Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Unexpected Joke About Maria Shriver Sparks Family Buzz

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Arnold Schwarzenegger can find humor in a once difficult situation. 

At Amazon’s 2025 Upfront Presentation in New York on May 12th, the actor known for Total Recall made a humorous comment about one of his well-known films, subtly alluding to his past relationship with Maria Shriver.

In a playful manner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, aged 77, boasted that his 1996 film “Jingle All the Way” was the finest Christmas movie ever made. He added that it’s frequently played throughout December, a fact he learned from his ex-wife reminding him about residual payments.

Previously, his acknowledgment towards Shriver, who is his children’s mother and with whom he shares kids Katherine Schwarzenegger (aged 35), Christina Schwarzenegger (aged 33), Patrick Schwarzenegger (aged 31), and Christopher Schwarzenegger (aged 27), was playful. However, this is the first instance in almost two years where he has publicly addressed their relationship.

At that point, the actor of the Terminator provided details about their divorce, explaining that it was Shriver who chose to end the marriage in July 2011, just two months after he acknowledged having his son, Joseph Baena, who is now 27 years old, with their former housekeeper, Mildred Baena.

He explained to People in September 2023 that we never moved beyond our initial stage. It’s important to recall that we didn’t have a falling out or a dispute. It was simply my mistake, wasn’t it? She responded, ‘This is what it is,’ before making a separation. However, the truth is, we always emphasized that the children should not bear the brunt of our situation.

More recently, Shriver has spoken about her personal memories of their divorce that took place in December 2021, and how she felt emotionally during that difficult period.

In her memoir “I Am Maria,” published in April, she expressed that her 25-year marriage ended, shattering her heart, her spirit, and what remained of her. Without the support systems of her marriage, her parents, and employment, the walls of her lifelong denial crumbled to pieces.

Shriver found herself overwhelmed by sorrow and bewilderment regarding her future course, emotions that ultimately sparked her pursuit of solace in writing poetry.

She went on, ‘I began writing from the heart of me. Through my poetry, I discovered a woman who was afraid she wouldn’t measure up to her family’s heritage – afraid she wasn’t substantial enough, not a good-enough daughter, sister, wife, mother, or journalist.’

Keep reading for a full breakdown of the Schwarzenegger family…

Goodbye baby bottles, as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s children – Katherine Schwarzenegger, Christina Schwarzenegger, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Chris Schwarzenegger (from his marriage to Maria Shriver), and Joseph Baena (born from a former relationship with Mildred Baena) – have all grown up. Nowadays, Arnold enjoys the role of grandpa to Katherine’s three children with husband Chris Pratt: Lyla, Eloise, and Ford. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2022, Arnold shared that being a grandfather is effortless. “They come over to my house, we play for a couple of hours, I put them on the horse, let them play with the dog. After two hours, they leave,” he said.

In 1986, Maria got married to Arnold, but they divorced in 2011 when she discovered he had a child outside their relationship through an affair. However, Chris, her son-in-law, commends the way Maria and Arnold co-parented publicly.

In May 2024, Chris from Guardians of the Galaxy shared with Today that Maria and Arnold raised four outstanding children, which isn’t always simple in high-profile or privileged circles. He expressed curiosity about how they managed to avoid spoiling or ruining their kids: “I just want to ask her everything: ‘What’d you do? How did you not spoil them? How did you not ruin them?'”

Chris believes the key to Maria’s successful parenting lies in holding children accountable, emphasizing manners, and instilling responsibility through her strong faith. These are principles he aims to incorporate into raising his own children.

Patrick, born in 1993, is the eldest son of Arnold and Maria. While having business-savvy parents can be advantageous, he also acknowledges his brother-in-law Chris for helping him land a significant role. In 2022, during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel about his part in Amazon Prime Video’s series “The Terminal List,” Patrick recounted that Chris suggested the character of Donny Mitchell, stating he would be the youngest in the platoon. Chris advised him to put in effort, gain 20 pounds, and undergo tactical training to secure the role.

Training with real-life Navy SEALs was a dream come true for Patrick, leading to more memorable experiences like playing Saxon Ratliff on “The White Lotus” and Tim Tebow in FX’s “American Sports Story.” Despite his connections, Patrick emphasizes that he puts in the necessary effort.

In 2025, during an interview with The Sunday Times, he addressed rumors about nepotism for his part on “The White Lotus,” stating that people were not seeing the decade of acting classes, weekly school plays, countless hours spent developing characters, and the numerous rejected auditions he had endured.

Patrick is soon to take on a new role: husband. He proposed to model Abby Champion in December 2023.

Katherine Schwarzenegger, who is the eldest among Arnold and Maria Schwarzenegger’s children, was born in 1989. She now has a family of her own, having married Chris Pratt in 2019 after dating for a year. In 2020, they had their first daughter Lyla, followed by Eloise in 2022 and Ford in 2024. Katherine wrote about becoming a mother, “When I held that baby, I felt like everything in my life had led me to that moment, and it was perfect.” She added, “Mother is the title I have always wanted and the role I have longed for since I can remember.” Additionally, Chris has a son named Jack from his previous marriage with Anna Faris.

In Chris’ perspective, his family is of utmost importance. However, he faced criticism in 2021 when a post praising Katherine for giving him a “healthy daughter” was perceived as insensitive towards Anna and Jack, who was born prematurely. As he shared with Men’s Health in 2022, he found it unfair that some articles portrayed his gratitude towards Katherine as a slight to his ex-wife. He felt upset by the backlash, especially since his young son might one day come across such comments. He expressed that these blessings in his life were often seen as burdens rather than joyful events by those close to him, which deeply troubled him and even led him to tears.

In August 2012, Jack, the child of Anna and Chris, arrived around two months too soon and needed to stay in the special care nursery for newborns (neonatal intensive care unit).

At a 2021 gathering hosted by the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth, I shared a heartfelt memory: “The moment finally arrived when I brought Jack home for the first time.” Those early years were a whirlwind of medical visits, five surgical procedures, physical rehabilitation, and countless moments of joy, as Jack’s charm was simply indescribable—he was, and still is, the epitome of adorable cuteness I could ever have envisioned.

Approximately one year and a few months following their wedding, Katherine and Chris had a child named Lyla Maria Schwarzenegger Pratt in August 2020. Her middle name is a tribute to Katherine’s mom.

Although Chris tends to keep his personal life low-key, he did reveal that Jack was excelling at his role as an older sibling. In 2021, the star of “Jurassic World” shared with Entertainment Tonight that Jack is wonderful with Lyla. He explained that she loves tugging on his glasses, and Jack remains patient with her. He’s a fantastic big brother, he added.

Move ahead to March 2022, where Chris and Katherine expanded their family by welcoming their new bundle of joy, Eloise Christina Schwarzenegger Pratt.

The actor from Zero Dark Thirty stated in June 2022 that he refers to himself as a “Girl Dad 2.0.” He shared that his eldest daughter has adapted well to her new role as an older sibling. Initially, she was curious about the baby, asking questions like ‘What’s going on with that? Look at me.’ However, now she’s fully embraced the idea and is always eager to hold her sister. She’s incredibly sweet, and these moments are what life is all about for him. He feels profoundly blessed and filled with joy.

On November 8, 2024, Katherine and Chris were overjoyed as they welcomed their newborn son, Ford Fitzgerald Schwarzenegger Pratt. A few days afterward, they shared the good news on Instagram with a heartfelt message. “Mommy and baby are in great health, and Ford’s siblings can’t contain their excitement about his arrival,” read the post. “We are filled with gratitude and feel incredibly fortunate.

Christopher Schwarzenegger, born in 1997, is the youngest son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. He has largely stayed out of the public eye but holds a significant role as Vice Chair of the Special Olympics Founder’s Council. Additionally, he serves as the Director of Development at Indus Valley Media, where he previously worked at Malka creative content agency and with sports psychologist Trevor Moawad. Christopher graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in psychology.

On the other hand, Christina Schwarzenegger, born in 1991, is their youngest daughter and an executive producer. Her past works include the 2018 documentary “Take Your Pills” and the 2022 doc “Take Your Pills: Xanax.

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Joseph is the son that Arnold had as a result of an affair with Mildred Patricia Baena, who was their housekeeper at the time. The affair occurred in 1996, but Arnold only discovered he was the father much later when Joseph was born in 1997. In his 2023 docuseries titled “Arnold,” he admitted to having the affair and expressed concern about keeping it a secret, especially as Joseph grew older and resembled him more. Despite considering it a major mistake in his life, Arnold is proud of Joseph for turning out to be an exceptional young man who shares similar passions for acting, fitness, and real estate. Joseph even participated in season 31 of “Dancing with the Stars.

Chris and Anna got married in 2009, but after eight years as a couple, they revealed their separation. Anna (previously linked with Ben Indra) suggested that her life with Chris was not as idyllic as it appeared. In a 2021 episode of her podcast Unqualified, she admitted, “Things were probably clearer with my relationship with Ben, but with Chris, I believe we both maintained an image, even within our close circles.” Later in the same year, Anna (now married to cinematographer Michael Barrett) hinted that sharing the same industry as her exes didn’t make things easier. “My two previous marriages were with actors,” she shared on another episode of her podcast, “and I don’t think we managed competition effectively – at least I didn’t. Being proud and unwilling to show vulnerability, any traces of competitiveness and comparison, I didn’t handle it well, I believe, and I hope I have grown from that.

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2025-05-13 22:19