Ex-wife Maria Shriver Used to Give Unfiltered Arnold Schwarzenegger Stern Instructions Before Talk Shows: “Don’t Get Too Much Into…”

For 25 years, Arnold Schwarzenegger was married to Maria Shriver. They tied the knot in 1986, nearly nine years after their first encounter at a tennis tournament, and had four kids together. Unfortunately, their relationship ended in 2011, and the divorce finalized in 2021.

But during the time they stayed together, they were a Hollywood and political power couple. Schwarzenegger would often talk about their relationship in front of the camera. But Shriver would always instruct him otherwise.

Arnold Schwarzenegger would get instructions from his ex-wife

The bodybuilding legend and action star Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1991 to talk about his latest blockbuster film ‘Terminator 2’. Here, he joked around with the host about calling his wife, Maria Shriver, high maintenance. But he emphasized that he felt lucky to have her in his life.

“She’s the greatest wife anyone can dream of,” he claimed. And immediately, with great comedic timing, turned to look at the camera and said, “Did you hear this, Maria?” Hall mentioned Shriver would often ask him to refrain from having Schwarzenegger talk about their personal life.

Schwarzenegger revealed that he would often receive similar directions. “She always gives me these instructions before I come on a show,” he said. “The day just before I walk down, she says, ‘Don’t get too much into the personal life. And number two, don’t talk about sex.’ She always thinks I get carried away when I talk about sex. Which I do.”

READ MORE: “Tell Me About the Girls”: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Son Once Revealed Father’s Unseen Side

And boy, did he prove that right just a few minutes later, making a dirty joke about the next sequel in the Terminator franchise. “I can see already the title: The Sperminator. ‘Now I come again.’” Surely, he didn’t go home to his wife’s smiling face that night.

They separated amidst infidelity rumors in 2011

The day Arnold Schwarzenegger’s marriage with Maria Shriver fell apart was the lowest phase of his life. The seven-time Mr. Olympia champion had an extra-marital affair with their then-housekeeper, Mildred Baena, and fathered a son.

“I had personal setbacks, but this was, without any doubt, the biggest setback and the biggest failure,” the former governor of California told Howard Stern in 2015. Schwarzenegger didn’t reveal the truth of Joseph Baena’s true paternity until the child grew up, and his likeness to the bodybuilder couldn’t be denied.

WATCH THIS STORY: Every Time Arnold Schwarzenegger Took Over WWE

However, after the divorce, the former husband and wife maintained a close friendship. Page Six quoted a mutual friend, “They have a great relationship, they’re very close and take care of the kids, and they see each other a lot.”