Arnold Schwarzenegger's The White Lotus star son hits out at nepo baby accusation

Wake up babe, a new nepo baby defence has landed. This time it’s courtesy of Patrick Schwarzenegger, the mega-muscly son of Terminator and Total Recall star Arnold Schwarzenegger, and newly minted star of The White Lotus. Schwarzenegger Jr has been regularly questioned about his father’s fame during the promotional period for The White Lotus season three, in which he plays Saxon Ratliff, a frat bro banker boy with a vested interest in incest.

The 31-year-old actor’s salacious family storyline has prompted considerable conversation online, with Schwarzenegger Jr admitting his on-screen relationships with his White Lotus siblings are “very odd and weird”, but “very loving at the same time.”.

But it’s another family matter that’s landing Patrick in the headlines this week. The actor has dragged himself into the never-ending nepo baby debate by defending his role on The White Lotus and insisting it has nothing to do with his father’s name.

Schwarzenegger continued: “I would never trade my life with anyone, I’m very fortunate to have the life and family that I have, the parents I have and the lessons and values they’ve instilled in me.”. However, he admits that his dad was his chief inspiration for getting into acting. “Going to set with my dad, that’s where my first love for acting came from,” Schwarzenegger said. “He would always pull me out of school early. I would get to go to Universal Studios — I’d watch him go in as Dad, come out as Mr. Freeze. I would sit there all day and just be fascinated with everything about film.”.

His comments have not gone down well with netizens, who slammed the news on X. “Imagine thinking 10 years of acting classes erases a last name that opens every door for you,” one user commented. Another added: “Reminds me of when Kendall Jenner was crying cause she said that her family name had nothing to do with helping her become a model. If nepo babies owned it and said ‘yeah I got in cause of my connections’ I feel liken it wouldn’t be that serious. It’s giving first-world problems.”.

The 31-year-old American actor is the eldest son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and former journalist Maria Shriver. Patrick Schwarzenegger has two older sisters, Katherine and Christina, a younger brother, Christopher, and a younger paternal half-brother, the fitness model Joseph Baena.

Schwarzenegger has moved in famous circles since he was young, having dated singer and actress Miley Cyrus from 2014 to 2015. Since 2015, he has been in a relationship with model Abby Champion, with the couple announcing their engagement in late 2023.