Anyone familiar with Schwarzenegger’s past knows this is not the first time he has faced controversial accusations. But in light of this new revelation, his past responses to allegations of affairs and untoward behavior could attract renewed scrutiny.
For example, while the action-movie star was campaigning for governor of California in 2003, the Los Angeles Times interviewed six women who said the actor inappropriately touched them without their consent. The incident became known as “Gropegate.”
“Three of the women described their surprise and discomfort when Schwarzenegger grabbed their breasts. A fourth said he reached under her skirt and gripped her buttocks,” the Times reported.
“A fifth woman said Schwarzenegger groped her and tried to remove her bathing suit in a hotel elevator. A sixth said Schwarzenegger pulled her onto his lap and asked whether a certain sexual act had ever been performed on her.”
After the story was released, Schwarzenegger admitted he “behaved badly sometimes” at a campaign event. He appeared on the ABC Evening News and told Peter Jennings he couldn’t “remember what was happening 20 years ago and 15 years ago.” But he added, “Some of the things sound like me. And this is why I was the first one to come out and say that some of the things could have happened. And I want to apologize to the people if I offended anyone because that was not my intention.”