California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office is under fire after social-media replies that mocked conservative commentator Benny Johnson by referencing Grindr. Critics, including prominent conservative lawyer Harmeet K. Dhillon, said the comments used homosexuality as a slur. Newsom’s team defended the posts and derided critics as "conservative snowflakes." The spat unfolds amid a House Oversight probe into alleged hospice fraud in California.
Newsom Press Office’s Grindr Jabs Spark Accusations Of Homophobia
Gavin Newsom greets participants at the San Francisco Pride parade(Getty Images)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s communications team is facing criticism after several social-media replies that mocked conservative commentator Benny Johnson by referencing Grindr, the popular LGBTQ+ dating app. Critics say the comments were disparaging toward the gay community and amounted to using "homosexuality as a slur."
On Wednesday, Newsom’s press office replied to a Johnson post about alleged fraud in California with:
"We got a call from Grindr after this and said your team was their biggest users. Congrats!"
Similar jabs were used earlier this year: in January the office responded to Johnson’s planned trip to California with, "We’ll make sure Grindr servers are ready…" and on another occasion wrote, "bro, we get it but he’s not interested… stick to Grindr."
Reactions
The posts drew sharp criticism online. Conservative lawyer Harmeet K. Dhillon — among others — posted that it was "so odd to see the former mayor of the most gay-friendly city in America, San Francisco, use homosexuality as a slur. Weird!"
Newsom’s office defended its remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital, writing:
"We love gay people, and it’s very woke of you to ask about this! We’re sorry some conservative snowflakes had their feelings hurt. We hope they recover!"
Benny Johnson pushed back directly on X, accusing the governor of deflecting from alleged state failures:
"Your reaction to journalists exposing fraud in your state is to smear us with lies — never to fix the fraud. Americans hate fraud, Gavin. We’re tired of being ripped off. Stop attacking the people who are doing YOUR job and trying to end fraud. People are over it."
Context
The exchange comes as the House Oversight Committee continues an investigation into reported hospice fraud in California, a high-profile probe that has intensified scrutiny of the state’s handling of fraud allegations.
Why it matters: The incident highlights how political communications teams use social media to respond to critics and how those responses can provoke broader debates about language, respect for LGBTQ+ people, and the tone of political discourse.
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