Sadly, it was announced in 2011 that Maria and Arnold were separating. The root of the breakup? It was soon revealed that Schwarzenegger had had an affair with the family’s maid and fathered her son. The mother of his son was Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena.
For years, everyone assumed that the child, Joseph, was her husband’s biological son, Rogelio de Jesus Baena. What was even more shattering was that Joseph was born on October 2, 1997, only days after Maria and Arnold’s second son, Christopher, was born. Schwarzenegger did not know the child was his for about seven or eight years.
The Governator
After many years in Hollywood, the star decided to opt for a new career once again. The always-ambitious Schwarzenegger set his sights on another field: politics. He ran as a Republican candidate and was elected as the 38th Governor of California in 2003. But his win was part of a recall election to replace Governor Gray Davis, and so at first, he only completed Davis’s term.
However, he was re-elected in 2006 to serve a full term and even a second term after returning to Hollywood. If an Austrian boy can go from being a humble construction businessman/ bodybuilder to an award-winning actor/ governor, then perhaps anything is possible if you just believe.
Worrying Allegations
Though they were eventually married, Shriver and Schwarzenegger had an impressive start to their relationship. The two began dating while Schwarzenegger was in an open relationship with another woman, Sue Moray. Many women have placed allegations on Schwarzenegger for inappropriate behavior in his past, but others have defended him and stated that his character is that of good nature.
In another disturbing allegation, a former bodybuilder, who is African-American, accused him of racism. Despite these serious allegations, Schwarzenegger and his fans deny any claims that he is a misogynist or a racist. We guess we will never know if they were true or not.
The Truth
Indeed, Schwarzenegger admitted it was only when Joseph “started looking like me, that’s when I kind of got it. I put things together.” It wasn’t until he ended his foray into politics that his wife confronted him about the affair, which happened after she had confirmed this incident face-to-face with the help of Baena.
Baena opened up about everything, and Shriver’s thoughts had been confirmed. Shriver described his admission as “painful and heartbreaking.” They split up in May of 2011, with Maria moving into a nearby home so their children could easily go between the two parents. The couple stayed separated for a long time before they got divorced many years down the line.
Big Regrets
Though now divorced, Maria and Arnold appear to have an amicable relationship, and from the start, he has taken financial responsibility for his son, Joseph. Schwarzenegger owns up to his transgressions, publicly admitting his most personal mistakes.
The Hollywood scandal made a lot of waves in the media and had a lot of fans and followers of the star in complete shock. “I’m least proud of the mistakes I made that caused my family pain and split us up.” All of his fame, accomplishments, and successes were vastly overshadowed by his infidelity, though he has recognized the devastation it has caused.