Arnold Schwarzenegger Hid His Affair For Over A Decade From Maria Shriver
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver seemed to have a picture-perfect marriage — the actor was one of Hollywood's most bankable stars and Shriver had a prominent career as a journalist, with Kennedy connections. However, when Schwarzenegger shifted into politics, there were many allegations made by women that he had sexually harassed them over the course of three decades, per The Guardian. "It is true that I was on rowdy movie sets and I have done things that were not right which I thought then was playful. But now I recognize that I offended people. Those people that I have offended, I want to say to them I am deeply sorry about that and I apologize because that's not what I'm trying to do," he stated.
After Schwarzenegger's eight-year run as Governor of California, he and Shriver announced their plan to divorce. "After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion, and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship," they shared in a joint statement, E! News reported. It was later revealed that the "Twins" star had fathered a child with their housekeeper, which only came out when Shriver pressed him about the matter.
Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted to the affair during a therapy session
When Arnold Schwarzenegger's housekeeper, Mildred Baena, had her son Joseph in 1997, the actor believed his father to be Baena's then-husband. It wasn't until Joseph was seven or eight years old that Schwarzenegger saw a resemblance to himself. "It was never discussed, but I put things together," he shared in an interview with "60 Minutes." He revealed that Maria Shriver had brought up her suspicions before but he denied them until she finally confronted him again during a marriage counseling session after his second term as governor was over. "She said, 'Am I off on this or am I not?' And I said, 'You are absolutely correct,'" he admitted.
Following the news of the affair, Schwarzenegger told the public, "After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family," per BBC. Shriver shared, "This is a painful and heartbreaking time. As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect, and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal." Schwarzenegger and Shriver's marriage never recovered from the scandal and he later revealed that it was his biggest blunder.
Arnold Schwarzenegger knew he majorly screwed up
As an A-list actor-turned-powerful-politician, Arnold Schwarzenegger was undoubtedly used to success but he admitted that his affair with Mildred Baena was the one thing he wished he could take back. "I had personal setbacks, but this was, without any doubt, the biggest setback and the biggest failure. Without any doubt. Not only failure, but you feel like, 'I'm to blame for it. It was me that screwed up.' And you can't point the finger at anyone else," he shared with Howard Stern. The one good thing to come out of this debacle was Scharzenegger's son with Baena. "He's terrific and he totally understands the situation, so it all has worked out. It's a very tough situation for him. It's a very tough situation for my kids. Very tough situation for my family. It was tough for everybody. But it has happened and now we have to figure it out, right?" he mused.
Over time, Schwarzenegger developed a tight relationship with Joseph. "It's amazing having a father like him, who is so loving and so supportive. Although it was different circumstances than most, it's something that I'm really grateful for," Joseph said of the "Terminator" star, per Entertainment Tonight. As for Schwarzenegger and Shriver, they finally finalized their divorce 10 years after separating. Although he told The Hollywood Reporter that the divorce was "very, very difficult," they remain "good friends" and are proud of the way they raised their kids together.