Jennifer Siebel Newsom

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.

Jennifer 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. 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.

Career

In 2002, Siebel Newsom moved to Hollywood, where she concentrated on building her acting career. 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. 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. On February 10, 2011, Oprah Winfrey announced that she had acquired the film for the OWN Documentary Film Club. Funding for the film included contributions from corporations like Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which donated to The Representation Project, the nonprofit behind Siebel Newsom’s filmmaking efforts.

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.

Siebel Newsom co-founded The Representation Project, an organization which works to end gender stereotypes. 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. 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.

Personal life

In the early 2000s, Siebel Newsom dated actor George Clooney.

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. They wed in July of the same year at her parents' ranch in Stevensville, Montana, and have four children.

In 2011, Siebel Newsom and her family moved from San Francisco to Kentfield, where she had grown up. 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 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. In 2021, Rose McGowan claimed Siebel Newsom tried to bribe McGowan in 2017 to stay quiet on Weinstein.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

References

1. "Jennifer L Siebel, Born 06/19/1974 in California {{!}} CaliforniaBirthIndex.org".
2. (November 24, 2018). "Must Reads: Jennifer Siebel Newsom will be California's 'first partner.' Her agenda is cultural change".
3. "First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom".
4. "First Families of California".
5. Fantozzi, Joanna. "The 24 richest suburbs in America".
6. 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". [[San Francisco Chronicle.
7. Bigelow, Catherine. (June 17, 2007). "Swells". [[San Francisco Chronicle]].
8. "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.
9. Luna, Taryn. (June 15, 2023). "Trauma Has Shaped Jennifer Siebel Newsom's Life. Now It Helps Fuel Her Work for California.".
10. (2007-04-09). "S.F. mayor's girlfriend offers glimpse into her life and career". Marin Independent Journal.
11. Williams, Lance. (June 3, 2021). "Exclusive: Companies lobbying Gavin Newsom help fund his wife's nonprofit — and her salary".
12. (January 26, 2015). "The Mask You Live In': Sundance Review".
13. (January 31, 2015). "Meet the 2015 Sundance Filmmakers #79: In 'The Mask You Live In,' Jennifer Siebel Newsom Confronts Our Narrow Definition of Masculinity".
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17. Bigelow, Catherine. (February 26, 2015). "Miss Bigelow: Choices fundraiser shadowed by loss of Merla Zellerbach". [[San Francisco Chronicle]].
18. Williams, Lance. (3 June 2021). "Exclusive: Companies lobbying Gavin Newsom help fund his wife's nonprofit — and her salary".
19. (April 9, 2007). "S.F. mayor's girlfriend offers glimpse into her life and career". [[Marin Independent Journal]].
20. Marinucci, Carla. (March 27, 2015). "Jennifer Siebel Newson a leader of new generation of feminists". [[San Francisco Chronicle]].
21. Zinko, Carolyne. (January 1, 2008). "Mayor Newsom, Jennifer Siebel engaged to be married - SFGate". San Francisco Chronicle.
22. Knight, Heather. (September 19, 2009). "Newsoms welcome daughter Montana". San Francisco Chronicle.
23. Jones, Carolyn. (June 13, 2011). "Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's baby boy Hunter born". San Francisco Chronicle.
24. Andrew Dalton. (July 5, 2013). "Newsom Clan Adds Third Offspring". SFist.com.
25. Vince Cestone. (February 26, 2016). "Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom celebrates birth of his baby boy". KRON4.com.
26. Jones, Carolyn. (June 13, 2011). "Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's baby boy Hunter born". San Francisco Chronicle.
27. Sheeler, Andrew. (May 31, 2019). "More Bay Area transplants: Gavin Newson bought Sacramento's most expensive home in 2019". [[The Sacramento Bee]].
28. Schwartz, Brian. (2021-09-10). "Boies Schiller law firm loses several attorneys over issues involving Harvey Weinstein, Elizabeth Holmes, founder's kids".
29. (April 23, 2008). "Newsom's girlfriend stumbles into wrong party". [[San Francisco Chronicle.
30. (10 October 2022). "California governor's wife among accusers at Weinstein trial". The Associated Press.
31. (14 November 2022). "Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, takes the stand in Harvey Weinstein trial".
32. (2022-12-14). "A Los Angeles jury to deliberate for a 10th day Monday in Harvey Weinstein's 2nd sexual assault trial".
33. Dalton, Andrew. (December 19, 2022). "Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty of Rape in Los Angeles Trial".
34. Vlamis A spokesperson for Jennifer Siebel Newsom said McGowan's claim was a "complete fabrication.". "Rose McGowan appeared with Larry Elder and accused Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife of trying to silence her about Harvey Weinstein".
35. (September 13, 2021). "Stumping for Larry Elder, Rose McGowan drums up recall drama by bashing Newsom family".
36. "Miss Representation (2011)".
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38. (February 10, 2011). "OWN Acquires Miss Representation for OWNs Documentary Film Club".