Arnold Schwarzenegger made a pointed joke about his ex-wife Maria Shriver during Chris Wallace’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Thursday.
Speaking at the star ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard, the 78-year-old actor drew awkward laughs from the crowd with his comment about the veteran journalist.
“The reason why I know he’s a fantastic journalist is because I know a lot about journalists,” Schwarzenegger said of Wallace. “I’ve been interviewed, you can imagine, in my lifetime, by thousands and thousands of journalists.”
“Not only that, I also was married to a journalist. The only difference between Chris and Maria is that Chris has never taken half of my money.”
Schwarzenegger and Shriver were married for 25 years before separating in 2011. Their divorce was finalized in 2021.
The former couple share four children: daughters Katherine and Christina, and sons Patrick and Christopher. Schwarzenegger also has a son, Joseph Baena, with former housekeeper Mildred Patricia Baena.
Despite the divorce joke, the two maintain a close relationship. They recently attended their son Patrick’s wedding to Abby Champion on September 6th.
Schwarzenegger told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that while the split was “very difficult” and “my failure,” they’re now “really good friends and very close.”
Still Laughing Together
Shriver, 69, echoed those sentiments when speaking to PEOPLE in March about her poetry book I Am Maria.
“Arnold and I are in a good place,” she said. “We laugh a lot about our kids, our grandkids, ourselves, and we are proud of the fact that we are still in conversation. For almost 50 years!”
This isn’t Schwarzenegger’s first financial joke about his divorce.
At Amazon’s Upfront 2025 Presentation in May, the former California governor called his 1996 film Jingle All the Way “the greatest Christmas movie of all time.” He quipped, “I know because my ex-wife calls me about the residual.”
Wallace, 77, was honored alongside comedian Jay Leno at the ceremony. His star was placed next to his father Mike Wallace’s star, recognizing both journalists’ contributions to news and entertainment.
Schwarzenegger’s action comedy Fubar premiered its second season on Netflix in June. His next project is the holiday movie The Man with the Bag, where he’ll play Santa Claus.
