What Happened to Desi Arnaz Jr. After He Put His Acting Career on Hold?

The actor appeared to have calmed down drastically and worked for the New Life Foundation, a nonprofit spiritual development program, as its national spokesperson. On occasion, when he felt they were worth it, he did theater work and movies.

But he clarified that he wasn’t chasing after a career as he focused on putting back old-fashioned values in his life. He was more interested in living a simple life. But Desi Jr. also had a biological child, Julia Howe, from a fling with ex-model Susan Callahan-Howe.

Desi Jr.’s Tumultuous Relationship with His Daughter

Since childhood, Julia’s mother said her father is the child of Hollywood Royalty. When her grandmother, Lucille, died, she decided to handle matters on her own. She got a subpoena to get a DNA test, and at age 20, the procedure got done and returned with a result of 99.97%.

Soon after, the father and daughter started having a “beautiful relationship.” The star’s daughter knew he didn’t have to create a relationship with her, but felt when she was 18 and over, he could’ve acknowledged her as his, yet chose not to.

The bond Julia built with her father didn’t last long according to her. By 1994, she was 25, a substance abuser, and worked near Manhattan. She sadly didn’t have anything positive to say about him.

Julia explained that all she wanted from Desi Jr. was for him to pick up her calls and answer her letters. She noted how her father helped others who had substance and alcohol abuse problems but failed to reach out to assist “his own flesh and blood,” adding, “Maybe he’s weak like me.”