Joseph Baena Recalls the Day the World Discovers He Was Arnold Schwarzenegger's Son, Reveals Why He Doesn't Use Father's Surname

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In a new interview with Men's Health, Arnold Schwarzenegger's son, Joseph Baena, spoke up about the moment his father's issues was exposed to the public.

Being a youngster - Baena was 13 at the time - made the experience much more challenging, according to the 24-year-old. Despite the fact that the bodybuilder said it was tough to deal with a media storm, he stressed the importance of his mother Mildred's connection with him.

Joseph Baena Reflects on Dad Arnold Schwarzenegger

Baena is the son of Schwarzenegger and Mildred, who used to be the family's housekeeper, and was born in 1997. Until the day after the 'Terminator' actor left office as governor of California in 2011, Schwarzenegger's romance with Mildred remained undetected.

During a therapy session with his four children and then-wife Maria Shriver, Schwarzenegger admitted that he had a son with Mildred. Soon after the disclosure, Shriver filed for divorce from her husband. According to Men's Health, Baena recalls the day the news broke "quite vividly."

Maria Shriver sought for divorce from the star following the disclosure. Schwarzenegger has four children with Shriver, as per Insider. Baena was born out of wedlock until it was officially revealed in 2011 that his father was Austrian superstar and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Baena claimed he was too frightened to approach his father for advice when he first started exercising at the gym so he decided to study from a book instead. He and his father, a bodybuilder, eventually began working out together.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Inspires Son on Body Building

For the publication, Baena sat for a muscled photoshoot in which he showed off his muscular body. At Gold's Gym in Venice, California, he also recorded a training video, which was one of his father's favorite places for a long time.

While Joseph claims that his father is a good source of bodybuilding instruction, he doesn't think he'll be able to provide him an advantage in Hollywood. Schwarzenegger celebrated his son's 24th birthday in October by wishing him a happy birthday on social media, praising his son's dedication to his career and fitness goals, Mail Online reported.

According to judicial authorities, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's divorce was finalized a month ago. In July 2011, Shriver, 66, filed for divorce from Schwarzenegger, 74, alleging "irreconcilable differences." All these years, the divorce between Shriver and Schwarzenegger has been delayed by a property settlement between them. However, a sitting judge had to sign off on the divorce before it could be finalized by a private judge.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver have maintained a relationship despite the public crisis in 2011 and have enjoyed other family holidays together. In 2020, Shriver was seen with children celebrating Schwarzenegger's 73rd birthday. In his memoir, Schwarzenegger spoke about his affair and kid. It was only after the actor's run for governor of California had ended that Shriver confronted him about it.

In January, Schwarzenegger got involved in a four-car collision that resulted in his massive black SUV colliding with another vehicle and injuring one other driver. The former governor was driving his GMC Yukon SUV approximately half a mile from his Brentwood home when he collided with a red Toyota Prius as he was about to turn onto bustling Sunset Boulevard.

When the incident happened, the Prius was believed to be doing a U-turn in the road. The force of the accident was so intense that the Prius' airbags, as well as those in Schwarzenegger's car, deployed as a result of the collision, according to Fox news.