ci are moments destined to remain etched in the mind. For Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of them, is the day he revealed to his wife Maria Shriver that he had a child with their housekeeper, Mildred Baena. A day of which the actor tells the details in Arnold, the docu series released today, June 7, on Netflix.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and the documentary about his life
Bodybuilding, cinema, politics: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s whole life is there in the documentary debuting today on Netflix. Including the his personal and private life. The star of terminators, in fact, it is told without filters revealing the truth about the personal scandals faced over the years. The greatest, the one who cannot forget, is the relationship with the housekeeper Mildred Baena. A fling he had while he was married to Maria Shriver and from whom a son, Joseph Baena, was born.
When I told Maria about that child born out of wedlock
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver were married in 1986. Four children were born from their love: Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher. Then, right after that revelation, in 2011, after 25 years of marriage, they announced their separation, officially divorcing in 2021. “Maria and I went to couples therapy once a week,” says the movie star and former California governor in the documentary.
Arnold Schwarzenegger with ex-wife Maria Shriver in 1986. (Getty Images)
«And in one of the sessions the therapist said: “I think Maria wants to know something today. She wants to know if you are Joseph’s father ”. I thought my heart had stopped,” Schwarzenegger admits. «AND then I told the truth: “Yes, Maria, Joseph is my son”». In fact, the story had already come to light in 2011, after his second term as Governor of California.
The actor and politician therefore publicly apologized in a note published in the Los Angeles Times: “There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the pain I have caused. I apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I’m really sorry”. But it wasn’t enough to save her marriage.
The pain caused to the family
That memory is still an open wound for Arnold Schwarzenegger who, years later, is aware of the pain that news has caused to the whole family. «Everyone had to suffer. Maria had to suffer. The children had to suffer. Joseph. Mother of him. Everyone».
And that betrayal, that son, the end of the marriage are something I have to live with «for the rest of my life. People will remember my successes and they will also remember my failures. This is a major failure. I’ve had failures in the past in my career, but this is completely different.”
Proud of my son
The actor, however, also reveals that he feels a great love for the son born from that relationship. Joseph, who is 25 today, “is a fantastic man, he makes me proud” tells. Pointing out: «What I did was wrong but I don’t want to make Joseph think that he is not welcome in this world, because he is welcome. I love him and he turned out to be an extraordinary young man».
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