Patrick Schwarzenegger was 17 when his parents split. His dad had welcomed a child with another woman.

Since its premiere in February, The White Lotus Season 3 has captured audiences with its Thailand location and signature mix of social satire, luxury, and chaos.

While the star-studded cast includes notable names like Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins and BLACKPINK's Lisa, it's Patrick Schwarzenegger — who has quickly become one of the season's most talked-about performers.

Yes, that Schwarzenegger — son of action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver.

Watch the trailer for The White Lotus season three here. Post continues below.

Schwarzenegger was just 17 when his parents' high-profile marriage collapsed in 2011 after it was revealed his father had fathered a child with their longtime housekeeper.

Now 31, Patrick has established himself as an actor in his own right, with his performance in The White Lotus drawing particular attention — including from his family members who have had rather different reactions to his revealing scenes.

His father, Arnold, embraced the moment with humour, writing on Instagram after attending the premiere: "I could claim to be surprised to find out he has a nude scene, but what can I say — the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Meanwhile, his mother Maria took a more diplomatic approach when asked about watching those scenes, telling E! News simply: "I just looked straight into his eyes. That's all I know!"

Despite their highly publicised split, both parents attended the show's premiere in support of their son, though they posed separately.

Need a refresher on their family? Here's a look back at Schwarzenegger and Shriver's very unconventional family life.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's marriage and divorce.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has had an enviable career, but at times it's been marred by controversy.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver had formed an unlikely relationship after meeting at a charity tennis tournament in 1977. While he was a former Mr Universe champion, Shriver was a TV journalist with relations to the Kennedy family (her mother was Eunice Kennedy, the sister of assassinated US president John F. Kennedy).

After being introduced at the tournament, they dated for nine years before marrying in 1986.

Arnold Schwarzenegger with Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger on their wedding day, standing in front of St. Francis Xaviers Church (1986) Image: Getty.

Together, they had four children: Katherine, 35, Christina, 33, Patrick, 31, and Christopher, 27.

When they separated in 2011, the couple released a statement.

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us," the couple said. "After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship.

They went on: "We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the centre of both of our lives. We consider this a private matter and neither we nor any of our friends or family will have further comment."

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A post shared by Katherine Schwarzenegger (@katherineschwarzenegger)

Arnold Schwarzenegger's affair.

The world-class bodybuilder, who turned to acting, and eventually a political career, had a 'perfect' family.

However, just days after Schwarzenegger and Shriver announced their split, it would be revealed he'd fathered a child with Mildred Baena, who'd been the family's housekeeper for over 20 years.

Interestingly, the actor's wife had known of the affair months before it had become public information and had confronted him in a couple's therapy session.

In his 2012 memoir, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, Schwarzenegger explained his wife had asked him during their routine session on January 4, 2011.

"The minute we sat down, the therapist turned to me and said, 'Maria wanted to come here today and to ask about a child — whether you fathered a child with your housekeeper Mildred,'" he wrote. "I told the therapist, 'It's true.'"

Baena was married to Rogelio Baena and claims she believed Joseph was his son for many years. The couple divorced three years after Joseph's birth.

She, along with Shriver and Schwarzenegger, began to notice striking resemblances between Joseph and his real father as he began to grow. Eventually, Shriver confronted Baena and asked her if there had been an affair.

"She would say things like, 'I'm here if you need to talk.' I sensed something was up. I have so much love and respect for Maria," Baena told Hello! Magazine in 2011. "Finally, she asked point-blank."

"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. It takes two."

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A post shared by Joseph Baena (@projoe2)

Baena, who maintains she was unsure who the father was until a few months before confessing, said Schwarzenegger began to wonder as well.

"It was as Joseph grew and I started to see the resemblance that I wondered — but it became more apparent as time went on," she said.

"I knew Arnold was the father, and maybe as Joseph got older and began to look like him, he [Arnold] wondered. But he never said anything to me."

In his memoir, the former politician admitted he'd ignored the possibility of being Joesph's father until it was no longer an option.

"But instead of doing the right thing, I'd just put the truth in a mental compartment and locked it up where I didn't deal with it every day," he wrote.

"I realised there was little doubt that he was my son."

Schwarzenegger's sons, Patrick and Christopher, were staying with him at the time the news of the affair — and his other son — broke, so he told them face-to-face.

"I asked them to sit down and told them face to face," Schwarzenegger wrote in his memoir.

"It doesn't change my love for you, and I hope it doesn't change your love for me. But that is what happened. I'm terribly sorry about it. Your mother is very upset and disappointed."

Patrick reportedly struggled with it — temporarily dropping his famous surname on social media and expressing his wish to "just be normal for a bit."

Meanwhile, his daughters Katherine and Christina were with their mother in Chicago and received the news over the phone.

Why didn't Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver divorce sooner?

While the pair maintained a great relationship for their children, the pair did not finalise their divorce for several reasons.

According to TMZ, Schwarzenegger and Shriver never actually signed a prenup before they got married, so their divorce settlement has been a long and difficult process — considering their estimated combined wealth of US$400 million.

In 2011, the pair requested joint custody of their two youngest children, Patrick and Christopher, who were 17 and 13 when they split. Katherine and Christina were already adults at the time.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's kids, and their relationship with Joseph Baena.

While the cheating scandal was messy for everyone involved — including Baena's 'thought to be' dad Rogelio Baena, who reportedly broke down after learning he was not Joseph's father — Schwarzenegger remained a present force in all five of his children's lives.

His eldest, Katherine, has stayed close with both of her parents and regularly shares throwback photos on her Instagram. She is married to actor Chris Pratt and the couple share three children, Lyla, Eloise, and Ford.

Christina, who is the second eldest child of Schwarzenegger and Shriver, has navigated a separate career path that is completely different to that of her mega-famous parents.

The Georgetown University alum is a documentary producer and assistant editor.

While she is not as active on social media as her big sister, Christina is often seen making an appearance on her mum's Instagram page.

Patrick, the eldest son of Shriver and Schwarzenegger has followed a similar path to his dad, and is an actor and model.

His most notable roles include Charlie in the 2018 film Midnight Sun, the starring role in 2019's Daniel Isn't Real and, most recently, Saxton Ratliff in the highly-anticipated The White Lotus Season 3.

Personally, he is in a relationship with Abby Champion. The two have been together since 2015 and announced their engagement in 2023.

Christopher is Shriver and Schwarzenegger's youngest son together, and chooses to remain relatively out of the spotlight. He previously graduated from the University of Michigan.

Joseph is Schwarzenegger and Baena's only child together. While the public is not privy to his relationship with his other siblings, Joseph's dad has been a present force in his life.

In 2019, Schwarzenegger took to social media to congratulate Joseph for graduating from Pepperdine College.

"Congratulations Joseph!" the actor tweeted at the time. "Four years of hard work studying business at Pepperdine and today is your big day! You have earned all of the celebration and I'm so proud of you. I love you!"

Feature Image: Getty.

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