Advertisement

Schwarzenegger to be executive editor of magazines

Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was excited to revive his former magazine gig.
(Carl Court / AFP/Getty Images)
Share

SACRAMENTO — Arnold Schwarzenegger has found lots of ways to keep busy since leaving the governor’s office, including starring in action movies and lending his name to a policy institute at USC.

Now he’ll return to a role that stirred controversy during his time in Sacramento: serving as executive editor of Muscle & Fitness and Flex magazines.

The move was announced Friday by American Media Inc., which owns the magazines.

Schwarzenegger, who was named Mr. Olympia seven times, first took the editorship shortly after winning the 2003 gubernatorial recall election. When details of the arrangement were revealed in 2005, it was criticized as a conflict of interest and he quit the job.

Advertisement

Schwarzenegger had signed a contract for at least $1 million a year from a magazine dependent on advertising for dietary supplements. At the same time, he was also making decisions as governor about how to regulate the industry.

In a statement, Schwarzenegger said he was excited to revive his former gig.

“It was in these magazines that I found the spark that inspired me to start lifting weights, and eventually move to America and realize my dreams, and I’m proud to return as executive editor,” he said.

Schwarzenegger, who has appeared on the magazines’ covers more than 60 times, will contribute columns and other input.

No word on whether the former governor will do his own writing. An editor told The Times in 2005 that Schwarzenegger would discuss topics with editors who later wrote drafts for him to approve.

chris.megerian@latimes.com

Advertisement