Arnold Schwarzenegger, the action star we all know and love, sure knows how to make a crowd laugh. At a Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on a recent Thursday, September 18, the 78-year-old actor poked fun at his ex-wife, Maria Shriver. He was there to honor another seasoned journalist, 77-year-old Chris Wallace, describing him as "fantastic" at his job.
Schwarzenegger shared some thoughts on reporters. “I know a lot about journalists. I’ve been interviewed — you can imagine, throughout my life — thousands and thousands of journalists,” he said, a moment captured on video. “But not only that, I was also married to a journalist.” The crowd chuckled. Then came the punchline: “The only difference between Chris and Maria is that Chris has never taken half my money.” More laughter filled the air.
That playful jab, though delivered with humor, touches on a very real and often painful chapter in the lives of Schwarzenegger and 69-year-old Shriver. They were married for nearly 25 years. They also share four children: Katherine, 35, Christina, 34, Patrick, 32 (who you might know from ‘The White Lotus’), and Christopher, 27.
The couple said "I do" in April 1986. But their story took a tough turn, leading to a separation in May 2011. Reports of Schwarzenegger’s infidelity surfaced at the time. He later admitted he fathered a son, Joseph Baena, with Mildred "Patty" Baena, who used to work for the family as a housekeeper. Their divorce finally became official in December 2021, a full decade after they first went their separate ways.
The financial details of their split were quite significant. Court documents, which Us Weekly saw in June 2022, showed that Shriver was entitled to half of Schwarzenegger’s earnings. This included his pension, covering the period from their wedding day until she filed for divorce.
Even with the tough times, Schwarzenegger has spoken openly about his past. In a May 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the former California governor called the divorce "my screw-up. It was my failure." Yet, he stressed that he and Shriver remain "very good friends and are very close."
He added, "We are very proud of the way we raised our children." Despite the "drama" they went through, he said they celebrate holidays like Easter, Mother’s Day, Christmas, and all birthdays together. He even joked, "If there were Oscars for how to handle a divorce, Maria and I should win it for having had the least impact on the children."
Maria Shriver also opened up about her heartbreak in her memoir, ‘I Am Maria,’ which came out in April. She wrote about the devastating news of Schwarzenegger’s affair, which broke shortly after her parents had passed away. "I was consumed by pain and tormented by confusion, anger, fear, sadness, and anxiety," she penned. "I was no longer sure who I was or where I belonged. Honestly, it was brutal, and I was terrified."
She ended one powerful reflection with a moment of hope. "As I sat on the floor of the hotel room, in the dark, alone, with tears streaming down my face, I thought: Maria, this does not have to be your end." It’s clear that while the public may see a joke, the path to healing was a long one for both.