Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Jennifer Siebel
Siebel in 2018
First Lady of California
Current
Assumed role January 7, 2019
Governor	Gavin Newsom
Preceded by	Anne Gust Brown (as first lady)
Second Lady of California
In role January 10, 2011 – January 7, 2019
Lieutenant Governor	Gavin Newsom
Preceded by	Laura Maldonado
Succeeded by	Markos Kounalakis (as Second Gentleman)
First Lady of San Francisco
In role July 26, 2008[1] – January 10, 2011
Mayor	Gavin Newsom
Preceded by	Kimberly Guilfoyle
Succeeded by	Anita Lee
Personal details
Born	Jennifer Lynn Siebel (1974-06-19) June 19, 1974 (age 49)[2] San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political party	Independent (since 2008)
Other political affiliations	Republican (before 2008)
Spouse	Gavin Newsom ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	4
Relatives	Thomas Siebel (cousin)
Education	Stanford University (BA, MBA)

Jennifer Lynn Siebel (née Siebel; born June 19, 1974) is an American documentary filmmaker and actress who is the current First Lady of California as the partner of Governor Gavin Newsom. She is the director, writer, and producer of the film Miss Representation (2011), which premiered in the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival. The film examines how the media has underrepresented women in positions of power. The Mask You Live In (2015), her second film which she wrote, produced and directed, scrutinizes American society's definition of masculinity.

During her tenure as the partner of the governor, the role of first lady was retitled "first partner" to be gender inclusive.^[3][4][5] She was previously the state's second lady from 2011 to 2019 and first lady of San Francisco from 2008 to 2011.

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.^[2] She grew up in the suburb of Ross, California.^[6][7][8]

Siebel Newsom is the second oldest of five girls and attended Ross Grammar School and The Branson School. At six years old, she was present when a golf cart accidentally ran over her older sister Stacy, killing her.^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[7]

Career

Siebel Newsom and Governor Newsom presenting the 2019 inductees in the California Hall of Fame.

In 2002, Siebel Newsom moved to Hollywood, where she concentrated on building her acting career.^[7] Siebel Newsom earned many roles in television, film, and theater. She has appeared on such television shows as Life, Mad Men, Strong Medicine, and Numb3rs.

Miss Representation premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to mostly positive reviews.^[11] The film went on to screen at numerous other festivals, including the San Francisco International Film Festival, Athena Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Palo Alto International Film Festival. The film interweaves stories from teenage girls with interviews with, among others, Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rosario Dawson, and Gloria Steinem discussing the media and its message regarding women.^[12] On February 10, 2011, Oprah Winfrey announced that she had acquired the film for the OWN Documentary Film Club.^[13]

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.^[14][15] Her third film was The Great American Lie.^[16] She directed the documentary film Fair Play in 2022.

Siebel Newsom co-founded The Representation Project, an organization which works to end gender stereotypes.^[17] The Representation Project's board members include Jan Yanehiro, Nathan Ballard, Susie McCormick, and Maureen Pelton.^[18][19][20] 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.^[21] While the practice is allowed by California law, outside ethics experts expressed concerns about conflicts of interest; a spokesperson for The Representation Project said Siebel Newsom had not overseen fundraising since 2015.^[21]

Personal life

In the early 2000s, Siebel Newsom dated actor George Clooney.^[7][22][23]

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.^[1] The couple announced their engagement in January 2008.^[1] Jennifer and Gavin wed in July of the same year at her parents' ranch in Stevensville, Montana. The Newsoms have four children.^{[24][25][26][27]}

In 2011, Siebel Newsom and her family moved from San Francisco to Kentfield, where she had grown up.^[28] In 2019, Siebel Newsom and her family moved to Fair Oaks, California.^[29]

Her sister, Melissa Siebel, is married to Joshua Irwing Schiller, son of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP co-founder Jonathan Schiller.^[30]

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".^[31]

Siebel Newsom was one of several accusers against Harvey Weinstein in his 2022 Los Angeles criminal rape and sexual assault trial.^[32] 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.^[33] Weinstein's attorney claimed what took place was "consensual, transactional sex".^[34] The jury was unable to reach a verdict on Newsom's accusation and that of one of his other accusers. A mistrial was declared on those charges. However, the jury found Weinstein guilty on three counts pertaining to a third accuser, an Italian model and actress. Weinstein, who was already two years into a 23-year sentence for a rape and sexual assault conviction in New York, faced a 24-year sentence for the Los Angeles verdict as of December 2022.^[35]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Hades Night	Klara
	Something's Gotta Give	Younger Woman in Market
2004	Dinocroc	Gereco Receptionist
	Zen Noir	Nora
	American Daylight	Zelda
2005	Raw Footage	Monica
	Rent	Receptionist
2006	Late Night Girls	Julie
2007	Fall Guy: The John Stewart Story	Sharon Stone
	The Trouble with Romance	Jill
	Bone Dry	Wife
	In the Valley of Elah	Jodie
2008	April Fool's Day	Barbie	Direct-to-DVD
2009	Aliens on Crack	Pooty
	Down for Life	Ms. Hardwicke
	The Magnificent Cooly-T	Sammy
2010	Tales of an Ancient Empire	Queen Ma'at
2017	She's Out of His Mind	Judy
TBA	Sleeping with the Lion	Coral

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	She Spies	Woman #2	Episode: "First Episode"
	Presidio Med	Cyndy Lloyd	4 episodes
2003	Strong Medicine	Nancy Donahue	Episode: "Misdiagnosis Murder"
	The Proud Family	The Counselor	Episode: "The Camp, the Counselor, the Mole and the Rock"
2004	Cracking Up	Trish	Episode: "Grudge Match"
2005	Numbers	Diane Rausch	Episode: "Bettor or Worse"
2007–2008	Life	Jennifer Conover	9 episodes
2008	Mad Men	Juanita Carson	Episode: "For Those Who Think Young"
	The Nanny Express	Pam	Television film
2009	Trauma	Stephanie	Episode: "Pilot"
2010	The Glades	Stephanie Chapman	2 episodes

Notes

References

1. Zinko, Carolyne (January 1, 2008). "Mayor Newsom, Jennifer Siebel engaged to be married - SFGate". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
2. "Jennifer L Siebel, Born 06/19/1974 in California | CaliforniaBirthIndex.org". californiabirthindex.org.
3. "Must Reads: Jennifer Siebel Newsom will be California's 'first partner.' Her agenda is cultural change". Los Angeles Times. November 24, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
4. "First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom". California Governor. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
5. "First Families of California". governors.library.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
6. Fantozzi, Joanna. "The 24 richest suburbs in America". Business Insider. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
7. Maddan, Heather (March 11, 2007). "Girlfriend, uninterrupted / Actress Jennifer Siebel is standing by her man, who happens to be Mayor Gavin Newsom, and says there's no trouble in their romance". SFGate.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
8. Bigelow, Catherine (June 17, 2007). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle (Society column).
9. Luna, Taryn (June 15, 2023). "Trauma Has Shaped Jennifer Siebel Newsom's Life. Now It Helps Fuel Her Work for California". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
10. Ashley, Beth (2007-04-09). "S.F. mayor's girlfriend offers glimpse into her life and career". Marin Independent Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01.
11. "Miss Representation (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Directed By: Jennifer Siebel Newsom
12. "Miss Representation" (Official film website).
13. "OWN Acquires Miss Representation for OWNs Documentary Film Club". Oprah.com. February 10, 2011. Directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the Sundance Film Festival favorite is the 11th documentary acquisition for OWN.
14. "The Mask You Live In by Jennifer Siebel Newsom — Kickstarter". August 8, 2013.
15. Scheck, Frank (January 26, 2015). "The Mask You Live In': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
16. Canfield, David (January 31, 2015). "Meet the 2015 Sundance Filmmakers #79: In 'The Mask You Live In,' Jennifer Siebel Newsom Confronts Our Narrow Definition of Masculinity". Indiewire. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
17. "Home". The Representation Project. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
18. "Our Mission". The Representation Project. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
19. Russell, Kaitlyn (February 25, 2015). "From the red carpet to college campuses, #AskHerMore inspires gender equality". USA Today. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
20. Bigelow, Catherine (February 26, 2015). "Miss Bigelow: Choices fundraiser shadowed by loss of Merla Zellerbach". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
21. Williams, Lance (3 June 2021). "Exclusive: Companies lobbying Gavin Newsom help fund his wife's nonprofit — and her salary". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
22. "S.F. mayor's girlfriend offers glimpse into her life and career". Marin Independent Journal. April 9, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
23. Marinucci, Carla (March 27, 2015). "Jennifer Siebel Newson a leader of new generation of feminists". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
24. Knight, Heather (September 19, 2009). "Newsoms welcome daughter Montana". San Francisco Chronicle. Montana Tessa Siebel Newsom, the first child for the mayor and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, was born at 12:39 p.m. Friday.
25. Jones, Carolyn (June 13, 2011). "Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's baby boy Hunter born". San Francisco Chronicle. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, gave birth Sunday morning to an 8-pound, 4-ounce boy
26. Andrew Dalton (July 5, 2013). "Newsom Clan Adds Third Offspring". SFist.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
27. Vince Cestone (February 26, 2016). "Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom celebrates birth of his baby boy". KRON4.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
28. Jones, Carolyn (June 13, 2011). "Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's baby boy Hunter born". San Francisco Chronicle.
29. Sheeler, Andrew (May 31, 2019). "More Bay Area transplants: Gavin Newson bought Sacramento's most expensive home in 2019". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
30. Schwartz, Brian (2021-09-10). "Boies Schiller law firm loses several attorneys over issues involving Harvey Weinstein, Elizabeth Holmes, founder's kids". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
31. "Newsom's girlfriend stumbles into wrong party". SFGate.com. April 23, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
32. Dalton, Andrew (10 October 2022). "California governor's wife among accusers at Weinstein trial". apnews.com. The Associated Press. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
33. Salahieh, Nouran (14 November 2022). "Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, takes the stand in Harvey Weinstein trial". CNN. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
34. Mossburg, Nouran Salahieh,Cheri (2022-12-14). "A Los Angeles jury to deliberate for a 10th day Monday in Harvey Weinstein's 2nd sexual assault trial". CNN. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
35. Dalton, Andrew (December 19, 2022). "Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty of Rape in Los Angeles Trial". Time. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.

External links

• Jennifer Siebel Newsom – Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
• Jennifer Siebel Newsom at IMDb
• Jennifer Siebel Newsom on Facebook

Honorary titles
Preceded by Laura Maldonado	Second Lady of California January 10, 2011 – January 7, 2019	Succeeded by Markos Kounalakis (as Second Gentleman)
Preceded by Anne Gust Brown	First Partner of California January 7, 2019 – present	Incumbent