Halle Berry slams Governor Gavin Newsom over vetoed menopause bills

Halle Berry called out California Gov. Gavin Newsom while giving a speech about how women are viewed in Hollywood and across America.

Berry took the stage at the Dealbook Summit on Wednesday and spoke about how women are “devalued,” particularly after they reach a certain age. The “Catwoman” star drew gasps from the audience while making her pointed comments and referencing Newsom, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“At this stage in my life, I have zero f—- left to give,” Berry told the crowd.

“Back 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 added. “But that’s okay, because he’s not going to be governor forever, and the way he has overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us, he probably should not be our next president either. Just saying.”

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Halle Berry called out California Gov. Gavin Newsom at the DealBook Summit on Wednesday. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times, Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The bill, AB 432, introduced by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, had a goal of improving and expanding menopause care, mandating that a health care service plan or health insurer provide recommendations for menopause-related treatments. The bill would have also required healthcare providers to get training on menopause care, according to a press release from Bauer-Kahn.

Newsom vetoed the bill a second time this past October.

Newsom told CBS News in October that he is giving serious thought to running for president in 2028. The governor was also in attendance at Wednesday’s DealBook Summit.

Berry, who founded the menopause care company Respin, said she is considered “past my prime” in America as she nears 60.

“In 2025 there is a lot to still be talked about and discovered and uncovered, especially if you are a woman who is navigating midlife and thoughtfully considering your longevity, because in 2025 I, Halle Berry, and women of my age are simply devalued in this country,” she said. “Our culture thinks that at 59 years old, I am past my prime, and that women my age start to become invisible in Hollywood, in the workplace, on social media.”

“Women are pressured to stay forever 35,” Berry continued. “We’re complimented if we seem to be aging backwards or defying gravity, as if that’s even possible, and if we somehow manage to look younger than our years, it’s suggested that’s the gold standard that our worth should be measured by.”

Halle Berry attends The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 on Dec. 3. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)

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Governor of California Gavin Newsom spoke onstage during The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 on Dec. 3. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)

Berry admitted she feels the pressure to give in to the increasingly popular trend of plastic surgery in Hollywood.

“We’re encouraged to contort our bodies and our faces in truly extreme ways to chase this elusive fountain of youth,” she said. “And sadly, I have to admit, I too, feel this pressure every single day.”

“I feel that pressure to change myself in order to stay seen as relevant and desirable.”

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Halle Berry launched Respin in 2020, but rededicated her work to women’s health and menopause in 2025. (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Fast Company)

Berry also shared a personal story from her childhood in Cleveland, Ohio. The “Die Another Day” actress recalled being bullied and beaten up by other kids after getting off the bus.

“As they walked off laughing, I was left to pick myself up shirtless out of the gutter. And I did that, but I was humiliated, because I had allowed myself to be treated this way. I made the choice to accept it,” Berry said. “I didn’t tell anybody. When they told me they were going to beat the s— out of me, I just said, ‘OK, I deserve it. I guess I’m just going to take it. I have no choice.’”

“But as I was walking home, I said, ‘No. I’m never going to allow this to happen to me again,’” she continued. “‘I’m never not going to stand up for myself. I’ll never allow myself to be a victim like that,’ and since I was in the sixth grade, I have never allowed myself to be misused or abused or mistreated in any way.”

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