Inside the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena... from glamorous girlfriend to surprising job

Daily Mail​

12-06-2025

When your dad is literally the Terminator, the bar for 'making a name for yourself' is set extremely high.
But Joseph Baena - Arnold Schwarzenegger 's 26-year-old son - is doing exactly that, carving out his own path that's equal parts dumbbell curls, cooking videos and - surprisingly - closing real estate deals.
Joseph is the son of Arnold and Mildred Baena, who was the Schwarzenegger family's former housekeeper.
His existence famously came to light in 2011 when it was revealed that Arnold had fathered a child outside his marriage to Maria Shriver.
At the time, Joseph was just 13.
The news rocked Hollywood, but Joseph's response over the years involves him becoming as much of a self-made man as possible.
Though he didn't grow up in the glitzy Schwarzenegger household, Joseph seems to have inherited his father's discipline - and his biceps.
He shares a close relationship with Arnold today, and their bond often shows up on Instagram in the form of gym selfies, birthday tributes, and pictures of the two riding bikes together.
But Joseph's relationship with his half-siblings (Arnold's kids with Maria) remains murky.
He has noticeably been absent from major family milestones including Katherine Schwarzenegger's wedding to Chris Pratt - although he did leave a congratulatory comment on her wedding post.
Fans have pointed out that although Joseph follows Katherine and Patrick Schwarzenegger on Instagram, neither of them follow him back.
In fact, on a post celebrating National Siblings Day in 2019, Katherine posted all of her siblings except for Joseph, causing backlash from fans.
Though it appears as though Patrick may have been working on a relationship with Joseph in 2021, as the two were spotted working out together, there has been no updates on their relationship since.
But it's clear that there is a stern divide between Joseph and Arnold's children with Maria.
On Wednesday, at a Netflix premiere for the second season Arnold's action comedy Fubar, the star took a picture with all of his children together on the red carpet - but Joseph was nowhere to be seen until he took a separate picture with his father later.
But despite Joseph's apparent exclusion from the famous family, if he looks familiar, it might be because he's graced the cover of Men's Health magazine, shirtless - something his father has done multiple times.
While he dabbled in cinema, he landed on becoming a luxury real estate agent, selling million-dollar homes in Los Angeles
Like his dad, he's deeply into bodybuilding and shares his progress online, often training at Gold's Gym in Venice Beach - the same gym where Arnold trained back in the day.
Joseph has also dabbled in acting, taking on roles in indie action films, and he competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2022.
In an unexpected twist, Joseph also has a soft side - specifically, for food.
He regularly shares TikTok videos and Instagram reels where he cooks with friends, often whipping up high-protein meals that benefit those who want to make health and fitness their priority.
Perhaps the most unexpected plot twist in is that instead of focusing on acting like this father, Joseph decided to become a licensed real estate agent.
In between filming workouts and cooking content, Joseph regularly shows and sells million-dollar homes in Los Angeles.
He works with Aria Properties and regularly posts about open houses and closings on his business Instagram account.
He also often shows off his girlfriend, model Mel Randel, who he's been dating for over two years.
They've been spotted at award shows, enjoying romantic vacations, and also spending time with Arnold.
It's clear that Joseph is not trying to ride his dad's coattails.
In fact, he doesn't use the Schwarzenegger name professionally at all.
And though he's come from Hollywood royalty and dealt with public scandal, he remains positive and determined, and - like Arnold - very buff.