Who is Joseph Baena: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Son Steps Into the Bodybuilding Spotlight
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Joseph Baena is carving his own path—from the weight room to the ballroom—teaming with Daniella Karagach to clinch a fifth-place finish on the 2022 season of Dancing With the Stars.
Joseph Baena just turned his gym-rat reputation into actual hardware. Yep, Arnold Schwarzenegger's son walked into his first-ever bodybuilding show and walked out a winner. If you only know him from Dancing With the Stars or the messy family headlines from back in the day, here is where he is at now — and how he got here.
The new hardware
In March 2026, Baena competed at the NPC Natural Colorado State competition and won his debut show. Not just once — three times. He took first in:
- Men's Open Body Heavy Weight Class
- Men's Classic Physique True Novice
- Men's Class Physique Novice
For a first contest, that is a statement.
Who he is and why the family story sounds familiar
Joseph is the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mildred Baena. The twist you probably remember: Joseph was born in 1997, just days after Arnold and Maria Shriver welcomed their son Christopher that same year. The affair — Mildred worked as the family's housekeeper at the time — did not go public until May 2011, when Arnold confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that he had fathered a child with her 14 years earlier.
Arnold, now 78, shares four kids with ex-wife Maria Shriver: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher. Joseph grew up largely outside that spotlight, and he is based in Los Angeles today.
Father and son, finally on the same page
Baena has said he and his dad really connected once fitness became common ground — which tracks, considering the surname. Back in February 2022, he told Men's Health that he wanted to earn things himself rather than lean on the family Rolodex. He put it this way:
"My dad is old school, he doesn't believe in handouts. He believes hard work pays off, and so do I... If I use my dad's contacts or ask him for favors, I wonder what honor is that gonna bring me?"
He also made it clear he does not feel locked into Arnold's exact path — acting, bodybuilding, any of it — and that he is happy with where their relationship stands. More recently, on the Unwaxed podcast in January, he admitted he was nervous at first about bonding with his father, but said they are now very close and can joke about basically anything.
What he is doing beyond the stage
Yes, he is more than the last name and a front double biceps.
Acting: He hopped into movies with the sci-fi comedy Chariot, which premiered in 2022 and co-stars John Malkovich and Shane West.
Reality TV: He joined Dancing With the Stars in 2022, partnered with Daniella Karagach, and made it to the final five before getting cut — a strong run for a non-dancer.
Real estate: He also works as a realtor. In March, he celebrated a closed sale on a Santa Monica property, thanking his clients and his team at @aria_properties on Instagram.
The bottom line
Joseph Baena is carving out his own lane. The family saga is complicated, sure, but the current story is simple: he is putting in the work — in the gym, on camera, and in real estate — and the results are starting to show up onstage and onscreen.