Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed ex Maria Shriver ‘flipped out’ when he announced his plans to run for Governor of California.
The action icon, 75, who was Governor of California from 2003 to 2011 before leaving office, said Shriver, 67, ‘hated’ the idea of him running, leading him to question whether it was the right decision to enter politics.
Speaking in his three part Netflix series, Arnold. he said: ‘That’s why I didn’t really know if I was going to run because I didn’t really want to run if she was not 100 percent behind it.
‘I was sitting with [Shriver] in a jacuzzi, and I said, “What do you think of me running for Governor?'” She flipped out.
‘I almost felt like she was hyperventilating. She felt I have gone through this with my family. She had a very emotional reaction.
Intense reaction: Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed ex Maria Shriver ‘flipped out’ when he announced his plans to run for Governor of California (pictured 2003)
Candid: The action icon, 75, who was Governor of California from 2003 to 2011 before leaving office, said Shriver, 67, ‘hated’ the idea of him running , leading him to question whether it was the right decision to enter politics
‘This would drag us through the mud. Therefore, I pulled back.’
Schwarzenegger, who split from Shriver in 2011 after it emerged he had fathered a son – Joseph Baena – with household employee Mildred Baena – said Shriver had a change of heart the morning he announced his intentions to run during an August 2003 appearance on The Tonight Show.
He said: ‘The morning of The Tonight Show , Maria put a note under my door that said, “In case you decide to run here’s what I would say and here’s if you decide not to run what I would say”‘.
‘I felt like Maria for the first time was open to the idea.’
The actor recently recalled the moment he told Shriver, of his 1996 infidelity and fathering a love child.
The Terminator actor 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,’ he reveals. ‘She wants to know if you’re the father of Joseph.’
Support: Speaking in his three part Netflix series, Arnold. he said: ‘That’s why I didn’t really know if I was going to run because I didn’t really want to run if she was not 100 percent behind it (pictured 2007)
He said: ‘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.’
‘It was then just a matter of, “How do you keep this quiet?”‘ Arnold stated in a snippet from the documentary.
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.
Happier times: Schwarzenegger’s 25-year marriage to Shriver, 67, imploded in 2011 when it emerged he had fathered a son – Joseph Baena, now 25 – with a household employee, Mildred Baena (the couple pictured in 2003)
Proud of co-parenting: Maria and Arnold married in 1986. They have four children together: Katherine, 32, Christina, 30, Patrick, 28, and Christopher, 24
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.
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.
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.
Son: The star is pictured with son Joseph, who he fathered while married to Maria
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.
