Arnold Schwarzenegger revisits his infamous cheating scandal in his new Netflix docuseries.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is addressing what he has deemed a major failure in his life.
In his upcoming Netflix docuseries, Arnold, out Wednesday, the 75-year-old blockbuster star revisited the moment he was confronted by his ex-wife, Maria Shriver, about fathering a child with their former housekeeper, Mildred Baena. As he recalled the events in an episode of the series, Arnold and Maria were in a weekly counseling session when their counselor told Arnold that Maria wanted to know if he was the father of Joseph Baena, now 25. After feeling his heart stop, Arnold said he told Maria the truth, which crushed her.
Speaking further about his 1996 affair, Arnold admitted he did not know if Joseph was his son in the beginning, but as the child got older, it became clear to Arnold that was the case. Then, the actor, who served as governor of California for nearly a decade, noted it became more about keeping the situation a secret.
However, Los Angeles Times reporter Mark Barabak said in the series that he got a tip shortly after Arnold and Maria announced their split that Arnold had an affair with a member of their household staff. Barabak later helped break the story for the newspaper after confirming it with Arnold's spokesperson.
Meanwhile, after Arnold found out that the Times was going to report on the affair and his son, Joseph, he had to explain the situation to his other children. He and Maria welcomed four kids -- Katherine Schwarzenegger, 33, Christina Schwarzenegger, 31, Patrick Schwarzenegger, 29, and Christopher Schwarzenegger, 25 -- during the course of their 25-year marriage.
More than a decade later, Arnold said he still feels reluctant talking about the situation because it opens old wounds after Maria, their kids, Joseph, and Mildred all had to suffer. As for the world-famous actor, Arnold admitted that he will have to live with this for the rest of his life and noted that it will be remembered as one of his failures.
However, he made clear that he loves and feels proud of his son, Joseph, and does not want to make him feel as if he is unwelcome in the world. "He's an amazing father. He's a great person to look up to and he's the smartest man I know," Joseph previously told ET of Arnold. "It's been a great journey and he's always been so supportive of whatever I do... So, I'm just really grateful to have a dad like him."
As for Maria, Arnold acknowledged that while their story is sad, he is happy that they were able to raise their kids well. Though their relationship is not what it was, according to Arnold, the exes have a good relationship today and are able to come together as a family on any special day.
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