(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The ex-husband of former Rep. Katie Porter minced no words when describing her troubling temperament in a recent interview, bluntly calling her a “master manipulator.”
Matthew Hoffman, who was married to Porter from 2003 to 2013, spoke to the New York Post outside his Portland home amid renewed scrutiny of Porter’s problematic behavior. Porter is now running for California governor, after serving in Congress from 2019 to 2025 and losing her U.S. Senate bid.
Hoffman recently gained national attention after reports resurfaced of Porter’s mistreatment of himself, her staff and journalists, including viral videos showing her berating others.
“It’s about time,” Hoffman told the Post, referencing the clips of Porter’s outbursts.
“The amount of staff she goes through. The horrible things that she says [about others] … those aren’t fabrications,” he said.
Hoffman added that his ex-wife is an example of why it is “hard to like politics.”
Katie Porter is a ‘master manipulator’ who would be no good as California governor: Ex-husband https://t.co/DskOL0sl1R pic.twitter.com/kpq1hdggrx
— New York Post (@nypost) October 24, 2025
He also claimed she has serious behavioral issues, as “she can’t even get along with Nancy Pelosi,” despite belonging to the same party and representing the same liberal state.
The two had a messy separation in 2013, with Porter filing for divorce after obtaining both a protective order and then a restraining order against Hoffman.
According to the Post, Hoffman was arrested after a fight that resulted in him breaking a light switch. He later filed his own restraining order and alleged that Porter “routinely” insulted him as a “f**king idiot” and “f**king incompetent.”
In one incident, Porter allegedly shattered a glass coffee pot in March 2012 after complaining the house wasn’t clean enough.
In 2006, she reportedly burned Hoffman’s scalp by dumping a ceramic bowl of steaming hot potatoes after getting angry that he couldn’t “read the f**king instructions.”
Hoffman’s recent remarks followed viral clips showing Porter snapping at a journalist who asked how she planned to win over Republican voters in California.
BREAKING – The leading Democrat in the race to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom, Katie Porter, had a full-blown meltdown at a journalist who suggested she might need some Republican voters to win. pic.twitter.com/Np8OzSMZYm
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) October 7, 2025
In another video, Porter was caught yelling at a congressional staffer who accidentally appeared in the background of a pre-recorded segment.
“Get out of my f**king shot,” she shouted.
Absolutely unreal video of Katie Porter screaming at one of her staffers
“Get out of my f**king shot” pic.twitter.com/OB7yauns2b
— Sarah Gallagher (@sgallz_) October 8, 2025
