Mother’s Death

Born to immigrant parents, Kimberly Guilfoyle endured many struggles to get to where she is today as one of the Republican Party’s elite. One of Guilfoyle’s earliest hardships was the loss of her beloved mother to leukemia, which led to her taking care of her younger brother and assuming adult responsibilities while still a child.

Guilfoyle worked as a model throughout college, which her opponents used against her when she entered the legal profession. After graduation, Guilfoyle finally secured a job at the San Francisco district attorney’s office where she had previously interned, but she was soon fired when an opposing district attorney took over the office.

Given Guilfoyle’s current status in the Republican Party, you might be surprised to learn she was once married to Democrat and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Although the couple was seen as a political power couple, they announced their split in 2005, partly because of Newsom’s affair with his then-secretary Ruby Rippey-Tourk.

While working as the prosecutor for a high-profile case in which a man's dog mauled a woman to death, Guilfoyle received threats to her life. In her words, "I had a contract out on my life to have me killed […] I stayed on the case [wore a] bulletproof vest … and managed to survive and convict and persevere.”

Second Marriage

Guilfoyle quickly remarried after her divorce, this time sealing the deal with Eric Villency, a furniture mogul. The two had a son, Ronan, together, but ultimately called it quits four years later. Although the pair divorced, Guilfoyle says they’re friendly, saying, “Even when people don’t stay married, they can still be a family together.”