Arnold Schwarzenegger's marriage to Maria Shriver ended when she found out he had a child with their housekeeper. Here's a complete timeline of their relationship and separation. (2024)

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The former couple met at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament in August 1977.

As Arnold Schwarzenegger recalled in new Netflix docuseries "Arnold," the pair were first introduced at the Kennedy family tennis tournament, a charitable event that took place annually in the 1970s.

The actor had been invited to take part personally by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Shriver's mother, and even though he had never held a tennis racket in his life, he agreed, thinking it would be good for exposure as at that point he had not yet starred in any of his career-defining movies.

"Before the actual tennis tournament, there was a big party. All of the Kennedys were there," he said. "Eunice came up to me and said, 'Oh, hi, it's so good to have you here. By the way, this is my daughter, Maria Shriver.'"

Schwarzenegger said that later on in the evening, Eunice told him that Mariawas fond of him to which he cheekily replied: "Well, your daughter has a really nice ass."

"It was a stupid thing to say. I don't know why I said it," Schwarzenegger added with a laugh.

During his match, Schwarzenegger said that he could see that Shriver was intently watching him. After it was over, she and her cousin Caroline Kennedy invited the actor to spend the evening in Hyannis Port and sparks began to fly between the two of them.

At the time, Schwarzenegger was 30 years old, while Shriver was 21.

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In 1981, Shriver turned down Schwarzenegger's first marriage proposal as there "was a lot she wanted to do first," according to the action star's memoir.

Four years later, when Shriver was 25, the "Terminator" star floated the idea of marriage to her after he learned that her parents wouldn't approve of her joining him in Spain while he shot the action flick "Conan the Barbarian."

Shriver was totally against the idea and "flipped out about how Eunice would react," according to Schwarzenegger's 2012 memoir, "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story."

As Schwarzenegger explained, Shriver's mother, Eunice, got married "so late that it was part of the family lore" because "there was a lot she wanted to do first." (Eunice married Sargent Shriver when she was 31.)

Shriver, likewise, wanted to tick off some personal and professional accomplishments before settling down and told the actor that she "didn't want to marry until her early thirties."

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The "Jingle All the Way" actor popped the question to Shriver again in 1985.

By 1985, when Shriver had begun working as an on-air correspondent for CBS News, Schwarzenegger asked for her hand in marriage for a second time.

As Schwarzenegger disclosed in his memoir, it came after the actor had a brief affair with his "Red Sonja" costar Brigitte Nielsen, which he wrote "underlined" his desire to marry Shriver.

He said that he originally planned to propose during a vacation in Hawai'i but was put off when he saw other couples doing the same. He thought about proposing in Paris, the African Safari, and even an Irish castle, but in the end popped the question "spontaneously" while rowing on the Thalersee, a lake close to where he grew up in Austria.

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Schwarzenegger and Shriver tied the knot in April 1986, nearly nine years after they first met.

Their nuptials took place on April 26, 1986, in a ceremony in Hyannis, Massachusetts, surrounded by Shriver's large family and several A-list names including Andy Warhol, Grace Jones, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Quincy Jones, Annie Leibovitz, and Oprah Winfrey.

In total, they had 450 guests, according to Schwarzenegger's memoir.

Caroline Kennedy, Shriver's cousin, served as the maid of honor, according to a report from The New York Times.

Afterward, Schwarzenegger and Shriver moved into a five-bedroom, four-bath, 12,000-square-foot Spanish-style mansion set on two acres in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

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Between 1989 and 1997, the couple welcomed four children together.

Theireldest daughter together,Katherine Schwarzenegger, was born in December 1989. Now 33, she is a bestselling author and has been married to movie star Chris Pratt since 2019.

Shriver then gave birth to their second daughter, Christina, in July 1991. Christina previously worked as an editor for Gwenyth Paltrow's lifestyle brand, Goop.

They welcomed their third child together, a son named Patrick, in September 1993. He is the only one of Schwarzenegger and Shriver's children to pursue a career in Hollywood, and is perhaps best known for starring in the 2022 HBO true-crime series "The Staircase"

In September 1997, their youngest son together, Christopher, was born.

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Less than a week after their youngest son was born, unbeknownst to Shriver, Schwarzenegger also fathered a son with their family housekeeper.

In 1996, Schwarzenegger had an affair with a member of their household staff, Mildred Patricia "Patty" Baena, which resulted in the birth of his fifth child,Joseph Baena.

Joseph was born on October 2, 1997, less than a week after Shriver had given birth to Christopher. At the time, Shriver and Schwarzenegger believed that Mildred's then-husband, Rogelio Baena, was the father of the baby.

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In 2003, Schwarzenegger ran for governor of California, a decision Shriver "hated" but eventually came around to.

When Schwarzenegger first shared the news with his wife that he was planning on entering the political arena, he said that Shriver "had a very emotional reaction."

"I was sitting with her in a jacuzzi, and I said, 'By the way, what do you think of me running for governor?' She just flipped out," Schwarzenegger recalled in the Netflix docuseries.

"I almost felt like she was hyperventilating because she felt, 'I have gone through this with my family.'"

"Maria hated the idea of me running," he said, adding that her lack of support made him unsure whether to run or not. "I didn't really want to run if she was not 100% behind it."

Eventually, Shriver came around to the idea and supported her husband on his campaign trail, which resulted in him being sworn in as governor on November 17, 2003. In 2006, he was reelected.

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When sexual misconduct allegations were leveled against Schwarzenegger, Shriver stood by her husband.

Days before the polls closed in the gubernatorial race in 2003, theLos Angeles Timespublished a report in which six women accused Schwarzenegger of touching them in a sexual manner without their consent.

At the time, the actor called the accusations "made up" and said that he "never grabbed anyone or pulled up their shirt or grabbed their breasts."

Shriver also refuted claims of womanizing in a speech delivered to a Republican women's group in Orange County, California, four days before the election.

"I wouldn't be standing here if this man weren't an A-plus human being," she said at the time, perCNN. "I wouldn't be taking my time, I wouldn't have left my job that I love, I wouldn't be doing any of this if I didn't believe in this man."

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In May 2011, after 25 years of marriage, Schwarzenegger and Shriver announced they were divorcing.

In a joint statement to The Los Angeles Timesat the time, they said: "After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together."

"At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship. We are continuing to parent our four children together," the statement continued.

"We consider this a private matter and neither we nor any of our friends or family will have further comment."

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Days later, it was publicly revealed that the reason for their split was because Shriver had discovered Schwarzenegger's secret son.

The Los Angeles Times broke the news, revealing that Shriver had moved out of the family's Brentwood mansion in January 2011 after confronting her husband in a marriage counseling session about her suspicions.

According to the actor's memoir, the conversation in which he confirmed he was the father of Joseph Baena took place the day after he left office as Governor of California.

Recalling the conversation in the Netflix docuseries, Schwarzenegger said that after being asked point-blank by their counselor about Joseph, he felt as if his "heart stopped."

He said that following his admission, Shriver was "obviously crushed."

Schwarzenegger said that even over a decade later, he feels "reluctant" to talk about the scandal, as "every time I do it opens up the wounds again."

Theformer Mr. Universe continued: "I think that I have caused enough pain for my family because of my f*ck-up. Because of that, everyone had to suffer, Maria had to suffer, the kids had to suffer, Joseph, his mother, everyone."

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Their divorce was finalized 10 years later in December 2021.

Although Shriver filed for divorce in 2011, soon after she learned of Schwarzenegger's dishonesty and secret child, it took the couple a decade to sign the papers.

According toNBC News, court records confirmed that their divorce was finalized by a Los Angeles judge on December 28, 2021.

In June 2022, a jury ruled that Shriver was entitled to half of her ex-husband's retirement, as well as the savings that he earned during their time together, per Us Weekly.

However, the former couple is still on good terms, with Schwarzenegger telling The Hollywood Reporter in May that the family of six still do "Easter together, Mother's Day together, the Christmases together, all birthdays — everything together."