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Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger has been in the public eye for decades, so it was a shock to many in 2011 when he not only split from his then-wife Kennedy scion, Maria Shriver, mom to his four known children, but also acknowledged the reason for the breakup: more than a decade earlier he had fathered a secret son, Joseph Baena , with a worker employed in the family home – Joe’s Guatemalan mom, Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena. At the time, the former California governor took “full responsibility” for the hurt he had caused, and as the years passed the Hollywood heavyweight also proved he was present in Joseph’s life. These days, he regularly shows glimpses inside their relationship on social media, showing that Joseph has grown up to be a handsome chisel-jawed bodybuilder just like dad.
But who is Joseph Baena? Discover everything you need to know about Arnie’s son...
© projoe2How Joseph found out Arnold is his dad
Joseph was born on October 2, 1997 in Los Angeles. His mother Mildred Baena keeps a very low profile but did give a rare interview with our sister brand HELLO! . During the chat, she explained that when Joe’s grandmother sat him down in 2010 to tell him Arnold was his dad, the young boy’s reaction was: “Cool!”. At the time, Mildred said that Joe was looking forward to building a relationship with his father, who she described as “a good man.”
© projoe2Arnold declares his love for his son
We got our first official glimpse of Pepperdine graduate Joseph on his dad Arnold’s Instagram account in 2016, when the action star congratulated him for his 19th birthday. Sharing a photo where father and son are toasting at Octoberfest with mugs of beer and wearing traditional garb in line with Arnie’s Austrian heritage, the actor wrote: “Happy birthday, Joseph. Great student, great athlete. I’m proud of you and I love you!”
© @projoe2An actor and athlete – just like dad
Joseph clearly takes after his famous dad, who won the Mr Olympia professional men’s bodybuilding contest six times in a row back in the 1970s, before he became a star in movies like Conan the Barbarian and Predator. Joe describes himself as an actor and athlete on his Instagram profile, @projoe2, where he has more than 160,000 followers.
© GettyImagesJoe and romance
Outside of fitness, Joe seems to be very private and we know just a little about his romantic life. For example, in February 2020 he celebrated his one-year anniversary with stunning girlfriend Nicky Dodaj, who affectionately calls him “Jojo.” As he wrote on their big day on social media: “One year with my partner in crime!!! Can’t wait for more the many more adventures, laughs and celebrations to come! I Love you @nickydodaj.”
© projoe2Golden boys
In 2019, Joseph shared a photo of himself working out with his famous dad at Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach for the star’s 72nd birthday. The iconic gym has long been a favorite of Arnold, as he revealed in 2015: “When I first came to America, I went to Gold’s Gym before I even went to my first apartment. Gold’s Gym became my home.” Well, looks like that love is something he has passed along to Joseph, too!
