Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Jennifer Lynn Siebel Newsom (née Siebel; born June 19, 1974) is an American documentary filmmaker and actress who since 2019, as the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, has served as First Partner of California.

She was retitled, from "first lady" to first partner, for the sake of gender-inclusiveness. She had, accordantly with her husband's earlier posts, from 2011 to 2019 been California's "second lady"; and, from 2008 to 2011, the "first lady" of San Francisco.

She wrote, directed, and produced the film Miss Representation (2011), which premiered in the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival. The film examines how the media have underrepresented women in positions of power.

The Mask You Live In (2015), the second film she wrote, directed, and produced, scrutinizes American society's definition of masculinity.

Early life and education Jennifer Lynn Siebel was born in San Francisco, to Kenneth F. Siebel Jr., an investment manager, and Judy Siebel (née Fritzer), cofounder of the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito. She is the second cousin once removed to Thomas Siebel. Siebel Newsom has stated that she still feels survivor's guilt over her sister's death. During high school, she played varsity basketball, soccer, and tennis. She later graduated with honors from Stanford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American studies in 1996 and Master of Business Administration in 2001.

At Stanford, she was recruited to play on the women's soccer team. While pursuing her MBA, Siebel Newsom also studied at the American Conservatory Theater, where she completed a certificate program. After completing her education, Siebel Newsom traveled to Africa, Latin America, and Europe on assignments with Conservation International, a global environmental coalition.

Siebel Newsom raised $101,111 on Kickstarter to fund the production of her second film The Mask You Live In, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Her third film was The Great American Lie. She directed the documentary film Fair Play in 2022. Several of her films, including Miss Representation and others produced through The Representation Project, received financial support from PG&E, a major California utility company with interests regulated by the state government. The Representation Project's board members include Jan Yanehiro, Nathan Ballard, Susie McCormick, and Maureen Pelton. In 2021, The Sacramento Bee revealed that from 2011 to 2018, Siebel Newsom earned $2.3 million from her film work through her nonprofit organization, which had received $800,000 in donations from companies with business before California's government as her husband Gavin Newsom's political career ascended, and continued to draw her salary after he became governor.

She met Gavin Newsom on a blind date set up by a mutual friend at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in October 2006. The couple announced their engagement in January 2008. In 2019, Siebel Newsom and her family moved to Fair Oaks, California.

Her sister Melissa Siebel is married to Joshua Irwing Schiller, son of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP co-founder Jonathan Schiller.

Siebel Newsom was registered as a Republican until 2008, before re-registering as No Party Preference. Prior to registering as an independent voter, she accidentally registered with the far-right American Independent Party, before correcting her party to "decline to state".

Siebel Newsom was one of several accusers against Harvey Weinstein in his 2022 Los Angeles criminal rape and sexual assault trial. In November 2022, Siebel Newsom testified in court that, in 2005, Weinstein had raped her in a hotel room, having lured her there under the pretenses of holding a professional discussion about film projects. Weinstein's attorney claimed what took place was "consensual, transactional sex". The jury was unable to reach a verdict on Siebel Newsom's accusation. However, the jury found Weinstein guilty on three counts pertaining to another accuser. Weinstein, who was already two years into a 23-year sentence for a rape and sexual assault conviction in New York, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the Los Angeles verdict. In 2021, Rose McGowan claimed Siebel Newsom tried to bribe McGowan in 2017 to stay quiet on Weinstein.

Filmography

Film

Television