{{Short description|American actor and bodybuilder (born 1997)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}} {{Infobox person | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|10|2}} | height = {{cvt|6|ft|2|in|m}} | years_active = 2016–present | education = Pepperdine University (BBA) | occupation = {{flatlist| * Film actor * bodybuilder * fitness model * real estate agent }} | parents = {{ubl|Arnold Schwarzenegger|Mildred Baena}} | relatives = {{Plainlist| * Gustav Schwarzenegger (grandfather) * Katherine Schwarzenegger (half sister) * Patrick Schwarzenegger (half brother) }} }} '''Joseph Baena''' (born October 2, 1997) is an American actor and fitness model. Joseph Baena is the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mildred Patricia "Patty" Baena.<ref name="MH2">{{cite news |last=Heffernan |first=Andrew |date=8 February 2022 |title=Joseph Baena Found Out Arnold Schwarzenegger Was His Dad. Now, He's Learning from Him. |url=https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a38903204/joseph-baena-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114110123/https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a38903204/joseph-baena-interview/ |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |access-date=20 September 2022 |work=Men's Health}}</ref>
==Early life== Joseph Baena is the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mildred Patricia "Patty" Baena.<ref name="MH">{{cite news |last=Heffernan |first=Andrew |title=Joseph Baena Found Out Arnold Schwarzenegger Was His Dad. Now, He's Learning from Him. |url=https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a38903204/joseph-baena-interview/ |access-date=20 September 2022 |work=Men's Health |date=8 February 2022 |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114110123/https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a38903204/joseph-baena-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At birth, he became the legal son of his mother's husband at the time, Rogelio Baena; they separated shortly after.
When Baena was 13, he—and the world—learned that Arnold Schwarzenegger was his biological father, after the media published this news the day after Schwarzenegger's final day as governor of California.<ref name="VanHoose"/> This achieved some notoriety in the tabloids, especially when Schwarzenegger admitted to conceiving him in an extramarital affair with his former housekeeper—while he was still married to Maria Shriver.<ref name="Zurilla" /><ref name="Henderson">{{Cite news |last=Henderson |first=Cydney |date=April 28, 2019 |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger Congratulates Son Joseph Baena for Graduating: 'I'm So Proud of You' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/04/28/arnold-schwarzenegger-congratulates-son-joseph-baena-college-graduation/3608348002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171510/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/04/28/arnold-schwarzenegger-congratulates-son-joseph-baena-college-graduation/3608348002/ |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |access-date=September 21, 2022 |work=USA Today}}</ref><ref name="Ahamed">{{cite web |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-bodybuilding-news-months-after-their-million-dollar-divorce-settlement-arnold-schwarzenegger-and-ex-wife-maria-shriver-reunite-for-son-patrick-schwarzeneggers-special-day/ |title=Months After Their Million Dollar Divorce Settlement, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ex-Wife Maria Shriver Reunite for Son Patrick Schwarzenegger's Special Day |date=September 20, 2022 |first=Mubhaswara |last=Ahamed |website=EssentiallySports.com |accessdate=September 22, 2022 |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922193648/https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-bodybuilding-news-months-after-their-million-dollar-divorce-settlement-arnold-schwarzenegger-and-ex-wife-maria-shriver-reunite-for-son-patrick-schwarzeneggers-special-day/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Baena decided to keep his last name instead of taking the last name Schwarzenegger.<ref name="VanHoose">{{cite news |url=https://people.com/movies/joseph-baena-on-not-using-dad-arnold-schwarzenegger-last-name/ |title=Joseph Baena on Not Using Dad Arnold Schwarzenegger's Last Name: 'He Doesn't Believe in Handouts' |quote="My dad is old-school," Joseph Baena said about Arnold Schwarzenegger |first=Benjamin |last=VanHoose |date=February 8, 2022 |work=People |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920172337/https://people.com/movies/joseph-baena-on-not-using-dad-arnold-schwarzenegger-last-name/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Zurilla">{{Cite news |last=D'Zurilla |first=Christie |date=February 9, 2022 |title=MOVIES Joseph Baena Won't Use Dad Arnold Schwarzenegger's Name to Pave His Way in Hollywood |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-02-09/joseph-baena-arnold-schwarzenegger-hollywood |access-date=September 21, 2022 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
Baena is of Austrian and Guatemalan ancestry. He has one half-sibling from his mother (Jackie Rozo), and four half-siblings from his father: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher Schwarzenegger. His paternal half-brother Christopher was born 5 days before Baena, on September 27, 1997.<ref name="VanHoose" />
In 2019, Baena graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, with a business degree.<ref name="Henderson" /><ref name="Lemoncelli">{{cite web |url=https://hollywoodlife.com/feature/who-is-joseph-baena-3483593/ |title=Hollywood Life Joseph Baena: 5 Things to Know About Arnold Schwarzenegger's Son Who's on 'DWTS' |last1=Lemoncelli |first1=Jenna |last2=Thompson |first2=Avery |date=September 19, 2022 |website=Hollywood Life |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-date=September 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919134344/https://hollywoodlife.com/feature/who-is-joseph-baena-3483593/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Career== ===Fitness modeling=== Baena was featured on the cover of the ''Men's Health'' March 2022 issue, highlighting his fitness practices and his familial bonding with his father.<ref name="VanHoose"/> Upon taking up weight lifting, his father gave him the book ''The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding'', which Schwarzenegger had co-authored, to assist Baena with his training.<ref name="Rice">{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/dancing-with-the-stars-arnold-schwarzeneggers-son-joseph-baena-joining-season-31-1235101311/ |title='Dancing with the Stars': Arnold Schwarzenegger's Son Joseph Baena Joining Season 31 |work=Deadline |first=Lynette |last=Rice |date=August 8, 2022 |access-date=September 23, 2022}}</ref>
In March 2021, Baena started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Checkmat Northridge.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Phil |date=March 20, 2021 |title=Arnold Schwarzanegger's [sic] Son Joseph Baena Has Started BJJ |url=https://jitsmagazine.com/arnold-schwarzaneggers-son-joseph-baena-has-started-bjj |access-date=June 19, 2023 |work=BJJ News}}</ref>
===Realty career=== Baena expressed an interest in starting a career in real estate on Instagram in May 2021.<ref name="People real estate">{{cite web |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger's Son Joseph Baena Celebrates Selling First Home as a Real Estate Agent: 'SOLD' |work=People |publisher=Peoplemag |date=March 24, 2022 |first=Nicholas |last=Rice |url=https://people.com/home/joseph-baena-celebrates-selling-first-home-as-a-real-estate-agent/ |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921172759/https://people.com/home/joseph-baena-celebrates-selling-first-home-as-a-real-estate-agent/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After taking the necessary classes and passing the state boards, Baena successfully earned his State of California Realtor's License in 2022 and is currently affiliated with Aria Properties in Los Angeles, California.<ref name="Lemoncelli"/>
===''Dancing with the Stars''=== In 2022, Baena was a contestant on the 31st season of ''Dancing with the Stars'' where he was paired with Daniella Karagach. They were eliminated 5th and placed 11th in the competition.<ref name="fox">{{Cite news |last=Giang-Paunon |first=Stephanie |last2=Fink |first2=Larry |date=September 20, 2022 |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger's Son Joseph Baena on 'Dancing with the Stars': Dancing's Not 'Part of the Gene' |url=https://news.yahoo.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-son-joseph-baena-134246195.html |access-date=September 20, 2022 |publisher=Fox News |via=Yahoo! News}}</ref> Trying to distance himself from prejudgments, and creating his own grounds, "the young Arnold son says that he is not just breaking down the 'dance floor' but is also 'breaking the barriers in his family.'"<ref name="Aham">{{cite web |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-bodybuilding-news-not-really-a-part-of-the-gene-arnold-schwarzeneggers-youngest-starts-his-quest-to-achieve-a-feat-even-his-dad-couldnt/ |title="Not Really a Part of the Gene": Arnold Schwarzenegger's Youngest, Starts His Quest to Achieve a Feat Even His Dad Couldn't |date=September 21, 2022 |first=Mubhaswara |last=Aham |website=EssentiallySports.com |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922191932/https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-bodybuilding-news-not-really-a-part-of-the-gene-arnold-schwarzeneggers-youngest-starts-his-quest-to-achieve-a-feat-even-his-dad-couldnt/ |url-status=live }}</ref> His body type, flexibility and fitness training are not particularly well adapted to dancing, which he personally foresaw as being challenging.<ref name="Lemoncelli"/><ref name="Trainor">{{cite web |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1345667/why-joseph-baena-says-his-fitness-might-actually-work-against-him-on-dancing-with-the-stars |title=Why Joseph Baena Says His Fitness Might Actually Work Against Him on Dancing with the Stars |quote=Joseph Baena is no stranger to breaking a sweat, but the fitness nut says his early Dancing with the Stars practice has been challenging. |first=Daniel |last=Trainor |date=September 9, 2022 |work=E-news |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923121228/https://www.eonline.com/news/1345667/why-joseph-baena-says-his-fitness-might-actually-work-against-him-on-dancing-with-the-stars |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn-ua|After testing as COVID-19 positive, 29-year-old ''Dancing With the Stars'' professional dancer Daniella Karagach did not appear with her partner, Joseph Baena.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lash |first=Jolie |date=September 26, 2022 |title=Joseph Baena's 'Dancing with the Stars' Partner Daniella Karagach to Miss Monday's Show After COVID Diagnosis |url=https://www.thewrap.com/dancing-with-the-stars-pro-daniella-karagach-covid/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926223734/https://www.thewrap.com/dancing-with-the-stars-pro-daniella-karagach-covid/ |archive-date=September 26, 2022 |access-date=September 27, 2022 |work=The Wrap |quote=A member of the dance troupe will fill in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=September 26, 2022 |title=Why DWTS' Daniella Karagach Is Skipping Elvis Week with Joseph Baena |url=https://www.aol.com/entertainment/why-dwts-daniella-karagach-skipping-194959617.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927160425/https://www.aol.com/entertainment/why-dwts-daniella-karagach-skipping-194959617.html |archive-date=September 27, 2022 |access-date=September 27, 2022 |work=Us Weekly}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://news.yahoo.com/dancing-stars-pro-daniella-karagach-004624444.html |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |title=Dancing With the Stars pro Daniella Karagach tests positive for COVID and misses Elvis night |first=Maureen Lee |last=Lenker |date=September 26, 2022 |accessdate=September 27, 2022 |archive-date=September 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927160425/https://news.yahoo.com/dancing-stars-pro-daniella-karagach-004624444.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Having been potentially exposed, Baena had to mask up; he and Alexis Warr (a last-minute substitute troupe danceuse) advanced in the competition.<ref name="Rice2">{{Cite news |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=September 26, 2022 |title='Dancing with the Stars': Find Out Whose Jive Wasn't Enough to Keep Her in the Competition After Week 2 |url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/dancing-with-the-stars-week-2-recap-1235127560/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927020222/https://deadline.com/2022/09/dancing-with-the-stars-week-2-recap-1235127560/ |archive-date=September 27, 2022 |access-date=September 27, 2022 |work=Deadline}}</ref>}}
Baena offered the opinion that physical fitness became his watchword because, "I couldn't keep up with the other guys." In a podcast interview, he confessed that he was both unfit and bullied. In college, he had an epiphany: "I was like the chubby kid in my... crew, and, um yeah. It wasn't until I joined swim my sophomore year..." When he could not run, leaving him unfit for soccer and basketball, he settled on joining the swim team.<ref name="Banerjee">{{cite web |last=Banerjee |first=Shreyosi |date=September 16, 2022 |title="Couldn't Keep Up With the Other Guys": Arnold Schwarzenegger's Bodybuilder Son Joseph Baena Opens Up About His Not-So-Fit Past Self |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-bodybuilding-news-couldnt-keep-up-with-the-other-guys-arnold-schwarzeneggers-bodybuilder-son-joseph-baena-opens-up-about-his-not-so-fit-past-sel/ |accessdate=September 22, 2022 |website=EssentiallySports.com}}</ref>
=== Amateur Bodybuilding === On 28 March 2026, Baena competed in the 2026 NPC Natural Colorado State Championships in Men's Classic Physique and Open Bodybuilding.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Tracy |date=2026-03-30 |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger's son dominates bodybuilding debut with multiple first-place wins |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/arnold-schwarzeneggers-son-dominates-bodybuilding-debut-multiple-first-place-wins |access-date=2026-04-01 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref> He notably placed 1st in the "True Novice" and "Novice" Classic Physique divisions. He also placed 1st in the "Men's Bodybuilding - Open Heavyweight" division. He came 2nd in Open Class C, making him the runner-up to the overall.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Jeff |date=2026-03-28 |title=Results - 2026 NPC Natural Colorado State |url=https://musclequest.com/results-2026-npc-natural-colorado/ |access-date=2026-04-01 |website=Muscle Quest |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Filmography== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2016 | ''Terminator 2 Remake with Joseph Baena: Bad to the Bone'' | The Terminator | Video short |- | 2022 | ''Chariot'' | Cory | |- | 2022 | ''Bully High'' | Eddie | |- | 2023 | ''Called to Duty: The Last Airshow'' | Lt. Andrew 'Bells' Harris | |- | 2024 | ''Gunner'' | Wally | |- | {{TableTBA}} | ''Encounters'' | Tarrick | Filming |- | {{TableTBA}} | ''Lava'' | Alex | Post-production |- | {{TableTBA}} | ''Athena Saves Christmas'' | {{TableTBA}} | Filming |- |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2022 | ''Scam Squad'' | Nico | Miniseries |- | 2022 | ''Dancing with the Stars'' | Himself | 6 episodes of season 31 |- | 2023 | ''Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction'' | Robin Hood | Episode: "Ehre unter Dieben" |- |}
==References== ===Notes=== {{Reflist|group=upper-alpha}}
===Citations=== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name}}
{{Arnold Schwarzenegger}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baena, Joseph}} Category:1997 births Category:21st-century American male actors Category:American male bodybuilders Category:American male film actors Category:American male models Category:American male television actors Category:American people of Austrian descent Category:American people of Guatemalan descent Category:American people of Czech descent Category:American real estate brokers Category:Brentwood School (Los Angeles) alumni Category:Fitness models Category:Hispanic and Latino American male actors Category:Hispanic and Latino American male models Category:Living people Category:Male actors from Los Angeles Category:Male models from Los Angeles Category:People from Brentwood, Los Angeles Category:Pepperdine University alumni Category:Schwarzenegger family Category:Sportspeople from Los Angeles Category:21st-century American sportsmen