Arnold Schwarzenegger gets candid about the moment he told Maria Shriver about his affair and love child

Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t hold back in the upcoming Netflix documentary titled Arnold, recalling the moment when he told his now-ex-wife, Maria Shriver, about his 1996 infidelity and fathering a love child.

Notably, the Terminator actor, 75, had an affair with their housekeeper, Mildred Baena, and she gave birth to their son, Joseph Baena, 25, in 1997.

At a 2011 marriage counseling session, the counselor had said at the time, “Today, Maria wants to be very specific about something,” he reveals. “She wants to know if you’re Joseph’s father.”

The former governor of California said, “I thought my heart stopped. And then I told the truth. ‘Yes, Mary. Joseph is my son.’ She was clearly devastated by that.’

The star explained that both he and Mildred initially assumed the child was her husband’s Rogelio, and that she continued to work for the Schwarzenegger family. “At first I really didn’t know, but the older he got, the more it became clear to me.”

“It was then a matter of, ‘How do you keep this quiet?'” Arnold said in an excerpt from the documentary.

The actor first crossed paths with Maria, the niece of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, during a tennis match in August 1977. The two became engaged after Arnold popped the big question to Shriver in his home country Austria in 1985.

The former couple tied the knot the following year in 1986 in a romantic ceremony at the Kennedy family home in Massachusetts, saying it was the “greatest wedding I’ve ever been to” and gushing that he felt he was “the happiest’. son of ab***h in life.’

During their 25-year marriage, the couple welcomed daughters Katherine, 33, and Christina, 31, as well as sons, Patrick, 29, and Christopher, 25, who was born just days before his other son, Joseph. born.

Regarding the affair, Arnold admitted it was his “biggest failure,” saying, “I’ve caused enough pain for my family because of my f**k-up. Everyone had to suffer. Mary had to suffer, the children had to suffer, Joseph, his mother, everyone.’

The True Lies star revealed, “I’m going to have to live with that for the rest of my life.” After the affair, Mildred left her husband and Schwarzenegger took care of both her and Joseph and bought a house with a pool in California in 2010.

The housekeeper retired in 2011, the same year Maria ended her relationship with Arnold, leading to their divorce. She filed for divorce in July 2011, which was not officially finalized until 10 years later in 2021.

“People will remember my successes and they will remember my failures. I’ve had failures in my career, but this was a whole new dimension of failure. I am very happy in this sad story that Maria and I were able to raise the children well,” said the former professional bodybuilder.

Schwarzenegger shared positive words about his now ex-wife, saying, “I think there is nothing more important than having a good partner by your side and every step of the way, Maria was just that.”

“We have a really great relationship. On every special day we are all together as a family and everyone is very happy about that,’ but admitted, ‘it’s not what it used to be, where we were all together as a family under one roof’.

After filing for divorce, Maria also opened up and revealed that she had gone to a convent to seek advice and “guidance” while appearing on the website. Making space with Hoda Kotb podcast earlier this year in February.

After their split, both Arnold and Maria have maintained a positive relationship, from attending children’s graduations to celebrating birthdays together.

Arnold also revealed that he was “very proud” of his son Joseph, who is also an actor and bodybuilder like his own father. “I saw Joseph develop into a wonderful person.”

“What I did was wrong, but I don’t want Joseph to think he’s not welcome in this world, because he’s very welcome and I love him. He has turned out to be an extraordinary young man,” the star sweetly added.

While Schwarzenegger is splitting the love equally among his five children, a source recently revealed Page six late last May that his four children he shares with Maria “do not love” their half-brother, Joseph.

Arnold was recently joined by daughters Christina and Katherine, as well as her husband Chris Pratt at the LA premiere of his latest Netflix movie, FUBAR. Joseph was also in attendance, but walked the star-studded red carpet solo during the festivities.

The source stated that while the actor and Baena have a “close” relationship, “the other kids don’t like Joe.”

“It’s a shame because he’s a very good boy and Arnold has always treated him like all his other children – very fair. But for whatever reason, take the other kids [the affair] out on Joe.’

Joseph himself seemed unbothered, smiling happily on the red carpet, later sharing an Instagram post to gush about the event. “I give FUBAR 2 thumbs up!!!” he wrote in the caption for his fans and followers.

“Had a great time last night at the premiere of FUBAR! In my unbiased opinion, FUBAR is a hilarious, action-packed show that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time!”

A social media user supported the budding actor, writing in the comments section, ‘Joe is Arnold’s true legacy and his rich lazy kids are clearly stunned. Keep transporting Joe.”

The three-part Netflix documentary titled Arnold will air later this month on Wednesday, June 7.

In addition to candid about his affair and failed marriage to Shriver, the documentary also follows his rise as a bodybuilder and Hollywood blockbuster protagonists. 2011.