Arnold Schwarzenegger made a name in Hollywood for being one of the most renowned figures in action. Besides movies, he has also excelled in Bodybuilding and Politics. However, one of the most controversial moments in his career came when his affair with his housekeeper was exposed before his former wife, Maria Shriver.
Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed several unheard aspects of his life in his Netflix docu-series titled Arnold. The series also shed light on the controversial affair of the Predator star that raised a massive buzz among fans. Schwarzenegger explained that he had a difficult situation when he was forced to confess the truth to his ex-wife in front of a marriage counselor.
How did Maria Shriver get to know about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s affair?
The Netflix docu-series, Arnold, chronicles several never-heard-before details about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s affair with housekeeper, Mildred Patricia Baena. The True Lies star recalled that he was unknowingly fathering a child with Baena. As per People, the actor and his former wife went to a counseling session once a week. This particular session in 2011 where the infamous revelation took place was arranged by Shriver to address the floating rumors about Joseph Baena.
Arnold Schwarzenegger remembered that the counselor stated that Shriver wanted to know if Joseph Baena was his son. The Terminator fame was shocked by the question and was forced to tell the truth which left his wife “crushed”.
“And in one of the sessions the counselor said, ‘I think today Maria wants to be very specific about something. She wants to know if you are the father of Joseph.’ I thought my heart stopped. And then I told the truth. ‘Yes, Maria, Joseph is my son.’ She was obviously crushed by that.”
In his autobiography titled Total Recall (via ABC News), Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that he cheated on his wife with his housekeeper in 1996 when Maria Shriver was away on vacation along with their children. For a long time, Schwarzenegger was in doubt if Joseph Baena was his son before he grew up and started to bear more resemblance to him.
“In the beginning I really didn’t know, but the older he got, the more it became clear to me. It was then just a matter of How do you keep this quiet?”
The Governator added more to his memoir that he tried his best to beg forgiveness from his former wife. However, it was too late as Shriver was crushed and decided to separate from the actor. The former couple finally confirmed their divorce in 2021.
How are the former couple doing now?
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver shared four children. Even though he faced a lot of difficulties after his divorce, he admitted that they share a platonic friendship now. They are very close friends and celebrated numerous festive occasions together with their children.
He joked to The Hollywood Reporter that they should have won an Oscar for handling their divorce so smoothly.
“She and I are really good friends and very close, and we are very proud of the way we raised our kids. Even though we had this drama, we did Easter together, Mother’s Day together, the Christmases together, all birthdays — everything together. If there’s Oscars for how to handle divorce, Maria and I should get it for having the least amount of impact on the kids.”
Schwarzenegger admitted that the affair was one of the prime failures of his life but he has moved on from it now. Presently he is in a relationship with his 49-year-old physical therapist, Heather Milligan. The two first met in 2012 and a relationship sparked between them in late 2013. Reportedly, Milligan also shares a pleasant bond with Schwarzenegger’s children.
Arnold can be streamed on Netflix.
