What happened with James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow? Split explored as director calls out Amy Poehler over 2013 joke

Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron, who is widely known for his big-budget sci-fi blockbusters, recently criticized comedian and actress Amy Poehler for her 2013 joke at the Golden Globes regarding his marriage to screenwriter and director Kathryn Bigelow. The 71-year-old veteran director, Cameron, recently, in a conversation with The New York Times, called out Amy Poehler for her harsh joke, describing it as an "ignorant dig" at his expense.

During the 2013 Golden Globes, where the two-time Oscar-winning Kathryn Bigelow's political thriller film, Zero Dark Thirty, starring Jessica Chastain, Chris Pratt, James Gandolfini, and Kyle Chandler, was nominated for Best Picture, Amy Poehler, who hosted the show along with Tina Fey, while mentioning the controversy related to the movie's depiction of torture, cracked a joke, saying:

"When it comes to torture, I trust the lady who spent three years married to James Cameron."

James Cameron, who was previously married to Sharon Williams and Gale Ann Hurd, tied the knot with Kathryn Bigelow in 1989 and eventually split in 1991. Following his split from Bigelow, the senior filmmaker, widely known for films such as Titanic, the Terminator franchise, and the Avatar franchise, among others, married Linda Harris and Suzie Amis Cameron, who is James' current wife.

According to Marc Shapiro, as cited by The Times, who was James Cameron's unauthorized biographer, the critically acclaimed filmmaker was quite passionate about his marriage to Kathryn Bigelow. As per The Times, Shapiro stated:

"Jim discovered a soulmate, every bit as committed to her work as he was. She was a female version of himself."

The reason Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow split was primarily due to their work, to which both of them were highly dedicated. While it has been a long time since they separated, they remain on friendly terms. Not to mention, the two have also collaborated creatively on films such as Point Break and Strange Days.

James Cameron criticized Amy Poehler in a recent interview

James Cameron's brand-new movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash, was released on December 19, 2025. During his recent interview with The New York Times, he criticized comedian Amy Poehler for her 2013 Golden Globes joke. Cameron said:

"Amy Poehler’s remark was an ignorant dig, at an event which is supposed to be a celebration of cinema and filmmakers, not a roast."

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He further added:

"I’m pretty thick-skinned, and happy to be the butt of a good-natured joke, but that went too far. The fact that people found it funny shows exactly what they think of me, even though they have no idea who I am or how I work."

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