"It’s not a place everyone comes for therapy" — California governor Gavin Newsom set to launch his own podcast inspired by Bill Maher’s HBO show

California governor Gavin Newsom is starting a new podcast of his own. He announced the same on his Instagram account on February 26. Additionally, as per Politico's February 26 report, he claimed that six people had secretly consented to accompany him, but he would not reveal their identities.

Nevertheless, as per the same Politico report, he gave just one clue: "Observe the CPAC lineup." For the uninitiated, CPAC, or the Conservative Political Action Conference, is an annual political gathering that conservative officials and activists from all across the country attend.

Talking about the same and describing the theme of the podcast, Gavin Newsom stated:

“I’m here to stress test positions, including my own, in a more transparent manner.. It’s not a place everyone comes for therapy. I’m not looking to just give the orthodoxy — progressive and liberal talking points.”

As per the same Politico report, the show will reportedly follow the format of Bill Maher’s HBO show, Real Time. It had a panel of guests who used to talk about current topics of media and politics. The panel further included a few actors and celebrities, and more experts, including journalists, professors, and politicians.

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Gavin Newsom announced the launch of the podcast on his Instagram page

Soon, California Governor Gavin Newsom will host his new podcast, where he will reportedly engage with MAGA figures, candidly have discussions with Democrats, and provide updates on important policy issues.

As per the Politico report, the new podcast, named This is Gavin Newsom, is produced by iHeartPodcasts. Notably, Newsom already has a podcast, Politickin', featuring his friends Marshawn Lynch, the former NFL star, and Doug Hendrickson.

Newsom claimed he would be able to talk about politics far more in his eponymous interview format. Describing the theme of the podcast, Gavin Newsom stated:

“There are so many outstanding people doing that, like our gifted professionals. I add no value in that space. I’m a redundant voice … But what I think I can offer is as a practitioner... I’m in it as much or more than most elected officials in this country, because I’m in the largest state."

He continued:

“I’m in a state that’s deeply on the mind of the administration. I’m in a state that is profoundly critical to the fate and future as it relates to some of the most critical industries like artificial intelligence, and obviously in this remarkable moment as it relates to geopolitical re-calibration.”

Additionally, talking about the same in an Instagram video, which he uploaded on his channel on February 26, Gavin Newsom stated:

“The idea is to find consensus, both in in-person opportunities, but also creating this new platform to create online opportunities, on re-imagining the future of your community, focusing on public safety, wildfire safety, to make sure we rebuild with more resilience. The online participation platform is engaged.ca.gov. We hope you could participate.”

Governor Gavin Newsom further added in the same video:

“So the whole idea of this platform is to create additional opportunities for you to directly engage, to hold the government accountable, to make sure that your ideas are actionable, and that we are responding in real time.”

Even though he did not say anything about the lineup, he asked his audience to look at the CPAC lineup for 2025. The speakers for the conference included Elon Musk, Liz Truss, Matt Schlapp, Mercedes Schlapp, Rick Scott, JD Vance, and Donald Trump. Argentine President Javier Milei was also there.

Other members were Elise Stefanik, Ted Cruz, Nigel Farage, Ben Shapiro, and Santiago Abascal. Additionally, speakers like Savannah Chrisley, Byron Donalds, Dr. Robert Malone, Steve Bannon, Megyn Kelly, Eric Schmitt, and Mark Levin attended the event.