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Arnold Schwarzenegger Makes Rare Dig Against His Ex-Wife

The former California Governor cracked a joke about his ex-wife Maria Shriver, whose memoir last month revisited their high-profile breakup.

Arnold Schwarzenegger took a rare swipe at his ex-wife Maria Shriver while reminiscing about his Hollywood career. Speaking about his hit 1996 Christmas comedy film Jingle All the Way while promoting an upcoming holiday film Monday night, the former California Governor reportedly remarked, “They play it the whole month of December,” before adding: “I know because my ex-wife calls me about the residual.” Shriver, 69, a journalist and author, was married to Schwarzenegger, 77, for 25 years before their 2011 split—which was triggered by his admission that he had fathered a child with their former housekeeper. The divorce was finalized in 2021. In her poetry collection I Am Maria, released last month, Shriver described the heartbreak: “I was consumed with grief and wracked with confusion, anger, fear, sadness, and anxiety.” Nevertheless, Schwarzenegger and Shriver continued to co-parent their four children after the split—including White Lotus star Patrick Schwarzenegger—and it seems they have stayed on good terms. “My chapter with Maria will continue on forever,” the Terminator actor told People in 2023. “Even though it’s a different relationship, there’s no reason for me to feel anything other than love for her.”