Arnold Schwarzenegger gets candid about crushing moment he told Maria Shriver of his affair with their housekeeper and secret love child... as he reflects on demise of his marriage

Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t hold back in the upcoming Netflix documentary titled, Arnold, and recalled the moment he told his now ex-wife, Maria Shriver, of his 1996 infidelity and fathering a love child.

The Terminator actor, 75, who recently wished longtime pal, Clint Eastwood, a happy birthday, notably had an affair with their housekeeper, Mildred Baena, and she gave birth to their son, Joseph Baena, 25, in 1997.

During a marriage counseling session in 2011, the counsellor had stated at the time, ‘Today Maria wants to be very specific about something,’ per The Sun. ‘She wants to know if you’re the father of Joseph.’

The former governor of California expressed, ‘I thought my heart stopped. And then I told the truth. “Yes, Maria. Joseph is my son.” She was obviously crushed by that.’

The star explained that at first, both himself and Mildred assumed the child was her husband Rogelio’s, and she continued to work for the Schwarzenegger family. ‘In the beginning I really didn’t know, but the older he got, the more it became clear to me.’

Opening up: Arnold Schwarzenegger, 75, doesn’t hold back in the upcoming Netflix documentary titled, Arnold, and recalled the moment he told his now ex-wife, Maria Shriver, of his 1996 infidelity and fathering a love child; seen in May in Los Angeles

Questioned: When confronted about the affair, the star stated, ‘I thought my heart stopped. And then I told the truth. “Yes, Maria. Joseph is my son.” She was obviously crushed by that,’ per The Sun; the former couple seen in 2003

‘It was then just a matter of, “How do you keep this quiet?”‘ Arnold stated in a snippet from the documentary, according to The Sun.

The actor first crossed paths with Maria, the niece of 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, at a tennis match in August 1977. The two became engaged after Arnold popped the big question to Shriver in his home country of Austria in 1985.

The former couple tied the knot the following year in 1986 during a romantic ceremony at the Kennedy family home in Massachusetts, and expressed that it had been the ‘biggest wedding I’ve ever been to’ and gushed that he felt he was ‘the luckiest son of a b***h in life.’

Throughout the course of their 25-year marriage, the pair welcomed daughters Katherine, 33, and Christina, 31, as well as sons, Patrick, 29, and Christopher, 25, who was born mere days before his other son, Joseph, was born.

Regarding the affair, Arnold admitted that it was his ‘biggest failure’ and stated, ‘I have caused enough pain for my family, because of my f**k-up. Everyone had to suffer. Maria had to suffer, the kids had to suffer, Joseph, his mother, everyone.’

The True Lies star revealed, ‘I’m going to have to live with that for the rest of my life.’ Following the affair, Mildred left her husband and Schwarzenegger provided for both her and Joseph, purchasing them a home with a pool in California in 2010.

The housekeeper retired in 2011, the same year that Maria ended her relationship with Arnold, prompting their separation. She filed for divorce in July 2011, which wasn’t officially finalized until 10 years later in 2021.

‘People will remember my successes and they will also remember my failures. I’ve had failures in my career but this was a whole new dimension of failure. I am very happy within this sad story that Maria and I were able to raise the kids well,’ the former professional bodybuilder stated.

‘Failure’: On the affair, Arnold admitted that it was his ‘biggest failure’ and stated, ‘I have caused enough pain for my family, because of my f**k-up’; seen in 1986

Family: Throughout the course of their 25-year marriage, the pair welcomed daughters Katherine, 33, and Christina, 31, as well as sons, Patrick, 29, and Christopher, 25

Proud father: Arnold also revealed that he was ‘very proud’ of his son, Joseph, who is also an actor and bodybuilder, like his own father; Joseph seen in April

Schwarzenegger shared positive words on his now ex-wife, and stated, ‘I think there’s nothing more important than to have a good partner by your side and, every step of the way, Maria was exactly that.’

‘We have a really great relationship. Any kind of special day we are all together as a family and everyone is really happy about that,’ but admitted that, ‘it’s not what it was, where we were all together under one roof as a family.’

After filing for divorce, Maria also opened up and revealed that she had gone to a convent in order to seek advice and ‘guidance’ while appearing on the Making Space With Hoda Kotb podcast earlier this year in February.

Following their split, both Arnold and Maria have maintained a positive relationship, from attending to children’s graduations to celebrating birthdays together.

Arnold also revealed that he was ‘very proud’ of his son, Joseph, who is also an actor and bodybuilder, like his own father. ‘I saw Joseph developing into a fantastic human being.’

‘It was wrong what I did but I don’t want Joseph to think he’s not welcome in this world because he is very much welcome and I love him. He has turned out to be an extraordinary young man,’ the star sweetly added.

Staying close: Following the affair, Mildred left her husband and Schwarzenegger provided for both her and Joseph, purchasing them a home with a pool in California, with the housekeeper retiring in 2011

‘Good partner’: Schwarzenegger shared positive words on his now ex-wife, and stated, ‘I think there’s nothing more important than to have a good partner by your side and, every step of the way, Maria was exactly that; seen in 2003

While Schwarzenegger shares the love equally amongst his five children, a source recently told Page Six late last month in May that his four children he shares with Maria ‘don’t love’ their half-brother, Joseph.

Arnold was recently joined by daughters Christina and Katherine, as well as her husband Chris Pratt at the LA premiere of his latest Netflix film tiled, FUBAR. Joseph was also in attendance, but walked the star-studded red carpet solo during the festivities.

The source stated that although the actor and Baena have a ‘close’ relationship, ‘the other kids don’t love Joe.’

‘It’s a shame as he’s a really good kid, and Arnold has always treated him like all his other kids — very fairly. But for whatever reason, the other kids take [the affair] out on Joe.’

Joseph himself didn’t seem fazed, and flashed cheerful smiles on the red carpet, and later shared an Instagram post to gush about the event. ‘I give FUBAR a 2 thumbs up!!!’ he penned in the caption to his fans and followers.

Making memories: Following their split, both Arnold and Maria have maintained a positive relationship, from attending to children’s graduations to celebrating birthdays together

Having a blast: Arnold was recently joined by daughters Christina and Katherine, as well as her husband Chris Pratt at the LA premiere of his latest Netflix film tiled, FUBAR

Upcoming project: The three-part Netflix documentary titled, Arnold, is slated to air later this month on Wednesday, June 7

‘Had an amazing time last night at the FUBAR premiere! In my unbiased opinion, FUBAR is a hilarious, action packed show that will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time!’

One social media user shed their support to the budding actor, and wrote in the comment section, ‘Joe is Arnold’s true legacy and his rich lazy kids are clearly butthurt. Keep on trucking Joe.’

The three-part Netflix documentary titled, Arnold, is slated to air later this month on Wednesday, June 7.

Along with getting candid about his affair and failed marriage to Shriver, the documentary will also follow his rise to fame as a body-builder and starring in Hollywood blockbusters, as well as opening up about sexual harassment allegations and becoming Governor of California from 2003 to 2011.