'Terminator' Fans Left Devastated by Linda Hamilton's Confession She's Gone Without S-- for 20 Years — 'She's Taken the Kink Out of the Franchise!'

Linda Hamilton has left long-time Terminator devotees reeling after disclosing she has been celibate for two decades – a revelation that has sparked equal parts disbelief and admiration among fans who still view her as the franchise's defining force.

Hamilton's frank admission – delivered as she joins the fifth and final season of Netflix's Stranger Things – has ricocheted across fandom forums and convention circles.

The actress, 69, whose portrayal of Sarah Connor reshaped the landscape of female action roles, has admitted she's been celibate for 20 years – while insisting she has "all the love in the world" thanks to her love of nature and for her dogs.

A senior industry publicist said about the impact of her admission: "Fans grew up seeing her as the toughest and also sexiest figure on screen from the 1980s, so the idea that she's chosen chastity has genuinely stunned them. They didn't expect their ultimate action hero to say she's done with s--."

"For them, it has taken the one bit of sexiness out of the Terminator franchise," they added.

Another industry source said: "People are joking she's taken the kink out of the franchise, but underneath the humor there's genuine shock. The Terminator characters are wrapped up in their identities, and Sarah Connor is tied to a certain intensity. Fans are suddenly confronting the idea she moved beyond that decades ago."

A longtime attendee at U.K. film and ComicCon conventions said: "People aren't devastated because she's celibate. They're devastated because it reminds them how much time has passed since Sarah Connor first appeared. She's still their hero – just a different kind now, and it is a bit sad she does not have a partner in her life."

Her decision to go without intimacy, Hamilton has long suggested, is deeply personal. First rising to prominence in James Cameron's 1984 blockbuster The Terminator, the actress went on to anchor Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), matching Arnold Schwarzenegger's mechanical menace with human ferocity.

She later appeared in Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), a physically punishing return that coincided with mounting health strains and a growing desire to redefine her life outside Hollywood expectations.

Hamilton's remarks on celibacy resurfaced as she undertook press for Stranger Things.

She added: "I think people's opinions are killing the world," saying she focuses instead on a life rich with animals, neighbors and the ordinary textures of daily existence.

Hamilton went on in a recent interview: "I just really try not to put forth a certain set of beliefs for anyone, because I'm a very, very specific person. But I'm at my best and happiest, and my life is rich with all things – flora, fauna, babies, neighbours, trials, tribulations, pain, you know what I mean? I think that we kind of got lost long ago when people were like, 'Oh, I hope you're not hurt.' Pain is part of life. Why is pain worse than happiness? I really give it all equal measure. So for me, it works, and I have no regrets that I go to bed alone at night, well, with my two little precious doggies, my little Gladys and Wilma – you have to touch and stroke something, you know what I mean? But I have all the love in the world. Every day. And I'm celibate."

Hamilton has had her loves.

She had her first child in 1989 with first husband Bruce Abbott, but he left their marriage in 1989, when Hamilton was pregnant with their son Dalton – and the actress later admitted he "lived in fear" of her and apologized for her behavior during their relationship.

Hamilton also began a relationship with director Cameron after the filming of Terminator 2, and they had a daughter, Josephine, in 1993. The two married in 1997, but their union lasted barely a year, and they parted in 1999, with Hamilton receiving a reported $50 million in a divorce settlement.

Her move into Stranger Things arrives after years of physical wear from action roles. "Swimming all night, running… It was like a d--- triathlon every single night," Hamilton said of filming Dark Fate. In recent years, hip problems left her considering retirement before she accepted the Netflix offer to appear in Stranger Things – though she needed a hip injection to get through filming.

Hamilton found the role of Dr. Kay – a ruthless military scientist overseeing the lockdown of Hawkins – invigorating, calling the character's cold decisiveness "fun."She is also in awe of the show's younger cast.

Of Millie Bobby Brown, now 21, she said: "I would say that she is a young lady who has her s--- together on every level," praising her professionalism and poise amid intense scrutiny over her private life.

What continues to surprise Hamilton, however, is the depth of affection shown by fans who grew up with her.