Mildred Baena said Maria Shriver responded with compassion when Baena told her that Arnold Schwarzenegger had fathered her son. In Baena’s account, Shriver cried with her, told her to get off her knees, and embraced her. That private exchange is known here through Baena’s recollection, reported by CBS in June 2011—not through a separate firsthand account from Shriver.
What Baena said Shriver did
Baena told Hello! that Shriver had seemed to suspect the truth and had previously told her, “I’m here if you need to talk.” Baena said Shriver eventually asked directly whether the boy was Schwarzenegger’s son.
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Baena described Shriver’s reaction as strong and recalled that Shriver cried with her, told her to get off her knees, and that they held each other. Baena also recalled saying it was not “Arnie’s fault, that it takes two.” These are Baena’s reported memories of a private conversation, not independently documented dialogue. CBS Los Angeles reported Baena’s account in June 2011.
How Schwarzenegger described the admission
A separate account concerns how Schwarzenegger said the truth came out between him and Shriver. In a 2012 report, ABC News said his autobiography, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, placed the admission in a couples-counseling session on January 4, 2011, the day after his term as California governor ended. According to Schwarzenegger’s account as relayed by ABC, the therapist asked whether he had fathered a child with housekeeper Mildred Baena, and he answered, “It’s true.” ABC News summarized his account.
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ABC reported that Schwarzenegger placed the affair in 1996, when Shriver and the children were away and he was filming Batman and Robin. This timeline and the counseling-session account are Schwarzenegger’s retrospective account, not Shriver’s description of her private conversation with Baena.
Shriver’s public statement after the story became public
Schwarzenegger and Shriver announced their separation in May 2011 after 25 years of marriage. In a public statement quoted by ABC News on May 18, Shriver called the period “painful and heartbreaking,” said her concern as a mother was for the children, and asked for “compassion, respect and privacy” while she and her children tried to rebuild and heal. She said she would have no further comment. ABC News quoted Shriver’s statement.
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That public statement is distinct from Baena’s account of their private exchange: it documents what Shriver said publicly after the separation announcement, not what she said when Baena told her about the child.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where Schwarzenegger’s autobiography fits
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story is relevant for Schwarzenegger’s version of the counseling-session admission and the surrounding timeline. ABC News cited the book in its 2012 reporting; it should not be treated as Shriver’s account or as independent confirmation of Baena’s recollection. CBS’s 60 Minutes press release also identified the autobiography and previewed Schwarzenegger’s description of the affair.
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