When Arnold Schwarzenegger was asked “Of all the things you are famous for…which are you least proud of?”, he answered, “I’m least proud of the mistakes I made that caused my family pain and split us up.” While Arnold’s bodybuilding and acting career are very popular, his personal life was no less hidden from the screen. Arnold can be termed an incurable romantic. He has had numerous partners in the past and scandalous stories.
Arnold was married to journalist Maria Shriver for 25 years. Maria was the niece of the USA’s 35th President, John F. Kennedy. And over the course of the marriage, Arnold had four children. The Schwarzenegger family lived in a home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. So what happened that led to the split of a beautiful family? Years after, Arnold came to know he had fathered a son while still married to Maria. His name is Joseph Baena.
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Who Is Joseph Baena?
Joseph Baena is an American actor, model, and fitness bodybuilder. He is the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena. He is of Austrian and Guatemalan descent. Despite being the superstar’s son, Joseph does not use his father’s last name. Baena has worked in movies like ‘Chariot‘ and ‘Bully High’. He was also a contestant in ‘Dancing With The Stars’ season 31. Although his body and physique restrict him from dancing, he insisted on breaking the barriers.
Joseph’s childhood was clouded with bullying and body shaming. He claims it motivated him to join a sport though his physique resembled his father’s he could not choose basketball and soccer. Therefore he decided to go for the swim team.
Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher Schwarzenegger are his half-siblings from his paternal side. In 2021, Joseph stated that he wanted to shift to the real estate business, and become an agent.
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When And How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Learn He Was Joseph’s Father?
On May 2011, Los Angeles Times dropped bomb news on the world, when it revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger had fathered a son fourteen years ago. When Maria Shriver was pregnant with her youngest, Christopher, at the same time their housekeeper, Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena was also expecting. Arnold later confessed to having an extramarital affair with Baena but did not know the child was his. On 2 October 1997, Joseph Baena was born. Five days earlier his half-brother Christopher was born.
Almost a decade later after they were born, Arnold became skeptical of Joseph as the child started to resemble him. Soon Arnold revealed Joseph’s real parentage. A day after Arnold ceased to be the governor of California, Joseph too learned that the famous actor was his biological father. Arnold bought a four-bedroom house for the Baenas and took financial responsibility for his son. In May 2011, Maria filed for divorce from her husband and moved out of the California house.
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