Ruby Rippey, who had a public affair with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, has come forward to dispute details of their past relationship as recounted in Newsom's memoir. Rippey, a former aide to Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco, appeared publicly shortly after her essay detailing the affair was published.
Rippey stated that Newsom's description of their relationship in his memoir, "Young Man in a Hurry," as "the stupidest and also briefest of affairs," does not align with her experience. She contends that the affair lasted longer than Newsom portrayed and involved encounters in multiple locations, including overnight stays. Rippey also challenged Newsom's account of how her then-husband, Alex Tourk, learned about the affair, suggesting Newsom did not disclose it as truthfully as his memoir implies.
"That detail—subtle but significant—is the one that stays with me," Rippey wrote. "It reads—to me, at least—as a version of events that gives him credit for something I had already done. Technically defensible, perhaps, but one that leaves the unmistakable impression that he, not I, was the one who told Alex the truth."
The affair, which began in 2005, occurred while Newsom was separated from his then-wife, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Rippey was married to Tourk, Newsom's campaign manager. Rippey acknowledged her willingness to enter the relationship but later reflected on the power dynamics involved, stating, "Power does not need to coerce. It only needs to exist." She added, "The responsibility to hold the line belongs to the one who holds it. That didn’t happen. But I didn’t stumble into the space left open—I saw a possibility and went for it."
Rippey also revealed that Kamala Harris, then San Francisco's district attorney, privately advised her to remain silent after the scandal broke. According to Rippey's essay, Harris told her, "Just pause. More time will give you better perspective."
During the initial scandal, Newsom publicly apologized for his "personal lapse of judgment." His then-girlfriend, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, initially placed blame on Rippey, calling her the "culprit" and alleging she showed up "passed out outside of his door." Siebel Newsom later apologized for these comments.
Newsom's office has declined to comment on Rippey's recent essay. Rippey, who has since remarried and is sober, stated that she and her family have repaired relationships.