Gavin Newsom’s Wife Jennifer Says Agent Told Her to Hide Stanford Degree While Auditioning for “Mad Men”

Paloma ChavezThu, March 5, 2026 at 6:40 PM UTC

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Jennifer Siebel Newsom talks to Bloomberg (left); Jennifer in 'Mad Men' (right)Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty; Amazon Prime -

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, opened up about her acting career and political views during an interview with Bloomberg's Emily Chang

The first partner of California, an actress and documentarian, revealed that her agent once encouraged her to dumb down her résumé and lie about her age while auditioning for "trophy wife" roles

“I didn’t want to pretend to be someone I wasn’t,” Siebel Newsom said

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, sat down with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang and discussed switching political parties and her acting career.

During an episode of Chang’s show, The Circuit, Siebel Newsom, 51, discussed her acting career, which included playing Juanita Carson in an episode of the ABC television series Mad Men.

“You got type cast as a trophy wife… and is it true that your agent wanted you to take Stanford off your resume so you wouldn’t seem smart?” Chang asked.

“Yes and to lie about my age,” Siebel Newsom replied, “which I didn’t do either… Those are my values and I was proud of my Stanford MBA and my Stanford undergraduate.”

“I didn’t want to pretend to be someone I wasn’t,” she added.

After appearing on Mad Men, Siebel Newsom wrote and directed Miss Representation, a 2011 documentary about women from the U.S., including Katie Couric and Gloria Steinem, that explored sexism in American society and the media.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom and California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom attends the 2018 Breakthrough Prize at NASA Ames Research Center on December 3, 2017.Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty

Chang also asked Siebel Newsom, who refers to herself as the first partner of California, about her political transformation over the years.

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“You used to be a registered Republican,” Chang noted.

Siebel Newsom said she was “raised in a conservative household” in the Reagan era. “Then I tried to be the version of 'decline to state,' but went Independent instead and made that mistake,” she said.

In California, independent-minded voters often register as "No Party Preference," which used to be called "Decline to State." Some independent voters erroneously register as members of California's American Independent Party, which is a conservative-leaning party.

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Siebel Newsom clarified that today, she considers herself “100% a progressive, a Democrat.”

Siebel Newsom also said her parents respect her husband, noting that they appreciate Gov. Newsom's entrepreneurial spirit and political approach.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”