‘Their Father is the Cheater’: Fans Outraged After Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Love Child Was Snubbed from Family’s Wedding As Nanny Affair Still Linger
There appears to be a clear divide among Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s children.
The “Terminator” actor, 78, is the father of five adult kids. He has four children with his ex-wife, Maria Shriver, and a son with a woman once employed by the family.
Shriver, 69, is the mother of 35-year-old Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, 33-year-old Christina Schwarzenegger, 31-year-old Patrick Schwarzenegger, and 27-year-old Christopher Schwarzenegger.
Arnold had an extramarital affair with the Schwarzeneggers’ then-housekeeper, Mildred Baena. The ex-professional bodybuilder’s infidelity led to the birth of a son, Joseph Baena, 27.
Patrick recently wed fashion model Abby Champion, 28, in Idaho on Sept. 6, 2025. However, TMZ reports Joseph was not invited to “The White Lotus” star’s ceremony held at the Gozzer Ranch Golf & Lake Club.
According to the celebrity news outlet, Joseph being omitted from the final guest list for Patrick’s nuptials was not an unexpected decision. The professional fitness model supposedly does not have any relationship with his half-siblings.
TMZ stands by its reporting, but Page Six had previously published supposed grainy images of Arnold and Joseph in formal attire at a lavish event said to be the Schwarzenegger-Champion wedding. One individual in the tabloid’s comment section suggested the photo was actually of Patrick’s other brother.
“It’s nice that Joseph was there. For that reason, Patrick must be a nice guy. But looking at that picture again, the profile, that also looks like Patrick’s brother Christopher,” the observer proposed.
News of Joseph allegedly not attending the special occasion with the Schwarzenegger side of his family left an impression on more people, too. The Daily Mail readers shared their takes on the apparent longstanding family feud.
“Why? It’s not Joseph’s fault their father is a cheater!!” one person exclaimed in defense of the Pepperdine University graduate reportedly being excluded from his brother’s wedding.
Likewise, someone posted, “They all act like it’s Joseph’s fault. What terrible humans. He didn’t do anything wrong.” A third commenter stated, “He is totally exiled by his half-siblings. Oddly, he is innocent, and Arnold is guilty.”
In contrast, Patrick got some reinforcement when one fan offered, “We actually don’t know their family dynamics. Maybe Baena and his half-siblings are just [acquaintances], with no hard feelings?”
While Arnold’s offspring with Shriver seem to be alienated from Joseph, the former governor of California has publicly embraced his love child despite the controversial, nontraditional nature of his parenting.
Arnold has repeatedly celebrated Joseph on his social media pages. For instance, the multi-time Mr. Olympia winner called the former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant a “fantastic son” in a 2019 birthday message.
Fast-forward to June 2025, Arnold and Joseph posed together on the red carpet for the season two premiere of the “FUBAR” series. Netflix’s action-comedy program features Schwarzenegger in his first leading role in a scripted television show.
Patrick, Katherine, Christina, and Christopher joined their dad at the Tudum Theater in Los Angeles for the “FUBAR” event as well. Katherine’s husband, “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor Chris Pratt, also appeared in photos with Arnold and his four children with Shriver.
Conversely, Joseph was not seen in pictures with his half-brothers and half-sisters, which sparked online outrage over the aspiring actor being purposely isolated from the rest of the Schwarzenegger clan.
Arnold cheating on his then-wife obviously ruptured the fabric of the Schwarzenegger household. After tying the knot in 1986, Arnold and Maria’s marriage collapsed in the wake of Joseph’s paternity being revealed in 2011.
Shriver filed for divorce in July 2011, citing irreconcilable differences. A decade after the filing, their divorce was finalized in December 2021. Both exes have spoken out about the destruction of their 25-year union.
“[The divorce] was very, very difficult in the beginning. Eventually, you move on. I have a wonderful girlfriend, [physical therapist] Heather Milligan, who is very successful. I’m really proud of her, and I love her,” Arnold admitted in a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Shriver addressed the breakup from the Emmy Award winner in her 2025 memoir “I Am Maria: My Reflections and Poems on Heartbreak, Healing, and Finding Your Way Home.”
“I do want to take a moment to acknowledge the grace, valor, and courage my children exhibited. Everything about their world and the sanctity of their home got uprooted in an instant,” Shriver expressed in the book, per People.
On the divorce, she also wrote, “I was consumed with grief and wracked with confusion, anger, fear, sadness, and anxiety. I was unsure now of who I was, where I belonged. Honestly, it was brutal, and I was terrified.”
Mildred Baena spoke out about having a child with the married “The Expendables” star with Hello! magazine in 2011, when the cheating scandal was a red-hot topic.
“She was so strong. She cried with me and told me to get off my knees. We held each other, and I told her it wasn’t Arnie’s fault, that it takes two,” Mildred claimed Maria shockingly told her after learning her husband had been unfaithful.