How Much Of Maria Shriver's Net Worth Is From The Kennedy Fortune?

October 10, 2024

Highlights

Maria Shriver's $200 million net worth includes assets from her Kennedy family inheritance, accruing dividends since 1998.
Shriver found strength in her mother's legacy and solid work ethic despite growing up without a clear identity as a Kennedy.
Shriver acquired 50% of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earnings post-marriage and remains focused on positive energy and family.

In 2011, Maria Shriver discovered that her then-husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had an affair with their former housekeeper, Mildred Baena. The bodybuilder-turned-actor confessed to multiple infidelities. But this was the only one that resulted in a love child – his youngest son, Joseph Baena, who still refuses to use the Schwarzenegger name. Shriver immediately filed for divorce, which was finalized 10 years later, in 2021.

The former NBC broadcaster received a hefty settlement from the movie star. But even without it, she already had quite a fortune from her inheritance alone. Shriver is a niece of the late U.S. president, John F. Kennedy. Her parents are Special Olympics founder, Eugene Kennedy Shriver, and former U.S. ambassador to France, Sargent Shriver. Here's a breakdown of Shriver's $200 million net worth.

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Maria Shriver Inherited Millions In Assets And Trusts From The Kennedy Family

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Shriver collects income from multi-million dollar assets and trusts under the Kennedy name. Documents show that these assets include "Vornado Realty Trust" and "Vornado Realty Inc.," which are valued at $7.5 million each.

It is also reported that the Kennedys have amassed over $170 million since 1998, in dividends alone. "The family's financial assets are set up in an ingenious manner – using a system that accepts partnership units instead of cash in order to defer capital gains taxes and depreciation," wrote CNW

Although Shriver is grateful for her privileged upbringing, she told Oprah Winfrey that she struggled to find her identity growing up. "I felt lost a lot growing up because I was always a 'Kennedy,' without a first name or my own identity, really," the philanthropist told the host in 2018. "People would ask me, 'Which Kennedy are you?'"

"I always felt that they were more interested in the things that came before me than in getting to know me. I was determined to become Maria."

But through it all, Shriver's mother – who passed in 2009 – inspired her to "perform at a high level." When Winfrey asked how it was like to be Eugene Kennedy Shriver's daughter, the journalist responded: "It was awesome, because she was. And it was challenging, because she was a force of nature."

She added that her mom "thought everyone could change the world and had no interest in you unless that's what you were doing. She dressed like a man and always had pencils stuck in her hair. She smoked cigars, carried a briefcase, and went to the office every day. She loved power and respected people who worked nonstop. It forced me to perform at a high level."

Arnold Schwarzenegger told Maria Shriver's mother, "Your daughter has a really nice ass," the first time he met her in 1977.

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Maria Shriver Got 50% Of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Fortune From Their Divorce

Six months after finalizing their divorce in December 2021, Shriver gained rights to 50% of Schwarzenegger's earnings from the time they got married in 1986 to when she filed for divorce in 2011. That means she still gets residuals from Terminator 2 and is entitled to her ex-husband's pension. The Junior star is worth $450 million.

While some sources say Shriver also had a lover before her split from Schwarzenegger, the latter only had nice things to say about his ex-wife. In 2012, amid their divorce, he told Mario Lopez: "Luckily, Maria has been a terrific mother. We work together even though we're going through a divorce."

"We make sure that the kids grow up to be really good human beings."

On the other hand, Shriver has "no plans on publicly responding" to Schwarzenegger's 2023 Netflix documentary, Arnold – where he opened up about his "failed" marriage. "[Maria] would like to keep what happened in the past behind her and not relive some of the challenges she faced in her marriage," an anonymous tipster told Us Weekly.

They added that the former NBC anchor is "in a really good place with Arnold now, and they're able to focus on what matters most to them — their children. She doesn't live with regrets and chooses to focus her life on positive energy and moving forward." Here's a timeline of their relationship:

August 1977	Shriver and Schwarzenegger started dating soon after they first met at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament
August 1985	They got engaged
April 26, 1986	They tied the knot in a Catholic ceremony in Hyannis, Massachusetts
December 13, 1989	They welcomed their first child, Katherine, who's married to Chris Pratt.
July 23, 1991	The couple had their second child, Christina
September 18, 1993	They welcomed their first son together, Patrick
September 27, 1997	They had their fourth and last child together, Christopher
May 10, 2011	The pair announced their divorce
May 17, 2011	Schwarzenegger publicly admitted to having a love child
July 1, 2011	Shriver filed for divorce
December 2021	Their divorce was finalized

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Maria Shriver Made $1 Million A Year As A Journalist On NBC

In 1986, Shriver joined NBC News. She anchored the weekend editions of the Today show and the NBC Nightly News, and became a political correspondent for Dateline NBC. She left in 2004 to assume the role of First Lady of California alongside Schwarzenegger. However, the network only viewed her exit as an "extended leave of absence" in hopes she'd return.

"Given her career at NBC and the election of her husband as governor of California, Maria found herself in an unusual situation," said her then-chief-of-staff Daniel Zingale. "But there is absolutely nothing unusual about her exit agreement with NBC." Shriver was reportedly paid between $100,000 to $1 million during each of her last three years at NBC.

Shriver's journalistic career earned her a Peabody Award in 1998. Ten years before that, she co-anchored NBC's Emmy-winning coverage of that year's Summer Olympics. In 2013, she returned to NBC as a special anchor, after refusing to make a journalistic comeback. In May 2007, she revealed:

"I kind of made up my mind I did not want to go back into the news division after watching the Anna Nicole Smith frenzy."

The mother of four explained she "was just flabbergasted by that. How it was across the board, all-encompassing, and I just thought to myself, 'This is not where I want to work.'" In September 2004, Shriver was optimistic about balancing her political and broadcasting career, saying:

"One of the goals, when the news division suggested that I go on leave, was, 'I'm going to find my way back on the air. That was important to me, because I felt that I still had a lot to give as a journalist."

Arnold Schwarzenegger's children with Maria Shriver are not close to their father's love child , Joseph Baena.

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