Who Are Maria Shriver And Arnold Schwarzenegger's Kids?
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1986 saw Austrian-born bodybuilder-turned-acting megastar, Arnold Schwarzenegger, marry into the prestigious Kennedy family through well-known journalist Maria Shriver. From their first encounter nine years prior at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament, the two were seemingly enchanted together. According to the Terminator himself, he was "fascinated" with not only her physical appearance but her unique personality as well (via YouTube). "I definitely said to myself, 'I don't remember having ever met someone like that. That had this kind of package of being smart and quick and everything else," he stated.
Their 25-year-long marriage came to an end due to alleged infidelity. Though there is much speculation as to why their split happened in the first place, the pair introduced four kids — Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher Schwarzenegger — into the world before calling it quits. The two seem to take their parental obligations seriously despite how things may have ended for them. In a personal essay published by Today, Shriver described motherhood as a full-time job, stating, "You are always on the line and always on call. And, that's fine with me, as I find motherhood endlessly fascinating, endlessly challenging, endlessly fun, and endlessly fulfilling."
As for Schwarzenegger, he has since gone on to describe fatherhood as one of his greatest joys (via Men's Health). While they rather keep their kids grounded, their four children have gone on to live extraordinary lives. To learn more about the prestigious quartet, here is everything we know about Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger's children.
Katherine is a proud mommy
Born on December 13, 1989, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt has gone on to become the first parent of the group. In addition to being the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger, she is also the wife of well-regarded actor Chris Pratt. According to the "Guardians of the Galaxy" actor, the two met at church in 2018 (via People). "It was a lot of kismet, and a lot of connections," he stated, "But that was where we met." The pair eventually tied the knot in 2019. What came after was the birth of their two kids, Lyla Maria and Eloise Christina.
Just like her mother, Maria Shriver, Katherine seems to take her parental duties seriously. In an Amazon Live celebrating International Women's Day, Katherine revealed some of the tips Shriver shared with her following the birth of Lyla. "I feel like lately everything she is teaching me is mom-focused and all about being present with my 18-month-old daughter and not just getting lost in all the craziness of life," she stated. Since Lyla and Eloise are her "favorite girls," having her motherly duties engulf her life seems to be a tradeoff she is completely fine with (via Instagram). Alongside her full-time job as a parent, Katherine also hosts a weekly Instagram live series titled "BDA (Before, During, and After) Baby," which focuses on the trials and tribulations of a mother.
Katherine is a New York Times best-selling author
Though Katherine may not have gone on to star in cult classic action movies like Arnold Schwarzenegger, she certainly managed to find success following in Maria Shriver's footsteps. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree, Katherine got to work and penned her first book "Rock What You've Got," which became a New York Times best seller. Given her interest in mental wellness, Katherine went on to inscribe books focused on maintaining our sense of well-being. With topics ranging from body image to navigating a competitive economy, Katherine's goal as an author is to help her readers make positive changes and help herself understand the complexities of human life.
In an interview promoting her book "The Gift of Forgiveness," she suggested that writing is just as much a learning experience for her as it is for her audience (via YouTube). In a book detailing the struggles of forgiving ourselves, Katherine told Natalie Manuel Lee that writing this book allowed her to view forgiveness — something she's struggled with herself — in a different light. "One of the biggest things I learned from this book is that forgiveness ultimately means freedom, peace, and healing," she revealed, "The more healing we could have in our society, the better." In addition to self-improvement, Katherine has also penned several children's books — one of which drew inspiration from her real sister, Christina Schwarzenegger (via People).
Katherine is not into politics
Alongside their respective careers, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are heavily involved in politics. With Arnold going on to become the governor of California for two terms and Shriver being niece to John F. Kennedy, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before their children would get involved in politics. Instead of propelling into government affairs, however, Katherine Schwarzenegger has been relatively silent on any interest in the topic. According to Katherine, growing up in a house with parents with strong political opinions makes you either dislike or love politics — there's no in-between (via YouTube).
Though we're sure she has her personal opinions on the government, she seemingly prefers to stay out of it altogether. In an interview with Larry King, a fan asked her if she has any plans for politics in the future, to which she responded, "Absolutely not." When asked if she hates politics, she stated, "I mean, I think it's interesting obviously. I would not like it for myself. I would not choose that for my life at all." Thankfully, it seems that her parents abided by her disinterest in politics and never forced it on her as she grew up to become more involved in self-improvement rather than government affairs.
Christina is a filmmaker who was once addicted to Adderall
In 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver welcomed their second daughter, Christina Schwarzenegger, into their household. As the second child, Christina seemingly expressed interest in films — so much so that after graduating from Georgetown University, Christina stepped into the film industry, but not as an actress. According to IMDb, Christina flexed her film-making muscles in the Netflix documentaries "Take Your Pills" and "Take Your Pills: Xanax."
Partnering alongside her mother, the 90-minute documentaries aimed to inform viewers about the ever-growing issues surrounding controlled substances. As an admitted ex-user herself, it seems that Christina took an interest in the project to change the process by which prescription drugs are distributed to patients who may need them. According to Christina, a battle with ADD as a child caused doctors to prescribe her Adderall. "I started taking it in high school, ninth grade, for about a few months, and then I stopped taking it," she revealed to Fox News, "just because I didn't like the side effects." This would be short-term as she found herself relying on the drug again due to the tense nature of college. During her and her mother's appearance on "The Doctors" (via YouTube) she detailed her experience coming off of the substance, stating, "It was challenging. It took me about, I would say, six to seven months to get back to who I was."
Christina is her father's dedicated shoe-polishing partner
As kids grow up, they slowly become detached from their parents to lead a life of their own. Fortunately for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, their kids are quite skilled at balancing time spent for themselves and time spent with their parents. With Patrick Schwarzenegger referring to himself as a "mama's boy" (via Instagram) and Maria Shriver expressing how normal it is for her and her children to get dinner together, it is safe to assume that the whole family maintains their bond to the best of their ability — even if it means doing work for their father's ever-growing boot collection.
As a man of many interests, Arnold Schwarzenegger took time out of his quarantine-filled days to show off his lengthy collection of cowboy boots and its dedicated polisher on Twitter. Paired with a cigar, cowboy hat, and a loving daughter, Arnold revealed that Christina had been his designated shoe-polishing partner ever since she was three years old. After Arnold assured us of Christina's love for this father-and-daughter activity, he looked to her to confirm the accuracy of his statement. Christina sarcastically states, "Yep. Doing this over 20 years and as you can imagine, I absolutely love it." Though she may not seem as thrilled as her father claims to be, it's adorable to see the two have an excuse to spend quality time with each other.
Patrick follows in his father's footsteps
Unlike his older siblings, Patrick Schwarzenegger found himself engulfed in the world of acting from a young age. During his appearance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" (via YouTube) the 29-year-old actor revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger would award his academic efforts by bringing him to work. "For a kid, it was like a dream come true," he shared. "I was on Universal Studios lot. I watched my dad walk in as pops and come out as Mr. Freeze with, you know, the blue bald cap and everything."
Patrick — who was seemingly enthralled by what his father got to do for a living — decided to follow in his footsteps. Even though his father was open to the idea of him chasing a career in acting, Patrick stated that he still needed to get a degree. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Patrick has been chipping away to pave a lane of his own. After his debut in 2006's "The Benchwarmers," Patrick went on to star in other films such as "Stuck in Love," "Grown Ups 2," "Midnight Sun," "Echo Boomers," and "Moxie" (via IMDb). According to Patrick, his father appears to be happy with the work that he is doing on screen. "It was really surreal to have him come to set and have the pages turned," he told Hoda and Jenna from Today, "He's really proud of me and they're so supportive. I couldn't ask for a better parent duo."
Patrick founded a clothing company in 2009
Although Patrick was en route to becoming a notable movie star, the "Moxie" actor himself flexed his entrepreneurial muscles in 2009. Coming from a household where politics and business are positioned at the forefront, Patrick seemingly took on the act of creating a company while expressing his political opinions simultaneously.
Patrick's charitable efforts saw him partner with Nick Sheinberg and Kimberly Barth to create "Project 360," a clothing company dedicated to bringing awareness to social issues. What started as a simple accessory became ensembles of think pieces stitched into hoodies, shirts, and more. "Fashion and wearing clothes is a daily routine for everybody," Patrick told MTV. "What better way to spread the word of giving back and philanthropic ways of life than to wear something that gives back to charity?"
The small startup quickly became a success as it was featured on the cover of notable magazines such as In Style, People, Glamour, and more. In addition to its popularity in publications, the clothing company also appeared to catch the attention of notable celebrities. According to the Project360 website, Ashley Greene, Eva Longoria, Jasmine Sanders, Nina Dobrev, and Olivia Munn are all supporters of the philanthropic clothing company.
Christopher sustained a severe injury when he was 13 years old
On September 27, 1997, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver introduced their youngest child, Christopher Schwarzenegger, into the world. While Katherine, Christina, and Patrick went on to embrace the limelight, Christopher opted for a more private life, keeping his social media open only to those that know him. Although little is known about his main interests, Arnold suggested that the 25-year-old attended the University of Michigan to study psychology (via YouTube). Before his college venture, however, his interest in surfing saw him sustain a severe injury that may have shifted his focus from extreme sports to the inner workings of the mind.
On July 17, 2011, the 13-year-old found himself in a surfing accident that resulted in multiple broken bones and a collapsed lung (via Los Angeles Times). What was considered a very serious injury saw Christopher in intensive care for a little over a week. On July 26, Maria Shriver updated her followers on Twitter on the status of his condition and revealed that they'd released him from the hospital, suggesting that all was well with her baby boy. "Blessed to be able to take Christopher out of the hospital last night," she wrote, "What a feeling of relief to know that he's going to be fine." Arnold Schwarzenegger also took to Twitter, stating, "I knew Christopher couldn't be stopped! Big thanks to all the doctors, nurses & staff at UCLA that helped him recover."
Christopher graduated college during COVID-19
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver made it known that seeking higher education is imperative in their household. Despite Katherine, Christina, and Patrick's gripes about college, they all attended and graduated with a degree of some sort before transitioning into their full-time professions. In 2014, Katherine published a book titled "I Just Graduated... Now What?" which illustrates the challenges of finding consistent work in a competitive economy after graduating. With an older sibling being well-informed about every college student's struggles, there was no way she could've warned Christopher about what was to come in 2020.
As the youngest child, Christopher was the last to graduate from college. Unlike his older siblings, however, he graduated during COVID-19 (via Today). While Katherine clearly understood the hardships of finding jobs as a college graduate, the pandemic created an uncertain environment for those leaving college. As Patrick Schwarzenegger was promoting his movie "Echo Boomers," a true story about college graduates stealing from the rich, he expressed that while he couldn't truly relate to the story 100 percent, the closest thing he could relate it to was his little brother's experience as a fresh graduate.
Their father was strict when it came to teaching them German
In an interview with Men's Health, Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested that his home life reinforced his motivation to conquer his goals and aspirations. What he described as a "tough upbringing" saw him adopt the mentality necessary to experience a better life. As stern as his father was, Arnold said he was grateful for his father's brand of discipline. "My father made me do pushups before I was allowed to have breakfast," he told Men's Health. "To earn breakfast, as he said, you have to do pushups and knee bends. And carry water from the well 200 yards away in the deep snow."
With a father like that, it's safe to assume that Arnold picked up those same military-like parenting methods. In an interview promoting the movie "Midnight Sun" (via YouTube), Patrick Schwarzenegger revealed that his father could be strict at times when he probably shouldn't be. According to Patrick, Arnold's attempt at teaching him and his siblings German came short as their mother, Maria Shriver, forced Arnold to lighten the load. Although it's not as intense as carrying water for 200 yards in the blistering snow, it seems that Arnold wanted to incorporate some discipline to keep his children grounded. "On the way to school, my dad would always do simple math problems with us, but it was always in German," he said. "We always had to count to 100 in German before we got to school."
They may not be close with half-brother Joseph Baena
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's marriage ended when Maria filed for divorce in 2011. The reason for their split was due to Arnold having an affair with the family's housekeeper, Mildred Baena. Their relationship resulted in the birth of a love child named Joseph Baena, whose identity was concealed for 10 years (via Los Angeles Times).
In an interview with Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes" (via YouTube), Arnold revealed that this caused a great deal of turmoil amid family, admitting how guilty he felt about the entire situation. He stated, "As time goes on, I hope that everyone will forgive me." Nonetheless, Arnold appears to maintain a close relationship with his fifth child. As for his half-siblings, reports deem their relationship as complicated (via Page Six).
When Lesley Stahl asked if his children had a relationship with their half-brother, Arnold dismissed the question to protect their privacy. On social media, Schwarzenegger's quartet has no problem expressing their love for one another. Followers, however, caught on to the fact that Joseph is typically nowhere to be found in their family posts — suggesting that they may not be close to their half-sibling. Despite their social media dissonance toward Joseph, Patrick Schwarzenegger was spotted with his half-sibling for the first time in 2021 (via ET Online). Although we may never know the true nature of their relationship, seeing the two half-brothers together could mean that they're potentially working on developing a better relationship.