Journalist Katie Couric is facing criticism online after asking Gavin Newsom whether being “too good-looking” poses a problem for him during an interview on her podcast.
The exchange took place during an episode of Couric’s podcast Next Question with Katie Couric, where the California governor appeared for a wide-ranging conversation about politics and policy. Newsom, who is frequently mentioned as a potential future presidential contender, laughed as Couric referenced the comedy film Zoolander.
“Do you have a ‘Zoolander’ problem?” Couric asked, referring to the 2001 film starring Ben Stiller about male models. The pair laughed, and Newsom briefly imitated Stiller’s signature “Blue Steel” modeling pose by pursing his lips.
Couric continued the line of questioning by referencing a recent magazine profile that highlighted the governor’s appearance.
“Are you just ridiculously good-looking, as Vogue said? No, seriously, what do you do about that?” she asked.
Newsom responded by saying he prefers not to alter his appearance to fit political expectations.
“You don’t do anything about it because if you’re gonna do something about it, then you’re bulls–ting people,” he said, seeming to believe that on some level that he was “too good looking.” “You know what, I am who I am, and it’s fine.”
“You don’t have to like me, or maybe you like a slick person, I don’t know. Whatever, it’s okay,” he added.
The exchange drew backlash from some commentators on social media who argued the question resembled a softball rather than a serious political interview. Podcast host Megyn Kelly mocked the exchange on the social media platform X, writing sarcastically that she was “100% sure” Couric would ask similar questions of other politicians such as JD Vance.
Media commentator Joe Concha also criticized the interview, while comedian and podcast host Adam Carolla took aim at Newsom’s response in his own commentary online.
Couric’s question referenced a recent profile of Newsom in Vogue, which described the governor as “embarrassingly handsome” in its opening line. The article portrayed Newsom as confident and comfortable in the spotlight while reflecting on his final State of the State address.
Later in the same profile, the reporter acknowledged that several policy issues were not discussed during the interview, including the Los Angeles wildfires, homelessness, and economic changes affecting the entertainment industry.
Couric later shifted the podcast conversation toward policy matters in California. She raised concerns about economic and education indicators in the state, citing commentary by Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times suggesting that schools in Mississippi outperform those in California for low-income students.
“The highest poverty rate, tied with Louisiana; the highest unemployment,” Couric said during the discussion. “Now people see that or hear that or read that and they’re like, ‘No thanks, California. No thanks, Gavin Newsom. We’re good.’”
Newsom denied the characterization, arguing that California’s poverty rate is closer to the national average when measured using the supplemental poverty metric.
“Our poverty rate’s about average,” he said. “And we’re right up there with Florida, Louisiana and others with the supplemental poverty rate, which has been the case for 40 years.”
The governor attributed many of the state’s economic challenges to housing shortages.
“And the original sin there is housing,” Newsom said. “We simply have a supply-demand imbalance.”
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Yuk. I felt like I was reading a teen mag with this story.