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Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Look-Alike Son Born Out Of Wedlock Snubbed By Step-Siblings
Arnold Schwarzenegger with family members at a Netflix premiere event, posing on the red carpet together.
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“He Didn’t Choose To Be There”: Schwarzenegger’s Look-Alike Love Child Snubbed By Famous Step-Siblings

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Arnold Schwarzenegger posed with his children at the premiere of season two of his Netflix series FUBAR.

However, many social media users found it odd that the Schwarzenegger children did not include their half-brother, Joseph Baena, in the family picture.

The actor and former bodybuilder was pictured smiling alongside his children Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher Schwarzenegger, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Maria Shriver.

Highlights
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger’s youngest son, Joseph Baena, did not pose with his siblings at their father’s FUBAR premiere.
  • Arnold posed separately with Joseph, prompting accusations that the actor's older children “snubbed” the 27-year-old.
  • Joseph was born in 1997 after Arnold had an affair with the family’s housekeeper, Mildred Baena.

Katherine’s husband, Chris Pratt, also joined the family photo at the Tudum Theater in Los Angeles.

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    Image credits: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty

    The former California governor posed separately with his son Joseph, placing an arm around his shoulders as they smiled for the camera.

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    Joseph, aged 27, is Arnold’s youngest son, born from his affair with his family’s housekeeper, Mildred Baena, while he was married to Maria.

    Image credits: Kevin Winter/Getty

    “Sad the kids don’t include their half-brother. Certainly not his fault,” one person wrote.

    “Where is his other son, Joseph Baena? His literal lookalike son from his extramarital adventure?” asked someone else. 

    “Patrick has been seen once or twice with him, but no acknowledgement from the others. At least he has a relationship with his dad, if not his siblings,” shared a third.

    Joseph, who is an actor and fitness fanatic like his father, was born five days after Christopher in 1997, though his identity as the son of the Terminator star was kept quiet for years.

    Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher Schwarzenegger did not pose with their half-brother Joseph Baena at the premiere of FUBAR

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    Image credits: www.facebook.com

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    Image credits: www.facebook.com

    In a 2012 interview with 60 Minutes, Arnold revealed that he realized Joseph was his son when he “started looking” like him at around age 7 or 8.

    “That’s when I kind of got it. I put things together,” he shared.

    Mildred Baena continued working in the family household, and Arnold quietly began to provide financial support for her and Joseph. 

    The action film star delayed telling the truth to his then-wife Maria and their children, only doing so the day after leaving the governor’s office. In 2011, she filed for divorce from Arnold after 25 years of marriage.

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    A source claimed that the older Schwarzenegger siblings take their father’s affair out on Joseph

    Image credits: Variety


    Arnold said he asked his older children for “forgiveness” and that they cried after learning the news about their step-brother.

    In the interview, the Austrian actor expressed regret about his actions, saying the “most important thing” in his life were his marriage and his family.

    “So the thing that really meant the most to me kind of fell apart because of my doing. That is something that I will always look back and say, ‘How could you have done that?'”

    Joseph was born from Arnold’s affair with the family’s housekeeper, Mildred Baena, while he was married to Maria Shriver

    Image credits: joebaena

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    The journalist shared that the news of her broken marriage came shortly after she had lost both her parents. “I was consumed with grief and wracked with confusion, anger, fear, sadness and anxiety,” she penned. 

    “I was unsure now of who I was, where I belonged. Honestly, it was brutal, and I was terrified.

    “As I sat on my hotel room floor in the dark, alone with tears streaming down my face, I thought to myself: Maria, this doesn’t have to be the end of you.”

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    “Sad the kids don’t include their half-brother. Certainly not his fault,” one person wrote

    Image credits: joebaena

    The crisis in her personal life made her “come face-to-face with other misguided beliefs” she had about aging and being single.

    “I used to believe that if you didn’t have a partner, you must be unworthy and unlovable,” Maria wrote. “I’ve learned that nothing could be further from the truth.”

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    A source told Page Six that Arnold has a good relationship with Joseph, but his children with Maria have not welcomed him into the family.

    Joseph learned the truth about his father in late 2010 when he was 13 years old

    @extra_tv Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Joseph Baena says Father’s Day plans include a BBQ and getting in a workout! 🥩💪 #arnoldschwarzenegger#fubar @Joe Baena @Arnold ♬ original sound – ExtraTV
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    “The other kids don’t love Joe,” the insider claimed in 2023 after Joseph posed with just his father at the season premiere of FUBAR

    “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.”

    The 27-year-old actor, who learned the truth about his biological father when he was 13, said that he chose to go by his mother’s surname “to do things on [his] own.”

    Image credits: joebaena

    He explained, “My family is very big in supporting from afar and not being so hands-on; I really appreciate that. I think it’s really important growing up as a man to do things on your own. To figure it out, that’s what I’ve been doing.”

    Last year, Joseph starred in the film Gunner alongside Luke Hemsworth and Morgan Freeman. He said it was an “honor” to work with the two “amazing actors.”

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    The 27-year-old is an actor and fitness fanatic like his father

    Image credits: Charley Gallay/Getty

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    He is set to star in three upcoming films titled Encounters, Lava, and Athena Saves Christmas.

    The youngest Schwarzenegger, who graduated with a business degree in 2019, also participated in Dancing with the Stars in 2022.

    His other interests include real estate—he earned his Real Estate License in 2022—and weightlifting.

    “Joseph deserves better,” one reader commented

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    Marina Urman

    Marina Urman

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

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    With a degree in social science and a love for culture, I approach entertainment journalism at Bored Panda with a research-driven mindset. I write about celebrity news, Hollywood highlights, and viral stories that spark curiosity worldwide. My work has reached millions of readers and is recognized for balancing accuracy with an engaging voice. I believe that pop culture isn’t just entertainment, it reflects the social conversations shaping our time.

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    Marina Urman

    Marina Urman

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

    With a degree in social science and a love for culture, I approach entertainment journalism at Bored Panda with a research-driven mindset. I write about celebrity news, Hollywood highlights, and viral stories that spark curiosity worldwide. My work has reached millions of readers and is recognized for balancing accuracy with an engaging voice. I believe that pop culture isn’t just entertainment, it reflects the social conversations shaping our time.

    What do you think ?
    Laura Lawson
    Community Member
    9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Let me see if I have this right. Their father cheated on their mother right under their noses to create this person. The very public discovery of this then helped blow their parent's marriage apart. And they are just supposed to welcome this this guy with open arms?!? No, it's not that young man's fault but come on! Nobody is a saint in this situation, stop expecting them to be.

    Alexandra
    Community Member
    9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My guess is that, as for many other children, welcoming the child of their father's affair with another woman, feels as being disloyal to your mother, the woman that was cheated on by your father. Not the child's fault, of course, but if his half-siblings don't want a relationship with him, you can't force them to.

    Load More Replies...
    Xenia Harley
    Community Member
    9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The kids are adults and why SHOULD they have anything to do with the step sibling? Just like blood is not what makes a family (think adoption), blood. in this case, doesn't MAKE them family either! They really do not owe anything to the step sibling!

    Cronecast AtTheRisingMoon
    Community Member
    9 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He does look a lot like his dad. When it comes to “his kids with Shriver shouldn’t take it out on him” they actually are well within their rights to not get involved in the situation. They don’t have to have a relationship with him but it’s good that Arnold has an open, caring relationship with him. It isn’t quite the same as shunning him , they just aren’t all “welcome, you are family “ which is also okay, his father loves and is proud of him even though he is not proud of the actions that created him. His kids with Shriver are allowed to have complicated emotions that aren’t all about how other people think they should behave.

    Load More Comments
    Laura Lawson
    Community Member
    9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Let me see if I have this right. Their father cheated on their mother right under their noses to create this person. The very public discovery of this then helped blow their parent's marriage apart. And they are just supposed to welcome this this guy with open arms?!? No, it's not that young man's fault but come on! Nobody is a saint in this situation, stop expecting them to be.

    Alexandra
    Community Member
    9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My guess is that, as for many other children, welcoming the child of their father's affair with another woman, feels as being disloyal to your mother, the woman that was cheated on by your father. Not the child's fault, of course, but if his half-siblings don't want a relationship with him, you can't force them to.

    Load More Replies...
    Xenia Harley
    Community Member
    9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The kids are adults and why SHOULD they have anything to do with the step sibling? Just like blood is not what makes a family (think adoption), blood. in this case, doesn't MAKE them family either! They really do not owe anything to the step sibling!

    Cronecast AtTheRisingMoon
    Community Member
    9 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He does look a lot like his dad. When it comes to “his kids with Shriver shouldn’t take it out on him” they actually are well within their rights to not get involved in the situation. They don’t have to have a relationship with him but it’s good that Arnold has an open, caring relationship with him. It isn’t quite the same as shunning him , they just aren’t all “welcome, you are family “ which is also okay, his father loves and is proud of him even though he is not proud of the actions that created him. His kids with Shriver are allowed to have complicated emotions that aren’t all about how other people think they should behave.

    Load More Comments
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