Arnold Schwarzenegger’s lookalike son Joseph Baena shared a rare snap of mom Mildred Baena to mark Mother’s Day on Sunday.
Joseph, 26, was fathered by the Terminator star, 76, during an affair with Mildred while she was working as a housekeeper for the Schwarzenegger family back in the 1990s. At the time the actor was married to journalist Maria Shriver.
Joseph was the spitting image of his famous father as he treated his mother to dinner, flowers, balloons and a chocolate cake for the special occasion.
He captioned the snap: ‘Happy Mother’s Day!’ as he embraced Mildred, 63.
In 2011, it was revealed that Arnold had secretly fathered a child with Mildred. He was already dad to sons Patrick, 30, Chris, 26, and daughters Katherine, 34, and Christina, 32, during the span of their relationship.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s lookalike son Joseph Baena shared a rare snap of mom Mildred Baena to mark Mother’s Day on Sunday
Schwarzenegger shocked the world in 2011 when he announced he had fathered a secret child behind his then-wife Maria Shriver’s back
But July of 2011, Arnold’s then-wife Maria filed for divorce after 25 years of marriage. In December 2021, the former couple’s divorce was officially finalized.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain alongside hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls for his first ever UK live interview last month, Joseph revealed why he ditched the Schwarzenegger surname.
Joseph explained: ‘Yeah that’s a good question. I think the main thing is that I am trying to do things on my own and pursue my career with my will, my determination and my work ethic. It’s just doing everything through me.
‘My family is very big about supporting from afar and not being so hands on. I really appreciate that and I think it is really important growing up as a man to do things on your own and to figure it out.
‘So that’s what I’ve been doing and it’s been working so far. I’ve been working really hard.’
Reflecting back on the initial shock of finding out that Arnie was his father a year on from the Netflix documentary Arnold where his Hollywood father admitted that the infidelity tore his family apart, he said: ‘As a kid you don’t really question too much. It’s just how it is.
‘For me, I love my father. He is an amazing man. I love my mother, she is an amazing woman. So yeah, I’m just really happy and honoured to be a part of this family.’
Arnie is pictured with Mildred in the 1990s left – with Joseph the spitting image of his dad
Just like Arnold, Joseph has immersed himself in the word of bodybuilding and has garnered attention online for having a near-identical physique to the Predator star
Maria Shriver and Arnold married in 1986. They have four children together: Katherine, 34, Christina, 32, Patrick, 30, and Christopher, 26
Bond: Joseph has previously revealed it took a while for him to get close with his dad and the two only connected later in life
Describing how he is now following in his father’s footsteps, he said: ‘He’s a great father. He has been nothing but amazing to me. He’s been very supportive with everything that I have chosen to do.
‘Going to Pepperdine, graduating from University and when it comes to my acting career and my real-estate career, my journey into bodybuilding and fitness – he is always there and he is a great support to have. He is a great dad.’
He continued: ‘He always has great advice. I think for me it’s just been really funny because a lot of the things I have been pursuing, like acting and real estate, are like childhood dream jobs.
‘Some children grow up wanting to be a firefighter or an astronaut, but I have always loved film and I have always wanted to be an actor.
‘It’s just the way the cards have played out. We happen to do and like a lot of the same things.’
Later this year, Joseph will be starring in new American action film Gunner alongside Hollywood titans Morgan Freeman and Luke Hemsworth.
