Famous Actor Asked His Son To Stand On ‘His Own’ Like Every Other Person

Oct 22, 2023 by apost team

There are very few people who haven’t heard of Arnold Schwarzenegger. As one of the most famous bodybuilders, actors, and most recently, politicians in the world, Schwarzenegger has spent his life building his career in the entertainment and political industries. 

In addition to all of these accomplishments, Schwarzenegger has another title —dad. He married journalist Maria Shriver in 1986, and they had their daughter, Katherine, in 1989. The couple went on to have three more children together — Christina, Patrick and Christopher. 

The family lived a normal life, and Schwarzenegger did his best to be a present and active father while pursuing his career. But in May of 2011, everything changed. That’s when Schwarzenegger revealed a secret he had been hiding for years — he had another child. 

On May 16, 2011, The LA Times reported that Schwarzenegger was the father of a 13-year-old boy, Joseph Baena. Joseph's mother, Mildred Baena, was Schwarzenegger’s housekeeper at the time of Joseph’s conception. Mildred worked for the family for 20 years, and she was pregnant with her son at the same time that Shriver was pregnant with the couple's youngest son, Christopher. 

It was a scandal that shocked the world, but most of all, Schwarzenegger’s family. From that point on, it was clear that their lives would never be the same.

Throughout Joseph’s childhood, his mother kept his true identity a secret. Schwarzenegger himself didn’t even know that he was Joseph’s father until he was 7 years old. Now, Joseph has grown up to follow his own passions and make a name for himself.

During an interview with “60 Minutes,” as reported by PEOPLE, Schwarzenegger reflected on what it was like to find out that he had fathered another child with someone besides his long-time wife. 

“It was very difficult, strange, bizarre,” Schwarzenegger said. “I just said to myself, OK, I’m going to put this away.”

And that’s exactly what Schwarzenegger did. It wasn’t until seven years later that his family found out the truth after Mildred had retired from her role as their housekeeper. The day after he left his post as California’s governor, he finally told his wife the truth during a marriage counseling session. Soon after, Shriver filed for divorce. Schwarzenegger described what it was like to reveal this secret to his family in the same interview with "60 Minutes."

“If you would have asked me 10 years ago, five years ago, two years ago, what is the most important thing in my life, I would tell you over and over, it’s my marriage, it’s my family,” he said. “So the thing that really meant the most to me kind of fell apart because of my doing. That is something that I will always look back and say, ‘How could you have done that.’”

While this was happening, Joseph was experiencing a shock of his own. Throughout his life, his mother had never told him the truth about his father. In an interview with Hello Magazine, Mildred explained what it was like to discover that Schwarzenegger was her son’s father. 

“I knew Arnold was the father, and maybe as Joseph got older and began to look like him, he (Arnold) wondered. But he never said anything to me,” Mildred said.

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After news of the affair became public, Mildred and Joseph had to lay low for some time due to the paparazzi’s presence. Eventually, the public became used to the situation and even started following Joseph’s progress. 

Like Schwarzenegger, Joseph is an avid bodybuilder, and the duo bonded over the sport. During his early youth, the actor was determined to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world and hold the title of Mr. Olympia. Although he failed his first attempt in 1969, he returned the following year and won the competition. 

It was the same year that he transitioned to acting films, starting with “Hercules in New York,” which revolved around his bodybuilding abilities. He would eventually land his signature role as the title character in James Cameron’s science-fiction thriller “The Terminator,” in 1984, which made him a household name.

After learning of Joseph’s love for bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger gave him tips and his co-authored training guide, “The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding.”

Although he tried to figure things out on his own at first, Joseph soon yielded and started to involve the actor in his fitness journey. The duo have gotten closer through the years, with the former governor giving his son valuable advice. They have also been spotted exercising on bikes and going out together. 

The father-son duo has also been open about their feelings and relationship. While Schwarzenegger regrets his past action that split his family, he doesn’t hide how proud he is of Joseph. Joseph returned the gesture on the Unwaxed Podcast on Jan. 18, 2022, with two of Sylvester Stallone’s daughters. 

“Now, I’m like so close to my dad and we joke around about everything,” he told his hosts.

Joseph shares one more passion with his dad other than bodybuilding. He is an aspiring actor and intends to become a big star like his dad. However, he is determined to make the journey on his own. For starters, the 27-year-old refused to change his last name to Schwarzenegger. He revealed that he did that because he didn’t want to ride on his dad’s influence. 

Schwarzenegger also contributed to Joseph’s independence. After graduation, he told his son he would no longer support him. Hence, Joseph found his way into real estate. He disclosed on the Unwaxed podcast that he needed something to help sort his bills while pursuing his dreams.

“I’m really grateful that my dad helped me get through college, but right when college was done, it was just like you go, you’re on your own,” he shared. 

The realtor added that he started interning at a real estate company as an “investment,” and he soon fell in love with the business. 

“I was like, ‘I want to just learn as much as possible while making some kind of income,’ and then I enjoyed it and was like, ‘Oh, I kind of I think I can do this pretty well’ so I got my license,” Joseph revealed.

The aspiring actor has gained considerable knowledge since he started and began making sales. To celebrate the sale of a Santa Monica property, Joseph took to Instagram to share the news with his over 300,000 followers on March 23, 2022.

“SOLD!!! Congratulations to my clients for trusting myself and @aria_properties to sell their beautiful Santa Monica Property!🍾🎉🎊,” he captioned the post that showed him holding a “SOLD” banner in front of a home.

What do you think of Joseph Baena’s independent and enterprising spirit? What do you think of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s method of raising his son and their relationship? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to friends, family, and fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger.