Who is Joseph Baena?
JOSEPH Baena is the son of megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Like his famous father, Baena has pursued a career as an actor and bodybuilder.
Who is Joseph Baena?
Joseph Baena was born on October 2, 1997, in Los Angeles, California.
He is a bodybuilder, fitness model, actor, and real estate agent.
Baena, 25, had no idea he was the son of The Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, until he was 13 years old.
His mom, Mildred Patricia Baena, was working as a housekeeper in Schwarzenegger's home when she had an affair with him in 1997.
He learned to speak Spanish and all about his Guatemalan heritage through cooking, learning the culture, and music.
He said: “That’s a huge part of me.
“My mom’s whole side is Guatemalan; we have a lot of Colombian family. Nearly everyone on that side is Latin American.”
Baena didn't know who his father was until he was 13 years old, when he began to resemble Schwarzenegger so much, that the truth was impossible to ignore.
The media learned about the connection between Baena and his famous father in 2011, and Baena told the outlet: “I remember the day very vividly.
“I was in the eighth grade. Fifth or sixth period. And I get called out of class to leave. And my mom’s there, and she’s like, ‘We gotta go—everyone is finding out about you and who your father is'."
He continued, speaking about that day: “I’m 13. Your body’s transforming; your mind is transforming. And now my life transformed before my eyes.”
When did Arnold Schwarzenegger find out about Joseph Baena?
Schwarzenegger reportedly found out about his son when Baena was eight years old and Shriver became suspicious.
She confronted Schwarzenegger during a therapy session, an event he wrote about in his book Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story.
But he added: “The important thing that everyone should know is that I take care of [Baena] and I take care of [Mildred]. And I fulfill my responsibility and I’m glad to do that.”
Looking back at his actions, Schwarzenegger said:“If you would have asked me 10 years ago, five years ago, two years ago, what is the most important thing in my life, I would tell you over and over, it’s my marriage, it’s my family.
"So the thing that really meant the most to me kind of fell apart because of my doing.
"That is something that I will always look back and say, ‘How could you have done that?’"
The affair was kept on the low until 2011 when the Los Angeles Times uncovered the story.
Schwarzenegger and Shriver split in 2011, with many believing that the cause was infidelity.
Over the last ten years, Baena and Schwarzenegger have worked on building a relationship which blossomed over a mutual interest in bodybuilding.
When Baena went to his father to ask him for advice, Schwarzenegger gave him The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, a book he co-authored which would help in Baena's training.
Did Joseph Baena appear on Dancing With The Stars?
Baena appeared on season 31 of Dancing With The Stars alongside his dance partner Daniella Karagach on September 19, 2022.
He first confirmed the news that he would be joining DWTS on Instagram with a photo of him and Karagach, writing: "Pump up the volume or pump up the ballroom!"
Baena said: "So far, I feel really heavy.
"It's not the best feeling. I usually feel pretty light with 300 pounds on my back.
"It's not too bad. But moving around, jumping, it's a lot!"
Karagach added: "[Baena's] been working so hard. Obviously it's not coming easy to him or is it going to come easy to anyone here.
"As long as you work hard and you strive to be better the next day, I think you'll be okay."
Despite the difficult learning curve, Baena had said he was still confident about the competition.
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He said: "I'm ready for the challenge and I have the best coach here. We're going to kill it."
Despite earning great scores throughout the season, Baena and Karagach were eliminated from the competition on October 18, 2022.