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.
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.
Child Number Five
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.
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.
About Joseph
“He’s terrific, and he understands the situation,” Arnold said about his son, Joseph, in 2015. When Mildred shared with her son who his father was, Joseph reportedly replied, “Cool.” From going to have no father to having Arnold Schwarzenegger as a dad is definitely “Cool!”
Several years after the affair was revealed and he and Maria split, Schwarzenegger explained that it all worked, but that it was a tough situation for Joseph, his kids, and the rest of the family. It was tough for everybody. But he understood that it happened and that they now had to figure out how to live with it.