Years after his cheating scandal came to light, the public has all but forgiven Arnold Schwarzenegger for his bad behavior, which included fathering a son outside his marriage to then-wife Maria Shriver. That doesn't mean Arnold's family has forgotten about the drama—especially since there's a whole person as a constant reminder of Arnold's affair.
Over the years, Arnold has grown a relationship with his son Joseph Baena, though the tradeoff may be the upset of his other four children. Arnold has already been accused of treating his sons differently than his daughters, but there's also the issue of bringing Joseph into the family fold. To date, it's unclear whether Joseph has a relationship with any of his siblings, even the one close-in-age sibling he grew up right next to.
Christopher Schwarzenegger And Joseph Baena Are The Same Age
When Christopher Schwarzenegger was born, no one knew yet that his father also had another baby on the way. Christopher arrived on September 27th, 1997 and Joseph followed days later on October 2nd.
Since Joseph's mom Mildred Baena was the family's housekeeper, the family was close to her. Because no one revealed the fact that Joseph was Arnold's son until over a decade later, it makes sense that the families spent time together.
In fact, Arnold admitted to realizing Joseph looked like him when he was around seven or eight years old, at which point he "quietly" began to provide for Mildred and Joseph financially. He also did not keep Joseph away from his other kids, or let any indication slip that he had fathered a baby with the family's housekeeper.
Joseph Baena And Christopher Schwarzenegger Practically Grew Up Together
It took a few years for the Schwarzenegger family to realize that Joseph was 'one of them.' In interviews, Arnold has been quoted as saying he didn't realize Joseph was his child until he began to resemble the famous actor.
He also seems to suggest that he was only intimate with Mildred once, referring to his son's conception as an 'event.' So was Arnold Schwarzenegger in love with Mildred Baena? Apparently not; she stated that they connected 'a few times' over the years, but not for the entire 20 years that she worked for the family.
As for her part, Mildred admitted she also wasn't sure who the father of her child was, until he got older.
Mildred remained a household employee of the Schwarzeneggers until January 2011, around the time that Maria Shriver put the pieces together and confronted the housekeeper.
Maria was said to have reacted compassionately to the news, however, she almost immediately filed for divorce after the therapy session in which Arnold confirmed he was Joseph's father.
But by that time, Joseph and Christopher were already teenagers and had likely spent a lot of time together as kids.
It's not clear where Mildred lived while working for Arnold and Maria, but the families seemed close; old photographs show Arnold posing with a toddler Joseph and Mildred in front of a Christmas tree.
Maria, Arnold, and their four kids also seemed to have attended Joseph's christening and were photographed together then.
Are Christopher Schwarzenegger And Joseph Baena Close Today?
It's widely suggested that Joseph Baena is not close with any of his half-siblings, and not much is known about his sister (who is thought to be the child of Mildred and her ex-husband Rogelio Baena).
In fact, Katherine Schwarzenegger has appeared to shade Joseph on social media, and it's clear from family photographs (namely Arnold's birthdays over the years) that the four kids he had with Maria stick together.
Multiple photos from Arnold's birthdays show his four kids and even Maria herself, though Joseph is noticeably absent. That doesn't mean all is lost in terms of the siblings having a relationship, however. Many assume that Arnold's kids have taken their father's affair out on Joseph, not inviting him to their weddings (Katherine) or snubbing him in general.
But one sibling has been photographed in casual outings with Joseph; Patrick Schwarzenegger.
But what about Christopher Schwarzenegger, the closest-in-age sibling who would have played with Joseph growing up?
Who Is Christopher Schwarzenegger, And Where Is He Now?
Christopher Schwarzenegger may dislike the spotlight even more than the rest of his Schwarzenegger siblings. While Joseph Baena often posts on social media, even featuring Arnold in his snaps sometimes, Christopher doesn't appear to have social media.
The only known fact about him is that Christopher suffered a surfing accident in 2011, after which he had to recover from a collapsed lung.
That doesn't mean no one knows what he's up to today, however; Arnold shared in 2020 that Christopher had graduated from college amid the pandemic. Christopher also made headlines for apparently losing a lot of weight.
Christopher was photographed in 2022 attending Patrick's birthday dinner with their mom, dad, sisters, and brother-in-law Chris Pratt. Joseph was not photographed at the event.