Eyebrow-Raising Details About The Death Of Gavin Newsom's Mother

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California Governor Gavin Newsom has done what many presidential hopefuls before him have too: He wrote a memoir, "Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery." In its pages, the likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender seemed eager to expose his past and shine a light on the many skeletons in his closet on his own terms, instead of allowing his opponents to weaponize them. Newsom has had no shortage of controversial moments, but he dropped a few bombshells in his memoir — and, no, they had nothing to do with Newsom's relationship with ex-wife Kimberly Guilfoyle or why they got divorced. Instead, the politician detailed his complicated relationship with his mother, Tessa Menzies, and how, in the end, he helped her die.

Menzies had aggressive metastatic breast cancer, and after fighting for several years, she chose assisted death. Menzies was still relatively young at the time, just 55, when she left Newsom a voicemail detailing her plans. The year was 2002, and the procedure was still illegal in California. In his book, the governor revealed that he and sister Hilary Newsom Callan were there when the doctor administered the medication to his mother and that her final moments were not at all what he expected. "There was no peace that blanketed her," Newsom sadly clarified.

In fact, he admitted to The Washington Post in 2026 that being by her side as she died was one of the hardest things he's ever done — and he resented Menzies for it. Still, Newsom didn't try to persuade his mom to change her mind. "I hated her for it — to be there for the last breath — for years," Newsom confessed. "I want to say it was a beautiful experience. It was horrible." He even remained at his mother's bedside, crying, long after she'd passed.

Gavin Newsom's relationship with his mother had several ups and downs. It all started when he was just a kid and Tessa Menzies told him to stop trying so hard in school. Newsom's childhood was fraught with tragedy: His parents divorced when he was only 3, and the future politician's struggle with dyslexia gave his confidence a knock early on. Eventually, Newsom's mother reassured him, "[It's] okay to be average." The California governor told Vogue in 2026 that this hurt him deeply, contending, "I had so much resentment, so much hatred, and, frankly, I was feeling that even during the writing. And then I began to understand: She was trying to let me know, Gavin, it's okay to be you."

Newsom has certainly embraced who he is in the years since. In October 2025, the politician confirmed speculation that he was mulling a run for the White House in an interview with CBS News. When asked point blank whether he would seriously consider the possibility once the 2026 midterm elections were over, Newsom reasoned, "Yeah, I'd be lying otherwise." He also acknowledged that it felt pretty surreal to be asked that question, given that he used to be the dyslexic kid who could barely pass his classes.

However, the California governor's late mother probably wouldn't be thrilled with his answer. He revealed that, before she died, she asked him to leave politics behind, and Newsom actually confirmed to The Washington Post that her plea was one of the main reasons he was hesitant to make a bid for the White House. "I think about it any time when things are really going down — that she was right," Newsom shared.