Gavin Newsom Says His Son Pushed Him to Publicly Support Andrew Tate: ‘What the Hell Is Going On?’

California Governor Gavin Newsom(D) revealed that his son pushed him to publicly support accused sex trafficker Andrew Tate.

In a wide-ranging interview this week on Vanity Fair , Newsom spoke about 2028 rumors about him, as well as his motivation for starting his podcast, This Is Gavin Newsom , which he said is an effort to reach young men through conversations with sometimes unexpected guests from across the aisle, including the late Charlie Kirk.

According to Newsom, his oldest son , Hunter, first exposed him to the content favorable to President Donald Trumpthat was appealing to young men in the 2024 election.

"When he started talking to me about Andrew Tate, I got nervous," Newsom said.

The governor recalled his son telling him Tate was "innocent" and Newsom should stand by him publicly. He also said his son has been a fan of right-wing figures like Kirk and Jordan Peterson.

"He said, 'Andrew Tate's innocent. Hey, Dad, he's in Florida. He's coming to California. You should be with him.' Like…no? And how do you know about this guy? And then he's talking to me about Charlie Kirk, and he's talking about Jordan Peterson, and I'm like, What the hell is going on? And then I look at his [social media] search, and it's just, like, basketball," Newsom said.

Tate , a former kickboxer who is now a self-proclaimed misogynist known for his online trolling, was formally indicted in Romania on charges including trafficking minors and money laundering earlier this month. His brother Tristan Tatewas also charged. The two are currently being held in a Miami jail and fighting extradition to the U.K. A federal judge recently denied Tate's bid for release. Tate faces 59 charges.

He was first charged with rape, human trafficking, and more in 2023, but that case did not end up moving forward.

Newsom told Vanity Fair he started his podcast to dive into and push back on the "manosphere," of which he sees Tate and others as central to.

"It's the boyosphere," he said. "It's not the manosphere. That's the biggest revelation, and I think it's a profoundly significant distinction."

The post Gavin Newsom Says His Son Pushed Him to Publicly Support Andrew Tate: 'What the Hell Is Going On?' first appeared on Mediaite .