Katie Couric Gets Roasted For Asking Gavin Newsom If He’s “Too Good-Looking” [WATCH]

Journalist Katie Couric faced criticism online after a recent podcast interview with California Gov. Gavin Newsom included questions about the governor’s appearance that some viewers described as unusually flattering, as reported by The New York Post.

The exchange occurred during an episode of Couric’s podcast “Next Question,” where the former television anchor interviewed Newsom about political issues and his leadership in California.

During the conversation, Couric asked Newsom whether his appearance had ever been an obstacle in politics.

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“Do you have a ‘Zoolander’ problem?” Couric asked, referencing the 2001 comedy film starring Ben Stiller that centers on male fashion models.

Both Couric and Newsom laughed following the remark. Newsom then pursed his lips in an apparent attempt to mimic Stiller’s well-known “Blue Steel” modeling expression from the movie.

Couric followed up with another question about Newsom’s appearance.

“Are you just ridiculously good-looking, as Vogue said? No, seriously, what do you do about that?” Couric asked.

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Newsom responded to the question by saying he has avoided attempts to change his personal style to fit a particular political image.

“You don’t do anything about it because if you’re gonna do something about it, then you’re bulls–ting people. You know what, I am who I am, and it’s fine,” Newsom said.

“You don’t have to like me, or maybe you like a slick person, I don’t know. Whatever, it’s okay.”

Close your eyes and picture Hunter Biden. They are the same guy. Confident, tone deaf and dumb https://t.co/rGo8KUvxl8

— Adam Carolla (@adamcarolla) March 6, 2026

The exchange quickly circulated on social media, where critics responded to the clip and questioned the focus of the discussion.

Podcast host Megyn Kelly commented on the interview in a post on X.

“I’m 100% sure she would ask the same of @JDVance, naturally, of course,” Kelly wrote.

I’m 100% sure she would ask the same of @JDVance, naturally, of course https://t.co/StLVCweMWP

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) March 5, 2026

Fox News contributor Joe Concha also criticized the moment, writing, “Katie has the audacity to lecture people on what real journalism is.”

Katie has the audacity to lecture people on what real journalism is. If Acosta had an older sister… https://t.co/wS6yAuToHr

— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) March 5, 2026

The interview later acknowledged topics that were not addressed during the discussion. According to the report, Couric noted several issues she did not raise with the governor during the interview.

Among the subjects mentioned were “the LA wildfires, contraction and corporate consolidation in Hollywood, homelessness, the coming AI apocalypse, to name a few.”

Despite the attention surrounding the exchange about Newsom’s appearance, Couric also pressed the governor on economic and education issues affecting California later in the episode.

During that portion of the interview, she referenced data related to poverty and employment in the state.

“The highest poverty rate, tied with Louisiana; the highest unemployment; and as Nick Kristof of the New York Times recently wrote, Mississippi schools outperform California schools, especially for poor kids,” Couric said.

“Now people see that or hear that or read that, and they’re like, ‘No thanks, California. No thanks, Gavin Newsom. We’re good,’” she added.

Newsom responded by defending California’s economic and social record, arguing that the state’s poverty rate is comparable to several others when measured using supplemental data.

“Our poverty rate’s about average. And we’re right up there with Florida, Louisiana, and others with the supplemental poverty rate, which has been the case for 40 years,” Newsom said.

“And the original sin there is housing, which has been a problem in California since Ronald Reagan left office as governor. And we simply have a supply-demand imbalance.”

Newsom has served as governor of California since 2019 and has frequently been mentioned as a potential future presidential candidate. The podcast exchange added to ongoing discussions online about the role of media interviews and the tone taken by journalists when questioning public officials.

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