Arnold Schwarzenegger’s joke about his ex-wife Maria Shriver taking “half his cash” throughout their divorce has backfired spectacularly, reminding everybody why some matters are higher left untouched.
The previous California governor discovered himself in scorching water after making a quip about his ex-wife Maria Shriver’s divorce settlement, reigniting discussions about their tumultuous break up and the scandal that destroyed their 25-year marriage.
Whereas honoring veteran journalist Chris Wallace, who was receiving a star on the Hollywood Stroll of Fame on Sept. 18, Schwarzenegger couldn’t resist taking a jab at his former partner, who additionally labored as a reporter for ABC.
Arnold Schwarzenegger remembers understanding with Chris Wallace at Gold’s Fitness center whereas honoring the printed journalist at his Stroll of Fame ceremony: “For the primary time ever, I noticed him with a sweatsuit on — and never with a swimsuit, however a sweatsuit.” pic.twitter.com/o3SuDc5w2Q
— Selection (@Selection) September 18, 2025
“I do know quite a bit about journalists. I’ve been interviewed, you possibly can think about, in my lifetime, by 1000’s and 1000’s of journalists,” the 78-year-old actor shared with the gang about two minutes into his speech.
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Including, “However not solely that, I used to be additionally married to a journalist.”
He then delivered the punchline that might quickly backfire: “The one distinction between Chris and Maria is that Chris has by no means taken half my cash.”
The remark instantly sparked outrage from Each day Mail readers when the tabloid posted the story, with many dashing to defend Shriver and remind Schwarzenegger of his personal position of their marriage’s demise.
“Maria Shriver is a Kennedy. She didn’t want his cash and it served him effectively being married into ‘American royalty,’” one particular person wrote. “He was bold and she or he was simply a part of the plan. She raised their 4 youngsters and stayed by his facet. Why shouldn’t she get half the earnings?”
One other person was extra direct: “He was banging the maid. He harm and embarrassed his spouse and household. Maria ought to have taken extra.”
A 3rd remark learn, “With what he put her via, he GOT AWAY with.”
The backlash intensified as folks recalled the circumstances surrounding their 2011 separation. Schwarzenegger had admitted to fathering a baby with the household’s longtime housekeeper, Mildred “Patty” Baena, whereas nonetheless married to Shriver. The revelation got here simply days after the couple introduced their break up, including insult to harm for the Kennedy member of the family who had stood by his facet via his bodybuilding profession, Hollywood success, and political ambitions.
Joseph Baena, now 27, was born inside days of Schwarzenegger’s youngest little one with Shriver, Christopher.
The timing of the births made the betrayal notably painful, because it meant the affair had been ongoing throughout what ought to have been a celebratory time for the household. Shriver later described the aftermath in her poetry guide “I Am Maria,” writing that the revelation “broke my coronary heart, it broke my spirit, it broke what was left of me.”
The lingering results of this scandal proceed to influence the household dynamics in the present day.
Whereas Schwarzenegger has publicly embraced his relationship with Joseph, celebrating him on social media and bringing him to purple carpet occasions, his different youngsters seem to keep up a distance from their half-brother.
This division was reportedly seen on the “FUBAR” season 2 premiere, the place Joseph attended individually from his half-siblings regardless of all being current to help their father.
The divorce proceedings themselves stretched over a decade, lastly concluding in December 2021. All through this era, each events tried to keep up civility for his or her youngsters’s sake. Schwarzenegger later acknowledged his failures, admitting in a 2023 interview, “It was my mistake. It was my failure,” whereas praising Shriver for a way they dealt with co-parenting regardless of the circumstances.
Nonetheless, Each day Mail readers weren’t shopping for his lighthearted joke concerning the settlement, defending the Camelot princess, who was devoted all through their marriage.
#OnThisDay nearly a decade after assembly at a celeb tennis event, tv information reporter Maria Shriver marries film actor and former bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger on April 26, 1986. pic.twitter.com/rbmmvNh8Nn
— Again To The 80s (@back21980s) April 26, 2025
“Maria didn’t take half of YOUR cash, Arnold, she took half of JOINT funds,” one commenter identified, emphasizing the authorized actuality of marital belongings.
One other merely said, “She deserved each penny you low life loser.”
The timing of Schwarzenegger’s joke appears notably tone-deaf given Shriver’s latest memoir detailing her therapeutic journey. Her guide reveals the depth of ache attributable to his betrayal and the energy required to rebuild her life after their marriage crumbled.
Finally, Schwarzenegger’s try at humor served as a reminder that some wounds run too deep for informal jokes. The social media response made clear that many view his remark not as innocent banter, however as one other instance of failing to completely grasp the magnitude of what he put his household via throughout these darkish chapters of their lives.
