Arnold Schwarzenegger is arguably one of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood today. The former bodybuilding champion and action star’s initial tryst with acting started with Hercules in New York in 1970. Schwarzenegger then went on to star in cult films like Conan the Barbarian and James Cameron’s Terminator which catapulted the actor onto the big leagues, making him one of the most bankable action stars in the industry.
Over the decades, the star went on to do many commercial blockbusters including action comedies like True Lies and Kindergarten Cop. Riding high on his films’ success, Schwarzenegger then forayed into politics and won the election to become the Governor of California in 2003. Despite these tall achievements, the celebrity-turned-politician was also involved in his share of shocking scandals.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was accused of S*xual Harassment
Days before the California Governor’s election, top candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign was marred by an ugly s*x scandal. The incident now referred to as “Gropegate” involved the Total Recall actor behaving inappropriately toward women. According to a series of interviews published in the Los Angeles Times, Schwarzenegger was accused of allegedly touching women by grabbing their breasts without consent. While one woman claimed that the star had felt up her skirt, another said that she was asked to sit on his lap and quizzed on the kind of s*xual acts she preferred. Another report included a woman being caught unawares by the celebrity while asked to remove her bathing suit in an elevator.
The more shocking statistic within all these accusations was the fact that all of these incidents allegedly took place over 25 years, between 1975 and 2000. Despite these serious allegations against him, Arnold Schwarzenegger went on to win the California Governor election. But the actor faced a period where he was almost canceled by Hollywood and fans as a result of his actions.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Responded to Scandal With An Apology
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting and political career faced trouble when the actor was accused by multiple women of s*xual harassment over 25 years. To defend himself from these claims, the star made an appearance on ABC News and issued a public apology that also had loaded implications. He said,
Sorry, I am sorry about it. Let me tell you something. No one ever came to me in my life and said to me when I did anything. ‘I don’t want you to do that, and you went over the line.’ Now all of the sudden isn’t it odd that three days and four days before the campaign, all of sudden all these women want to have an apology? Isn’t it odd?”
The Predator actor’s comments further indicated that he was protecting himself and his reputation ahead of the Governor’s election. Following this public statement, more women came forward to narrate their harrowing experience including British TV host Anna Richardson who filed a lawsuit against the actor for indecent behavior during the promotion of his film The Sixth Day. The lawsuit was settled in 2006 without many details being revealed as Richardson did not want to tarnish her reputation further. Schwarzenegger subsequently went on to become Governor and also actively resumed his acting career. But these incidents resulted in the ultimate failure of his marriage to Maria Shriver in 2021.
Source: The Sports Rush
