California Gov. Gavin Newsom reveals in his upcoming memoir that he was "just going through the motions" during his marriage to Kimberly Guilfoyle, now the U.S. ambassador to Greece.
The book, titled "Young Man in a Hurry," is scheduled for release on Feb. 24 and includes Newsom's admission that he had become "skilled at repressing my feelings" by the time he married Guilfoyle in 2001, when he was mayor of San Francisco.
The revelation offers a striking glimpse into the personal life of a man who has spent decades cultivating a polished political image. For someone eyeing a potential 2028 presidential run, airing this kind of laundry feels calculated rather than confessional.
According to the New York Post, Newsom wrote that "Kimberly allowed me this emotional distance" during their time together. The couple, once dubbed "the New Kennedys," apparently had a courtship that was more contractual than intimate.
Newsom described the lead-up to his wedding as simply going "through all the motions until the motions led me right up to the altar." That's quite the romantic sentiment from a man who wants to lead the free world.
Guilfoyle filed for divorce in 2005, citing the demands of their respective careers while living on opposite coasts. The official explanation sounds reasonable enough until you consider what else was happening behind the scenes.
As the marriage was falling apart, Newsom was having an affair with his then-deputy chief of staff's wife. He describes this infidelity in his memoir as "the worst betrayal of my life."
"I thought of myself as a single guy who happened to be mayor," Newsom wrote. "Had my head been on straight, I would have seen it was the other way around."
The casual way he frames this betrayal is remarkable. Apparently, being mayor of a major American city wasn't enough responsibility to remind him he was also somebody's husband.
Newsom reportedly declined to discuss some of his other romantic entanglements in the memoir. Among them was his relationship with 19-year-old model and college lacrosse star Brittanie Mountz, whom he dated when he was 38 years old.
When pressed about the age gap, Newsom dismissed the relationship to the Times, claiming they "only went on a few dates." That's one way to minimize a nearly two-decade age difference.
The memoir also reveals that Newsom ended his relationship with actress Sofia Milos, known for roles in "The Sopranos" and "CSI," at the direction of oil magnate Gordon Getty. Getty apparently told Newsom that Milos "wasn't suited to him."
Taking romantic advice from a wealthy benefactor isn't exactly the mark of an independent thinker. It suggests a pattern of letting others guide his most personal decisions while presenting himself as a man of conviction.
The timing of this memoir release is no accident. Newsom has been positioning himself for years as the heir apparent to the Democratic Party's national ambitions. Controlling the narrative around his messy personal history is essential groundwork.
Whether voters in 2028 will care about a decades-old divorce and some uncomfortable relationship choices remains to be seen. But the memoir reveals a man who spent years compartmentalizing his personal failures while climbing the political ladder, and that's worth remembering when he asks for a promotion.