Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary director and the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, broke down in tears a few minutes into her testimony on Monday when she was asked to identify Harvey Weinstein.
Siebel Newsom testified for 15 minutes before lunch in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom, becoming the fourth woman Weinstein is accused of sexually abusing to take the stand at the former movie mogul’s trial.
When asked by a prosecution if she saw the person in court whom she met in 2005 at the Toronto International Film Festival, she went silent and then bursts into tears before mumbling “yes” into the microphone.
When asked to characterize 70-year-old Weinstein for the record, she pointed toward the defense table where he was seated, began crying, and stated, “He is wearing a suit and a blue tie, and he is glaring at me.”
Siebel Newsom, 48, was “a helpless performer trying to make it in Hollywood” in 2005 when Weinstein raped her at a Beverly Hills hotel where she believed they were meeting to discuss her career, according to Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson’s opening arguments.
First Associate of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom addresses the 4th Annual Women’s March LA: Women Rising on January 18, 2020 in Pershing Square, Los Angeles, California. Getty Pictures
Weinstein’s attorneys claim that the two had consensual sexual relations and that she attempted to promote her career by using the powerful mogul.
Siebel Newsom remembered their first encounter, stating that she was an actor and producer who had appeared in a few tiny roles when she attended the festival in September 2005 with friends from the entertainment sector.
Siebel Newsom testified that as he approached her in a hotel lobby, the crowd started to disperse: “It felt like the Red Sea was parting.” I cannot determine whether it was deference or terror.
She stated that Weinstein, at the height of his Hollywood influence, was the “kingmaker” in the room.
She stated, “I was a bit intimidated.” “He was attractive. He originally acted as though he was extremely curious about me. Perhaps that’s how I felt?”
Later, she and a buddy met him at the hotel bar.
She remarked, “I felt like there was genuine interest in discussing my work.”
Siebel Newsom is referred to at the trial as Jane Doe No. 4, and like the other women Weinstein is accused of raping or sexually assaulting, her name is not stated in court. During the trial, however, both the prosecution and the defense recognized her as the governor’s wife, and Siebel Newsom’s attorney acknowledged to The Associated Press and other news organizations that she is Jane Doe #4.
The Associated Press does not normally identify individuals who allege sexual abuse unless they have come forward publicly.
On October 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California, former film producer Harvey Weinstein (L) interacts with his attorney Mark Werksman in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. ETIENNE LAURENT / Getty
Since becoming a magnet for the #MeToo movement in 2017, Harvey Weinstein has been accused by numerous celebrities, including A-list stars. But none of the women testifying at the Los Angeles trial have had the same prominence as Siebel Newsom, the first wife of the man who won a second term as governor of the nation’s most populous state last week and may compete for president.
“She plans to testify at his trial to seek justice for survivors and as part of her life’s work to improve the lives of women,” her attorney Elizabeth Fegan said in a statement at the beginning of the trial.
During opening arguments, Weinstein’s attorney Mark Werksman described Siebel Newsom as “a very prominent citizen of California” who has made herself “a prominent victim in the #MeToo movement.”
“Otherwise,” added Werksman, “she would be simply another Hollywood bimbo who slept with Harvey Weinstein to advance her career.”
Last week, Daphne Zuniga, star of “Spaceballs” and “Melrose Place,” testified at the trial about her buddy.
Zuniga stated that she and Siebel Newsom were on a hike when Newsom informed Zuniga that she had met with Harvey Weinstein. When asked how the meeting went, Zuniga stated that Siebel Newsom responded, “not good, I don’t want to discuss it.”
“I had always known her to be positive, upbeat, look you in the eye, and have wonderful energy,” Zuniga recalled, but “she appeared upset, fidgety, and anxious here.”
Siebel Newsom, like many other Weinstein accusers, intended to see him in a public area with other people present, but instead found herself alone with him in his suite, according to the prosecution.
Siebel Newsom sent an email to Weinstein in 2007 requesting assistance in dealing with the media with a problem involving her husband, who was mayor of San Francisco at the time. Judge Lisa Lench has permitted the defense to present this email.
Weinstein, who is already serving a 23-year term in New York, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault involving five women. He has denied engaging in nonconsensual sexual activity.