Is Matthew Dowd dating Maria Shriver? All about the MSNBC analyst fired over Charlie Kirk comments

American political analyst Matthew Dowd was recently dismissed by MSNBC following his comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s murder. On September 10, the conservative political activist, author, and media personality was fatally shot at a college event in Orem, Utah, at the age of 31.

During the network’s coverage of Kirk’s shooting, anchor Katy Tur asked Matthew Dowd, 64, about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens.” The Detroit native, who is now dating Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ex-wife Maria Shriver, responded by saying about Kirk:

“He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”

Dowd continued, “And I think that is the environment we are in. You can’t stop with these sorts of awful thoughts you have and then say these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”

The 64-year-old political pundit faced online backlash in the wake of his comments. He later took to his BlueSky account and issued an apology for his “tone and words.”

Matthew Dowd clarified that he in “no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack.” He added, Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind.”

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All you need to know about Matthew Dowd’s personal life

Matthew Dowd was married twice, first to Tammy L. Edgerly and later to Nikki Dowd. However, he divorced both of them. He has five children, three sons from his marriage to Edgerly, one from his second marriage, and another out of wedlock. Dowd lost one of his twin infant daughters; he shared with Nikki.

In 2013, Matthew Dowd began dating journalist, author, and philanthropist Maria Shriver, 69, who is a part of the famous Shriver and Kennedy families.

She is also the former First Lady of California, having been married to Arnold Schwarzenegger from 1986 until their separation in 2011. Their divorce was finalized in 2021. They share four children.

In 2014, Dowd and Shriver went public with their relationship at her cousin Bobby Kennedy Jr.’s wedding, the Daily Mail reported at the time.

Last month, the couple was spotted taking a stroll in Los Angeles, according to Hello Magazine. It was right after Maria appeared on Today with Jenna & Friends and claimed she was “happily single” and had been “for her whole 60s.”

The Chicago native also mentioned being interested in “any great love experience,” adding, “I think if a great man comes along, that’s great, at any age, by the way.” Before that, she said on the Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast that she was “open” to finding love again and was a “big believer in relationships” despite being a “frustrated matchmaker.”

Earlier this month, an insider source exclusively told GLOBE that after years of hesitation, women’s advocate Maria Shriver was ready to remarry her “soulmate,” Matthew Dowd. The source also shared that Dowd had “charmed her” and the pair had a “lot in common.”

Reportedly, they are planning a “lowkey” wedding in the presence of close friends and family, and they “complement” each other, both personally and professionally.

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Exploring the life and career of Matthew Dowd

According to his profile in the July 2016 issue of Austin Monthly, Matthew John Dowd was born on May 29, 1961, in Detroit, Michigan. He was raised in an Irish Catholic family by a public-school teacher mother and an auto executive father. Dowd was the third among eleven siblings in a household of seven brothers and four sisters.

He attended Cardinal Newman College in St. Louis, Missouri. Matthew became interested in politics at the age of 12 during the Watergate Committee hearings.

“The intersection of the greatest levels of power, these two journalists that were able to take it down, the great flaws of Richard Nixon—it just fascinated me,” he told Austin Monthly in 2016.

Matthew Dowd added, “I’ve been around celebrities and powerful people, and one of the things I’ve learned from all of them is that these are human beings. They make mistakes. They’re not perfect. They’re not any better than you and I.”

Dowd was a chief political strategist for George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 election campaigns, which they eventually won. In 2006, he condemned Bush for the Iraq War and parted ways with his boss.

He was a senior advisor to the Republican National Committee during the 2002 midterm elections. Before becoming a Republican in 1999, the longtime critic of Donald Trump also worked for several Democratic leaders, including the late Texas Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock.

Matthew Dowd, who also helped Arnold Schwarzenegger become California’s governor and served as his strategist for the 2006 re-election campaign, is a 64-year-old Detroit native. In 2021, he ran as a Democrat for Lieutenant Governor of Texas but withdrew from the race three months later.

In December 2007, he joined ABC News as a political analyst and appeared on the network’s Good Morning America and This Week. Dowd has previously taught at various institutions, including Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Lyndon B., and the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.

Matthew Dowd has penned multiple books, including A New Way: Embracing the Paradox as We Lead and Serve, published in 2017. He is also an entrepreneur, having co-founded the strategy consultancy Vianovo and the investment firm Paradox Capital. Additionally, he has been involved with the nonprofit organization Seton.

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On Wednesday, Charlie Kirk was attending a Turning Point USA event titled “The American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Twenty minutes after the event began, he was shot in the neck while speaking on stage and killed. An investigation is ongoing alongside a manhunt, according to the BBC. Donald Trump mourned the death of Kirk on Truth Social.

MSNBC announced last night that Matthew Dowd was “no longer with” the network. Their President, Rebecca Kutler’s statement was posted on the MSNBC Public Relations account on X, where she called Dowd’s comments “inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable.” She also apologized, adding, “There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”

Charlie Kirk is survived by his wife and two children.