‘Proud’ Arnold Schwarzenegger Celebrates Son Who Embarked On Weight Loss Journey After Being Called ‘Fat’

Jan 25, 2023 by apost team

Whether you know him as the Terminator, a 1970s bodybuilding legend or the former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger needs no introduction. He has made a name for himself across the globe for a multitude of reasons.

During his early youth, the well-trained athlete was determined to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world and hold the title of Mr. Olympia. Although he failed his first attempt in 1969, he came back the following year and won the competition. 

That same year, Schwarzenegger also made the jump toward starting a career in acting. He landed the title role in "Hercules in New York," and proceeded to find more work as the years went by. In 1984, he landed what has since become known as his signature role as the title character in James Cameron's science-fiction thriller "The Terminator." Schwarzenegger also starred in the subsequent films.

At home, however, Schwarzenegger has had a turbulent personal life.

The bodybuilding legend had a strained relationship with his father. Despite his rough upbringing, Schwarzenegger seemed to have built a picture-perfect family later in life. He became a member of the prestigious Kennedy family when he married Maria Shriver, daughter of Eunice Shriver and her husband, R. Sargent Shriver. And the power couple had four children together: Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher.

But things were not as they seemed. In 2011, it came out that Schwarzenegger had had a child with the family’s maid, Mildred Patricia Baena, in 1997 while he was married to Shriver. Shriver filed for divorce, with the divorce finally settled in 2021.

However, people have continued to bash members of the Schwarzenegger household. They have called his son Christopher “fat.” That all seemed to change, though, when the bodybuilder’s son showed off his tremendous weight loss transformation.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver separated in May 2011 after finding out that the former had been unfaithful, with their divorce becoming final 10 years later. They made a joint statement: “We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and center of both of our lives.”

In 2012, Schwarzenegger admitted to having multiple affairs. "I inflicted tremendous pain on Maria and unbelievable pain on the kids," he said at the time. In 2017, Schwarzenegger shared more in a profile in Men's Journal:

"You do think about it every so often," he explained, "and I can beat myself up as much as I want — it's not gonna change the situation. So the key thing is, How do you move forward? How do you have a great relationship with your kids?

"You can't go back — if I could, in reality, be Terminator, of course I would go back in time and would say, 'Arnold . . . no,'" he added. "You know, it's always easy to be smart in hindsight. That's not the way it works."

Fans seemed to have forgiven Schwarzenegger over the years. One fan even defended his parenting style in a tweet that criticized Christopher’s weight. The tweet read: “Sons of Arnold. One raised by his father, one by his mother.”

The tweet showed a photograph of Schwarzenegger with his son Joseph Baena – who he had through his affair – both exercising on bikes together. The comparing photograph showed Shriver and Christopher, the latter of whom was in a larger body.

Christopher was born on Sept. 27, 1997. He has lived a relatively private life – all things considered. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2020 in an online ceremony due to the pandemic. However, that didn’t stop Schwarzenegger from sharing how proud he was of his son. 

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Schwarzenegger shared a photo of Christopher on Instagram with the caption:

"Christopher, you are a champion and I love you. I know your graduation from Michigan wasn't the big celebration you dreamed about for years, but walking across a stage isn't what makes me so proud of you: it's your compassion, your hard work, your vision, your critical thinking, and your selflessness that make me burst with pride. I can't wait to watch you keep climbing and succeeding."

More people criticized Christopher on Twitter, as one person wrote, “Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fat son Christopher putting dads (sic) legacy to shame.”

However, in September 2022, the Mirror reported that Christopher had lost a great deal of weight. The outlet shared he had been steadily losing weight since 2020 “by exercising and cutting out junk food.”

“He made it his goal to get healthy for graduation and he stuck to it,” a source shared, adding that Christopher did not use any “fad diet or crash diet” to shed the pounds.

“He started working out and making better food choices,” the source continued. “He was away at school living like a typical college kid for a few years, but he’s growing up now and ready to take better care of himself.”

Schwarzenegger seemed to appreciate his son’s efforts in a birthday post from 2021, as the actor wrote on Instagram:

"Between your boxing classes, your weightlifting classes, your stretching classes, your cycling classes, and on and on, I can't even keep up with you! I love you and I'm proud of you every day!"

Schwarzenegger appears to be extremely proud of Christopher for all his accomplishments, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for the family.

What do you think about Arnold Schwarzenegger and his family? Were you surprised to see Christopher’s weight loss journey? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.