Arnold Schwarzenegger’s children made a loud statement without saying a word — by keeping his love child Joseph Baena out of the family spotlight.
At the Los Angeles premiere of season 2 of Arnold’s Netflix series FUBAR on June 11, the former California governor was flanked on the red carpet by the four children he shares with ex-wife Maria Shriver: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher. Noticeably missing from the family photo lineup? His 27-year-old son Joseph, who was also at the event but posed separately with his father.
It wasn’t a scheduling mishap or accidental snub — it was a carefully choreographed display of unity among the siblings born inside Schwarzenegger’s marriage, while Joseph, his son from an infamous affair with former housekeeper Mildred Baena, was left on the sidelines.
The red carpet cold shoulder didn’t go unnoticed. A source told People that while Arnold fully embraces Joseph as his son, “most of his siblings keep their distance.” Another insider told New Idea, “It’s a shame because Joseph has always acted with class. He’s the same age as Christopher, but that hasn’t translated into closeness. It’s never going to be an easy dynamic.”
Back in 2011, Arnold’s decades-old affair came to light after he revealed in marriage counseling that he was Joseph’s biological father. At the time, Joseph was 15 years old — and the revelation effectively ended Arnold and Maria’s 25-year marriage.
In his 2023 Netflix documentary Arnold, the action star recalled the crushing moment he came clean. “Maria and I went to counseling once a week,” he said. “One day the counselor said, ‘Maria wants to know if you are the father of Joseph.’ I thought my heart stopped. And then I told the truth.”
Maria Shriver didn’t hold back in her own account of the scandal. In her memoir I Am Maria, she described the emotional wreckage that followed. “It broke my heart, it broke my spirit, it broke what was left of me,” she wrote. “I was consumed with grief and wracked with confusion, anger, fear, sadness, and anxiety.”
She revealed that her healing process involved not only therapy but spiritual guidance, healers, and even psychics. “Honestly, it was brutal, and I was terrified,” she admitted. “But this doesn’t have to be the end of you.”
While Arnold has welcomed Joseph into his life with open arms — frequently appearing in workout videos together and showing him fatherly pride — the rift between Joseph and his half-siblings appears as wide as ever.
And if the FUBAR red carpet was any indication, some wounds in the Schwarzenegger clan are far from healed.
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I find that sad considering it was not Joseph’s fault for his father’s infidelity. These kids should have been better people and allowed him to be a part of this event.
I feel if the siblings aren’t interested in being friendly with their half brother, it’s a real shame. But the fault is NOT his, their dad is the problem! Joseph had NO say who his parents are, he’s totally innocent. Be classy young people, be kind to someone who was born innocently into their family. He did nothing wrong…