- California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Trump advisor Kimberly Guilfoyle were married from 2001 to 2006.
- They stayed friends after their divorce, even when Guilfoyle began dating Donald Trump Jr. in 2018.
- They've exchanged barbs in the media in recent years, and, as of 2022, they're no longer in touch.
When political power couple Gavin Newsom and Kimberly Guilfoyle announced their divorce in 2005, they said in a joint statement that they would stay "close friends."
Newsom went on to become governor of California and was floated as a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, while Guilfoyle became a conservative influencer and advisor in the Trump White House when she began dating his son, Donald Trump Jr.
Despite their political differences, Guilfoyle and Newsom remained friends for years until things began to deteriorate around the 2020 presidential election.
Here's what Newsom and Guilfoyle have said publicly about each other through the years.
Gavin Newsom and Kimberly Guilfoyle jointly filed for divorce in January 2005, saying in a statement that they would remain "close friends."
Newsom and Guilfoyle announced the end of their marriage in a joint statement attributing the split to "the demands of our respective careers," The San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time.
The couple also shared that the "tremendous bond of love and respect for each other" would "never change."
In November 2005, they reunited for a series of events, sparking reports that they had gotten back together.
Guilfoyle attended Newsom's birthday party, accompanied him to a golf championship, and stood by his side during a royal visit with then-Prince Charles and Camilla, prompting The San Francisco Chronicle to question if Guilfoyle and Newsom's marriage was "on-again, off again."
When former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown asked about his marital status at the royal gathering, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Newsom replied, "I have a very confusing life."
When asked if she and Newsom had gotten back together, Guilfoyle told the Chronicle: "If I was standing back and looking at the situation, I would say it went great — these two people obviously love each other and get along very well. But I don't have an answer for you. We are not back together."
When their divorce was finalized in March 2006, Guilfoyle said that she and Newsom were "very close, and we're going to remain that way."
Guilfoyle described the divorce as amicable, telling The San Francisco Chronicle that she and Newsom had used the same lawyer.
Guilfoyle spoke highly of Newsom during his 2018 campaign for governor of California.
Guilfoyle called Newsom "an amazing 'ideas guy' in terms of having an idea, developing it and seeing it to fruition" in a 2017 profile in The Sacramento Bee.
She also recalled his dedication to an array of small businesses he operated, including wine shops, bars, and cafés. Guilfoyle told The Sacramento Bee that Newsom handled "everything from food selection and menus" to "all of the personnel decisions."
Newsom publicly addressed Guilfoyle's relationship with Donald Trump Jr. for the first time in September 2018, saying "I wish her well."
Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. went public with their relationship in May 2018.
In an interview with KQED host Lily Jamali, Newsom said that he was "still trying to come to grips with all of it" but that he wished the couple "well."
He added that he and Guilfoyle "see the world, clearly, with a different set of eyes politically."
In an interview with The Washington Post, Guilfoyle said that she put Newsom and Trump Jr. on the phone with each other.
Guilfoyle told The Washington Post in August 2018 that she joked with Newsom about directing Trump Jr. to campaign against his bid for governor, and that the two men discussed the hair products they use to keep their styles intact.
"Gav's hair is slicked back, and Don's hair is slicked back," she said.
Guilfoyle also recalled campaigning alongside Newsom during his race for mayor of San Francisco, attending "six hundred house parties, group community meetings and fundraisers with him in one year."
Newsom said "life's interesting" when asked about his past with Guilfoyle in March 2019.
In an interview on PROFILE by BuzzFeed News, Newsom was asked if Trump has ever mentioned his past marriage to Guilfoyle in their conversations.
"We may have had a private moment on that conversation, which in and of itself, makes life just interesting," Newsom said.
When host Ben Smith asked Newsom for details, he simply said, "Life's interesting."
Newsom declined to comment after Guilfoyle derided California in her speech at the Republican National Convention in August 2020.
In her speech, Guilfoyle pointed to California as an example of "the Socialist Biden Harris future for our country," calling the state "a place of immense wealth, immeasurable innovation, and immaculate environment" that Democrats turned into "a land of discarded heroin needles in parks, riots in streets, and blackouts in homes."
When asked if he had a response by Fox News host Elex Michaelson, the California governor said that he would "respectfully defer to the next question."
In September 2022, Newsom said that he and Guilfoyle were no longer in touch.
MSNBC host Alex Wagner asked if he and Guilfoyle were still in contact with each other.
"Nope. Not lately," Newsom replied.
Wagner then commented on how "weird" it must be for Newsom to see where Guilfoyle is today, which Newsom agreed with.
Guilfoyle appeared to reference Newsom's rumored White House aspirations during a speech in December 2022, saying "he ain't making it to the White House."
Amid speculation that Newsom could run for president in 2024 if President Joe Biden didn't seek a second term, Guilfoyle appeared to allude to her past with Newsom in a speech at Turning Points USA.
"In California, they have vowed to get rid of gas-powered cars with no explanation of how they are going to fund and power alternatives," Guilfoyle said. "A bunch of winners over there, folks. Ask me how I know."
"He ain't making it to the White House," she added, seemingly referring to Newsom.
In February 2023, Newsom said that Guilfoyle was a "different person" during their marriage.
Newsom told David Axelrod on CNN's "The Axe Files" that Guilfoyle was a "whip-smart" lawyer who had "a prosecutorial mindset." He also said that she was "spending a lot of time in Democratic circles" during their marriage, citing her work for a progressive district attorney and former friendship with fellow California attorney Kamala Harris, who went on to become vice president.
It was when she began working at Fox News, he said, that she "fell prey" to the "culture" at the network. He added that Guilfoyle would likely "disagree with that assessment" and say that she'd "found the light" instead.
Guilfoyle called Newsom's comments "absurd" and said that he is "unrecognizable."
Guilfoyle responded to Newsom's comments on "The Charlie Kirk Show," lamenting how the "radical left" had changed him and saying that she had previously admired his pro-business policies. She also clarified that she was a registered Republican throughout their relationship.
Guilfoyle added that Newsom "wants very badly" to be president and predicted that he would run in 2024. Newsom did not end up launching a presidential campaign and supports Biden's reelection bid, but his star has continued to rise in the Democratic party.
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