The Governator
After many years in Hollywood, the star decided to opt for a new career once again. The always-ambitious Schwarzenegger set his sights on another field: politics. He ran as a Republican candidate and was elected as the 38th Governor of California in 2003. But his win was part of a recall election to replace Governor Gray Davis, and so at first, he only completed Davis’s term.
However, he was re-elected in 2006 to serve a full term and even a second term after returning to Hollywood. If an Austrian boy can go from being a humble construction businessman/ bodybuilder to an award-winning actor/ governor, then perhaps anything is possible if you just believe.
Maria Shriver
Arnold Schwarzenegger finally appeared to settle down when he married Maria Shriver in 1986, a member of the illustrious Kennedy family that was so famous at the time. In a 2009 commencement speech at the University of Southern California, Schwarzenegger cheekily commented on the necessary turns to take on the road to success: “Number one, come to America. Number two, work your butt off. And number three, marry a Kennedy.”
Schwarzenegger continued to work his butt off, and, in 2020, his net worth is estimated to be around $400 million. But despite the fame and the money, his extramarital habits would threaten his seemingly perfect life...
A Family of His Own
Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger settled in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, although they also had vacation homes in Sun Valley, Idaho, and Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. They had four children together, their first being Katherine, born on December 13, 1989, followed by Christina, born on July 23, 1991.
Sons Patrick was born on September 18, 1993, and Christopher born on September 27, 1997, would follow later. All seemed well for the happy family of six until a disturbing discovery came out years down the line that shocked everyone and was mostly responsible for shifting dynamics in the Schwarzenegger family.
Worrying Allegations
Though they were eventually married, Shriver and Schwarzenegger had an impressive start to their relationship. The two began dating while Schwarzenegger was in an open relationship with another woman, Sue Moray. Many women have placed allegations on Schwarzenegger for inappropriate behavior in his past, but others have defended him and stated that his character is that of good nature.
In another disturbing allegation, a former bodybuilder, who is African-American, accused him of racism. Despite these serious allegations, Schwarzenegger and his fans deny any claims that he is a misogynist or a racist. We guess we will never know if they were true or not.
Child Number Five
Sadly, it was announced in 2011 that Maria and Arnold were separating. The root of the breakup? It was soon revealed that Schwarzenegger had had an affair with the family’s maid and fathered her son. The mother of his son was Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena.
For years, everyone assumed that the child, Joseph, was her husband's biological son, Rogelio de Jesus Baena. What was even more shattering was that Joseph was born on October 2, 1997, only days after Maria and Arnold’s second son, Christopher, was born. Schwarzenegger did not know the child was his for about seven or eight years.