Arnold Schwarzenegger's Disaster Hair Dye Job Is Divorced Dad Trend Gone Wrong

As he has aged, Arnold Schwarzenegger has undergone a transformation, and it's involved some horrible dye jobs. On October 26, "The Terminator" star appeared on CNN for an interview with Jake Tapper. The conversation was politically focused, as Tapper even asked the former governor about his thoughts on the proliferation of the Nazi party being embraced by sects across the country. "Anyone that idolizes Nazis, it's bad news. Because we have been there before, and we have seen the outcome," Schwarzenegger responded. Screenshots of the interview were shared online, and fans were less concerned with what Schwarzenegger had to say and more surprised with how he looked.

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The "True Lies" actor conducted the interview remotely from his Gold's Gym. He sported a black puffer coat over a black shirt, and decided to complement the ensemble with jet black hair. What made the dark hair stand out even more was that Schwarzenegger left his gray beard untouched. Even though he had been divorced from ex-wife Maria Shriver for quite some time, it appeared as if Schwarzenegger was experiencing a divorced dad identity crisis with the horrible dye job. Photos of his contrasting gray beard and dark hair look were shared on X, where people roasted Schwarzenegger. "Looks like Arnold got a hold of some Just for Men hair color in the shade Real Black," one user quipped. "He looks like he's going through a Santa Clause situation," another added. "Arnold's hairdresser ran out of hair dye just before the eyebrows and beard," an X user joked.

Prior to this boxed dye job fiasco, Schwarzenegger was hardly recognizable with gray hair. At the time, he actually was pulling a Tim Allen by channeling Santa, but for the movie "The Man With The Bag."

In November 2018, Arnold Schwarzenegger proudly showed off his silver gray hair as he was photographed out in London. That trend didn't continue, however, as he lost confidence in the natural look and opted for crudely dyed hair. The following year, he was spotted out with his daughter in March 2019, and Schwarzenegger had inexplicably dyed the top portion of his hair auburn, while keeping a strip of gray along the bottom. This was all happening as Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver took 10 years to finalize their divorce, which they finally settled in 2021.

Perhaps being officially single made the "Predator" actor insecure about his gray locks, or maybe it was a combination of the divorce and getting older. Insight into how much Schwarzenegger cared about his hair surfaced in September 2024 when an insider described what the actor went through to achieve his unnatural look. "It's one of his major sources of vanity," the insider told Closer at the time. "He doesn't mind letting his beard go gray, but he dyes his hair at least once a week." The source added that in addition to the dye, Schwarzenegger had a full haircare routine, including "scalp massages."