Ruby Rippey, Gavin Newsom's ex-lover, is finally talking after nearly two decades of silence.
The former aide to California's governor just dropped a jaw-dropping account of their months-long extramarital relationship, and the details are absolutely wild. According to this report, Rippey describes alcohol-drenched secret rendezvous that took place while she worked in Newsom's office during his time running San Francisco as mayor. Oh, and here's the kicker: her husband at the time was Newsom's own chief of staff and closest friend.
But that's not even the spiciest part. Rippey claims that Kamala Harris, who served as San Francisco's District Attorney back then, personally reached out to convince her to stay quiet after the scandal blew up in 2007. When Rippey was thinking about putting her story in a memoir, Harris allegedly called and told her not to say anything, advising her to "just pause" because more time would offer "better perspective." Rippey took that counsel to heart for close to twenty years.
The whole saga reportedly started in the summer of 2005. Newsom had recently split from his first wife, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Rippey was working on his staff. She recounted the very first night, saying she'd been drinking heavily at a colleague's wedding before leaving with Newsom in his chauffeured vehicle and ending up at a hotel. She wrote that she woke up the following morning beside him, still in her clothes, having passed out and wet the bed. She bolted back home to her husband and their infant son. Days later, a gold bracelet she'd left behind appeared on her desk. Newsom had returned it.
From that point on, things escalated fast. Rippey admitted she would check Newsom's schedule looking for chances to cross his path. Soon he was texting her, asking where she was. She described meeting him at his penthouse in Russian Hill, a private back room at a North Beach bar, and the W Hotel in Los Angeles. For months, the two kept up their drinking and their secret encounters.
Eventually, Rippey checked into rehab and her marriage crumbled. Newsom, meanwhile, characterized the whole thing in his own memoir as "the briefest of affairs." He publicly confirmed the relationship in 2007, acknowledged that all the reports were accurate, and sought treatment for his own alcohol issues. Then he cruised to reelection and kept climbing the political ladder.
Rippey now takes ownership of her role in what happened, acknowledging her struggles with alcohol. But she made one pointed observation that cuts deep. The person who holds power, she argued, bears greater responsibility to maintain boundaries, and that simply did not occur.
The timing of this revelation could not be worse for Newsom. His governorship is winding down and political insiders widely believe he's eyeing a 2028 presidential campaign after years of building his progressive brand. This renewed spotlight on his personal conduct arrives at precisely the moment he can least afford it.
Rippey's choice to finally share her full story, after following Harris's advice for so long, also raises uncomfortable questions about how many other inconvenient narratives top Democrats have quietly managed to keep tucked away. One thing is certain: this is going to follow Newsom wherever he goes next.
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