Gavin Newsom’s wife empathized with San Quentin inmates by sharing shocking story of killing her sister

A video making the rounds on social media Tuesday shows Jennifer Siebel Newsom — the proudly woke filmmaker and wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom — detailing how she used the story of accidentally killing her sister as a child to relate to youth offenders in San Quentin state prison.

Siebel Newsom, who was 6 years old at the time of the deadly accident involving a golf cart in Hawaii, says in the video that she blamed herself for her sister Stacey’s death, and the story “shocked” the inmates who were juvenile offenders. 

Siebel Newsom was 6 years old at the time of the deadly accident that killed her sister Stacy. Anadolu via Getty Images

The governor’s wife suggested in the video she was a “blonde lady” with a “similar story” as the inmates, as the incident was a situation of “wrong place, wrong time.” She added that she wasn’t punished “because clearly it was an accident, but there’s was probably an accident, too.” 

The resurfaced video adds to a pattern of candid — and at times cringey — public remarks that have generated headlines and debate over Siebel Newsom’s tone and politics as her husband gears up for an expected presidential campaign in 2028.

In 1981, Siebel Newsom was reportedly playing with her 8-year-old sister, Stacey, near golf carts during a family vacation. A cart Siebel Newsom was in went into reverse, fatally striking her sister, who had been behind the vehicle, according to reports.

The comments suggesting some of the state’s most dangerous offenders were placed in prison by accident are the latest in a string of cringey moments by SIebel Newsom, who has been mocked on social media as tone deaf and out of step.

In a video Siebel Newsom recalled telling prisoners at San Quentin state prison about how she killed her sister. Bloomberg via Getty Images

“Newsom’s wife’s latest virtue signal is telling San Quentin lifers that she faced zero consequences when her sister was killed because it was an accident then telling them their life sentences are probably for “accidents” too,” wrote Riley Gaines, the former collegiate swimmer turned conservative political activist.

Gaines added, “Peak elite tone-deafness.”

Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, deadpanned: “What the …”

A spokesperson for Siebel Newsom declined comment. 

It’s unclear when exactly the video interview of Siebel Newsom occurred, but reports suggest California’s “First Partner” has made multiple trips to San Quentin over the years, including a movie night in 2016 in which she showed her documentary “The Mask You Live In.”

“I quite enjoy spending time with people and being real, and unmasking, and showing them it’s safe to unmask themselves,” Siebel Newsom says in the resurfaced video.

Siebel Newsom’s tragic family story made headlines after a 2023 interview with the Los Angeles Times, when she described experiencing lasting survivor’s guilt and feeling pressure to “be perfect” in the aftermath.

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