Halle Berry did not hold back on Wednesday — and California Governor Gavin Newsom walked straight into the blast zone.
Just moments before Newsom appeared onstage at the star-studded New York Times DealBook Summit, the Oscar-winning actress, 59, publicly rebuked him for vetoing a menopause bill she had spent years championing.
Berry accused Newsom of “devaluing” women and said his actions make him unfit to lead the country if he runs for president in 2028 — something he has openly been considering.
“Back in my great state of California, my very own governor, Gavin Newsom, vetoed our menopause bill — not once, but two years in a row,” Berry said, her voice firm with frustration.
“But that’s okay. He won’t be governor forever. And the way he has overlooked women — half the population — by devaluing us? He probably shouldn’t be our next president either.”
What the Menopause Bill Would Have Done
The bipartisan Menopause Care Equity Act would have:
- Required comprehensive insurance coverage for menopause and perimenopause treatment
- Mandated a menopause-focused curriculum for the California Medical Board
- Required doctors to undergo ongoing menopause-related education
A sweeping bill aimed at transforming women’s health care — vetoed twice.
Representatives for both Berry and Newsom did not respond to requests for comment.
Berry’s Advocacy: Born From Misdiagnosis and Frustration
Berry has become one of Hollywood’s strongest voices for menopausal and perimenopausal women. In 2024, she revealed she had been unknowingly in perimenopause for ten years, repeatedly misdiagnosed as having herpes.
Most women enter menopause between 45 and 55 as estrogen levels drop. The experience often brings:
- hot flashes
- insomnia
- headaches
- mood swings
- inability to concentrate
- changes in skin and hair
Despite being universal, Berry argues, menopause remains stigmatized.
Last year, she proudly stood at the U.S. Capitol alongside bipartisan lawmakers pushing for $275 million in menopause research and education.
“The shame has to be taken out of menopause,” she said. “Our doctors can’t even say the word, let alone guide us through the journey.”
“Women My Age Are Devalued”
At DealBook, Berry spoke passionately about how she is fighting to give future generations better information, compassion, and support.
“In 2025, women navigating midlife are still overlooked,” she said. “Women my age are simply devalued in this country.”
Approaching 60, she said, society acts as though women disappear.
“Our culture thinks that at 59, I am past my prime,” Berry said. “Women are pressured to stay forever 35… complimented for ‘aging backward,’ as if that’s even possible.”
Even she, a Hollywood icon, feels the pressure to look younger to stay “seen, relevant, desirable.”
A Childhood Memory That Sparked a Lifetime of Strength
Berry ended her remarks with a deeply personal story — one that shaped the way she stands up for herself, and for other women.
As a young girl in Cleveland, she was beaten up by kids as she stepped off a school bus.
Left shirtless in the street while others laughed, she felt humiliated, powerless.
“I just said, okay, I deserve it,” she recalled — until something shifted inside her.
“That walk home changed me. I said: No. I’m never going to allow this again. I’m never not going to stand up for myself.”
And from the sixth grade onward, she said, she has refused to be mistreated in any way.
