Conducting a remote interview from his Gold’s Gym, the “True Lies” star appeared in a black puffer jacket layered over a matching shirt, with a strikingly dark head of hair. This stark contrast was highlighted by his decision to leave his beard in its natural gray. Despite having been divorced from Maria Shriver for some time, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s choice of hair color sparked speculation about whether he was going through a “divorced dad” phase. Social media was quick to react, with photos of his mismatched look circulating on X. One user humorously remarked, “Looks like Arnold got a hold of some Just for Men hair color in the shade Real Black.” Another compared his transformation to a “Santa Clause situation.” A different user joked, “Arnold’s hairdresser ran out of hair dye just before the eyebrows and beard.”

Before this bold hair decision, Schwarzenegger was barely recognizable with his naturally gray hair, reminiscent of Tim Allen in his Santa role for the film “The Man With The Bag.”

In November 2018, Arnold proudly embraced his silver strands while in London, but soon shifted gears, opting for a more artificially colored look. By March 2019, he was seen with his daughter sporting auburn hair, leaving a strip of gray untouched. This transformation coincided with his lengthy divorce process with Maria Shriver, which concluded in 2021 after a decade.

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.”