Inside Gavin Newsom’s scandalous fling with a TEENAGER: Cringe nickname… naughty deleted photo… and her cushy new life
The Daily Mail reports on California Governor Gavin Newsom's 2006 relationship with Brittanie Mountz, then a 19-year-old college student, which caused controversy while he was Mayor of San Francisco. The pairing, nicknamed "Mountsome," drew scrutiny after Mountz was photographed with a glass of wine at a political reception despite being under the legal drinking age, and after it emerged she had altered her age on a MySpace profile. The story resurfaces amid renewed attention on Newsom's romantic history following a tell-all memoir by former partner Ruby Rippey-Gibney, in which Newsom, now 58 and viewed as a possible presidential contender, admitted a "lapse in judgment."
The report details what became of Mountz, now 39, who has since changed her legal first name to Rae and works as a couples and relationship therapist offering online sessions in the Bay Area. She is reportedly in a relationship with 34-year-old Mexican actor Andrés B. Durán, known for the podcast series Con Lugar and the Apple TV drama Archivo Muerto, and spends much of her time in Mexico. Court documents obtained by the Mail also show Mountz divorced her former husband, therapist Bryan Newman, in April 2022 after an 18-month marriage, with both sides waiving spousal support.
In short
- Newsom, 38, dated 19-year-old Brittanie Mountz in 2006, sparking controversy.
- Underage wine photo and MySpace age change fuelled the scandal at the time.
- Mountz, now 39, renamed Rae, is a therapist dating a Mexican actor.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
This case raises legitimate questions about judgment and character. A 19-year-old college student occupied a vulnerable position relative to a politician decades her senior and in a position of authority; the documented incidents—her photographed with alcohol whilst underage and altering her age online—suggest either negligence or concerning indifference on his part to problematic circumstances. His own admission of "lapse in judgment" validates these concerns as worthy of examination when assessing someone potentially seeking the nation's highest office.
The case against
This represents opportunistic character assassination of a relationship from two decades ago between two legal adults. A 19-year-old is legally an adult; subjecting past romantic choices to this level of scrutiny establishes a troubling precedent for invasive examination of politicians' private lives unrelated to policy or governance. Such relentless personal-life scrutiny prevents public figures from any private romantic history and diverts attention from the substantive policy questions that should determine fitness for office.
Explained simply
In 2006, Gavin Newsom was mayor of San Francisco, years before becoming governor of California. At the time, he had a relationship with Brittanie Mountz, a 19-year-old college student. Their age difference and her presence at political events attracted media attention; reports also raised questions about her age after she was photographed with wine at a reception and was found to have listed an older age on MySpace.
The episode became part of scrutiny of Newsom’s private life and judgement as a public figure. It has returned to discussion alongside renewed attention to his past relationships, including a memoir by former partner Ruby Rippey-Gibney. Newsom is now a prominent US politician, while Mountz has since changed her first name to Rae and works as a relationship therapist.
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