Fox News on Wednesday celebrated its 30th year on air, and Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom responded by “gifting” the conservative network a $787 million lawsuit. Newsom, who has said he’s considering a presidential run in 2028, wrote on social media: “My little gift to you is a defamation lawsuit giving us the chance to see your emails, texts, edits, and the instructions.”
Newsom added, “Discovery is going to be FUN. Almost as fun as your depositions. Under oath.”
[Note: Newsom filed a lawsuit against Fox News and host Jesse Watters in June 2025, and accused Watters of falsely claiming that Newsom had lied about a phone call with President Donald Trump during a dispute over the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members in Los Angeles and showed deceptively edited clips.]
Happy 30th Birthday, @FoxNews!
My little gift to you is a defamation lawsuit giving us the chance to see your emails, texts, edits, and the instructions.
Discovery is going to be FUN. Almost as fun as your depositions. Under oath.
Have a GREAT “fair and balanced” birthday!
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 8, 2026
After Newsom filed the lawsuit, Watters apologized on-air and said the Governor “didn’t deceive anybody on purpose. So I’m sorry, he wasn’t lying. He was just confusing and unclear.”
Fox News filed a motion to dismiss the case, but Delaware Superior Court Judge Sean P. Lugg denied the motion, ruling it “reasonably conceivable” that the network knowingly aired false statements.
The $787 million echoes the amount Fox News paid to settle a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems in April 2023 to avoid a trial centered on Fox’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election.
The Gavin C. Newsom v Fox News Network lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial on March 6, 2028 — during the 2028 presidential primaries.