Their separation was such an explosion that she took refuge in a convent. Her ex-husband never forgave himself for the "fiasco" of their marriage. In his documentary miniseries Arnold, available on Netflix on Wednesday, June 7, Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to the chaotic end of his union with Maria Shriver, precipitated by the admission of a terrible secret. That of a previously confidential paternity, after his extramarital affair with their housekeeper, Mildred Baena. In 2011, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver separated after 34 years of love.
Mister Universe
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver immortalized at Studio 54. (1982) Abaca
It already seems a long time ago, when the legendary bodybuilder and JFK's niece were one of the most prominent couples in the United States. The duo met in the summer of 1977, through a mutual friend - journalist Tom Brokaw - during the Robert F. Kennedy tennis tournament. Arnold Schwarzenegger, 30, only has eyes for the 22-year-old, who just graduated from Georgetown University with an art degree. Although he has not yet donned the costume of Terminator, the actor has starred in a few films, such as Stay Hungry (1976), and won five titles of Mister Universe.
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Only downside, he is also in a relationship with a woman named Sue Moray, assistant hairdresser in Beverly Hills. Marked by his meeting with Maria Shriver, future CBS and NBC journalist, Arnold Schwarzenegger could not bring himself to let her go. According to Arnold: An Unauthorized Biography, signed Wendy Leigh and released in 1990, he dated both women for a time, simultaneously. When Sue Moray, tired of this situation, gives him an ultimatum, "Schwarzie" walks away on Maria Shriver's arm. And will not leave it for three decades.
One marriage and four children
Maria Shriver married Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Hyannis, April 24, 1986.) Abaca
The couple became engaged in August 1975, and married the following year in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Caroline Kennedy, cousin of the bride, officiates as bridesmaid, and bodybuilder Franco Columbu, as Arnold Schwarzenegger's witness. In December 1989, Katherine, the couple's eldest daughter, was born. His middle name? Eunice - that of her grandmother, JFK's younger sister. Christina, born in 1991, Patrick, born in 1993, and Christopher Schwarzenegger, born in 1997, join the family.
At the beginning of the 2000s, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a world figure in action cinema, set himself a new challenge: that of entering politics. In 2003, it was quite naturally under the eyes of his wife, unwavering support throughout his campaign, and his children, that he was sworn in to become governor of California. A ceremony during which the Schwarzeneggers convey the image of a close-knit family, without rough edges. However, behind the scenes, the union of Arnold and Maria Shriver is already experiencing some upheavals.
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'She freaked out'
Arnold Schwarzenegger, just elected governor of California, and his wife Maria Shriver. (Sacramento, November 17, 2003.) Abaca
The former bodybuilder reveals in his Netflix documentary, directed by Lesley Chilcott, that the reporter initially "hated" the idea of him running for office. "One day I was sitting with her in a hot tub, and I said, 'What would you say if I ran for governor?'" he recalls. She freaked out." Maria Shriver's refusal was not long in coming. "She assured that she had experienced this in her family, that we would be dragged in the mud, continues the actor. So I gave up."
But one fine morning in August 2003, the journalist slipped a note under her husband's door. "She wrote, 'In case you decide to run, here's what I'd say, and here's what I would say if you did the opposite,'" Schwarzenegger said. For the first time, I felt like Maria was open to the idea." The same evening, the actor announced his candidacy on the "Tonight Show". When the actor was re-elected for a second term in 2006, his wife, all smiles, always stood by his side.
The "invisible" wife
Arnold Schwarzenegger celebrates his re-election. (Beverly Hills, November 7, 2006.) Abaca
Privately, however, Maria Shriver feels neglected. Worse, she sometimes has the feeling of being "invisible" next to this giant with protruding muscles, sacred monster of Hollywood studios. "I would get angry at people who would come to us and pretend I didn't exist next to Arnold, my uncle or someone else," she told the Making Space with Hoda Kotb podcast in early February. "And then I realized they had taught me a lesson. It wasn't about whether they saw me, but whether I saw myself."
In 2011, Maria Shriver, who suspected her husband of being unfaithful, decided to start marriage therapy. She quickly sees her doubts confirmed. "Today, Maria would like to talk about one thing in particular," their therapist reportedly said during one of these sessions. She wants to know if you are the father of Joseph (the son of Mildred Baena, born in 1997, editor's note)." Arnold Schwarzenegger's heart would then have "stopped", as he tells in his Netflix miniseries.
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The illegitimate son
"And then I told the truth," he recalls. Yes, Maria, Joseph is my son." She was obviously devastated by this news." In 1997, Mildred Baena gave birth to a baby boy, claiming that he was the son of her husband Rogelio. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had an affair with the cleaning lady the previous year, and understood that it was indeed his child, chose to remain silent for years. The actor assures today that this liaison was his "greatest failure".
"I've inflicted enough pain on my family because of this fiasco," he says. Everyone suffered. Maria suffered, the children suffered, Joseph and his mother too, everyone." Before concluding: "I'm going to have to live with this for the rest of my life." After this adultery, Mildred Baena had left her husband. The actor had bought him a house in California in 2010, while supporting himself. The housekeeper had retired in 2011. The same year, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announced their separation through a joint statement.
The convent
"This period has been synonymous with personal and professional transition for all of us," the ex-spouses write. After much reflection, discussion and prayer, we made this decision together. Right now, we are living apart, as we work on the future of our relationship." At the same time, Arnold Schwarzenegger publicly apologized for his misconduct, the details of which he preferred not to mention. Maria Shriver, mad with grief, seeks refuge in a convent. A cathartic experience.
"I wanted to live in silence and receive advice," she says on the Making Space with Hoda Kotb podcast. The journalist recalls a conversation she had on the spot, with the Reverend Mother. "She said, 'I think you came to ask permission. You can't live here... but you have permission to go out and become Maria." I was sobbing." For the first time in her life, Maria Shriver learns to discover herself, ignoring her famous family and her former publicized couple. Her divorce was finalized on December 28, 2021. She gets half of her ex-husband's income during their 25 years of marriage.
Accomplished grandparents
Christina, Arnold and Patrick Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver and Katherine Schwarzenegger pose together. (Los Angeles, October 30, 2017.) Getty Images
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver remain on good terms. The comedian regularly praises the merits of this "wonderful mother", stressing that they "work together" so that "their children become very good people". The journalist appears alongside the actor on the occasion of several of his birthdays, and celebrates with him the graduation of their son Patrick, in 2016.
Both would also be accomplished grandparents. "They love it (...), says Katherine Schwarzenegger, mother of Lyla and Eloise, born of her relationship with Chris Pratt, in the columns of Us Weekly. For me, as their daughter, it's so beautiful to see them play this new role." If the clan seems to have found a new balance, the children of "Schwarzie" would never have really accepted Joseph Baena, who also became an actor and bodybuilder, within their family. Arnold Schwarzenegger calls him an "extraordinary young man."
