What To Know
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a gym selfie with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- The photo drew criticism from both liberals and conservatives.
- Family dynamics added to the controversy, as Schwarzenegger’s ex-wife Maria Shriver, a Kennedy relative, has publicly criticized RFK Jr.’s policies.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently turned heads after posting a gym selfie with Arnold Schwarzenegger — eliciting backlash from both sides of the political spectrum.
On May 14, RFK Jr., 72, took to X with a snapshot of himself and the Terminator star, 78. “Senior’s Day, Gold’s Gym in Venice,” the Donald Trump cabinet member captioned his update.
In the photo, RFK Jr. wore a blue T-shirt while smiling and putting an arm around Schwarzenegger, who donned a black graphic T-shirt for his workout. The secretary of health is a cousin of Maria Shriver, 70, Schwarzenegger’s ex-wife, who has publicly spoken out about RFK Jr.’s controversial policies and opinions.
Folks on both sides of the political spectrum called out the two men in the comments. One X user ,who was clearly anti-RFK Jr., wrote, “Ugh. @Schwarzenegger, WTF are you doing with this antivax crank? He doesn’t really want to make America healthy again. He wants to make its children sicker by taking away their vaccines.”
Someone else bluntly wondered, “Arnold, what are you doing with that clown.”
Senior’s Day, Gold’s Gym in Venice. pic.twitter.com/eZbOIxgbgf
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 14, 2026
Another X user joked, “I would guess you do not see him at the family reunions anymore.”
Meanwhile, others called out RFK Jr. for posing with Schwarzenegger. One X user wrote, “I’m shocked! I loved Arnold forever until he went woke, supported the corrupt Dems, and said screw our freedom.”
A different X user shared, “That’s pretty surprising, given their positions on Covid, the jab, and health freedom are completely opposite. Not sure what to make of it.”
Yet another person commented via X, “Sorry, Bobby. I can’t get past his ‘screw your freedom!’”
Schwarzenegger was married to Shriver from 1986 to 2011; their divorce was finalized in 2021, 10 years after Shriver filed. In January 2025, Shriver supported her cousin, Caroline Kennedy, after the latter’s letter to senators labeled RFK Jr. a “predator” who is “addicted to attention and power.”
“Courage is when you do something hard, heartbreaking, and painful… and you do it anyway,” Shriver wrote on X. “Love you, Caroline. Always have, always will.”