Arnold Schwarzenegger Opens Up About His Divorce From Maria Shriver Ahead of Newest Project

Arnold Schwarzenegger met journalist Maria Shriver at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament in 1977. He was in an open relationship with a Beverly Hills hairdresser’s assistant Sue Moray at the time and would go on to date both Moray and Shriver until August 1978, when Moray gave him an ultimatum. 

Schwarzenegger and Shriver got married eight years later on April 26, 1986, and remained married for 25 years. During that time, they welcomed four children into the world – Katherine Schwarzenegger, 33, Christina Schwarzenegger, 31, Patrick Schwarzenegger, 29, and Christopher Schwarzenegger, 25. 

Unfortunately, their marriage went downhill fast when Schwarzenegger fathered a fifth child – Joseph Baena – with the couple’s longtime housekeeper, Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena in 1997. The couple ended their relationship on May 9, 2011, when Shriver filed for divorce – which was finalized in 2021. 

RELATED: Arnold Schwarzenegger And Maria Shriver Officially Divorce 10 Years After Breaking Up

On May 16, Arnold Schwarzenegger sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter and opened up about his divorce from Maria Shriver – comparing that divorce to the one his character, Luke Brunner, experiences in the upcoming television series, FUBAR. The new show is set to premiere on May 25. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't holding back.

The action legend sounds off on his #Terminator and #Conan futures, identity politics and why emotions are overrated: https://t.co/AdSXOBlazd pic.twitter.com/8UuuvZZ7sN

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 16, 2023

“We were laughing about it — it feels like it’s a documentary,” Schwarzenegger says, referring to the fact that his character in the show cheats on his wife, ultimately leading to the divorce. “The difference is, in the show, he doesn’t consider it cheating because (seducing CIA assets) was part of his profession.”

He goes on to call his real-life divorce to Shriver ‘my f**k up’ and ‘my failure.’ While he doesn’t appear to miss being married, he did admit that the divorce was ‘very difficult’ at first and it took some time for him to move on. He eventually did and is now in a relationship with physical therapist Heather Milligan. 

“Eventually, you move on. I have a wonderful girlfriend, Heather, who is very successful. I’m really proud of her, and I love her. At the same time, I love my wife. She and I are really good friends and very close, and we are very proud of the way we raised our kids,” Schwarzenegger told The Hollywood Reporter.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver Take Pride in Their Co-Parenting

While Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are no longer together, they’ve managed to remain cordial as co-parents and still spend holidays together as a family – including Easter, Mother’s Day, Christmas, and everyone’s birthdays. He went on to gush over how the couple has handled the divorce.

“If there’s Oscars for how to handle divorce, Maria and I should get it for having the least amount of impact on the kids. The sweetness and kindness you see in them, that’s from my wife. The discipline and work ethic is from me,” he said in his interview – adding that they still do everything together as a family.

Back in February, Shriver opened up about her divorce from Schwarzenegger on the Making Space With Hoda Kotb podcast. She admitted to visiting a convent – a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers, sisters, or priests – in search of advice and to live in silence for a little while following the divorce. 

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She recalled a moment she shared with the reverend mother, who gave her some advice on ‘going out and being Maria.’ “I had never given myself permission to — to feel, to be vulnerable, to be weak, to be brought to my knees. And the world did it to me. And then I was like, ‘OK, God, let’s go,’” Shriver said.