treated it that way. No charges. No ambiguity.
But equating that to the actions of convicted inmates — many serving time for violent crimes — is a leap that critics say crosses into moral confusion. Critics immediately responded to her remarks, accusing the California first lady of minimizing the severity and accountability associated with violent crimes.
The resurfaced video has reignited scrutiny of Siebel Newsom, who is known for her activism on gender issues and previously testified in the Harvey Weinstein trial.
She took to Instagram recently to link President Donald Trump’s firings of former Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi to a “straitjacket of femininity that is only in service of men.” Newsom’s post immediately triggered widespread mockery, with some commenting that her explosive social media rhetoric could ultimately impact Gov. Gavin Newsom’s future presidential candidacy.
“This woman might single-handedly destroy any chance Newsom has at becoming president,” former TV personality Kevin Steele wrote on Facebook.
“Newsom’s wife is insufferable. She believes that because Pam Bondi is leaving, no woman is safe in Trump’s administration unless they pay him and are rich,” conservative political commentator Ana Bredenberg added on X.
“Now that Gavin Newsom is running for President. It’s time for his wife to record her every thought and tell it to the world,” conservative radio host Kevin Smith wrote on X.
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If she had a brain, she’d take it out and play with it.
But then again, look at who she married!