Seven Mr. Olympia titles and another seven Mr. Universe titles are some of the accolades that Arnold Schwarzenegger earned during the 18 years he became a reference in the world of bodybuilding. A passion for the stage that seems to have been inherited by his son, Joseph Baena, who has decided to follow in his footsteps.
The 29-year-old has made the leap to the professional level, managing to enter the Top 5 of the Classic Physique Open category at the INBA PNBA World Cup held on November 7, 2026, in California. "I placed in the top five," Baena explained on his social media, adding that he felt "extremely proud" of himself.
That was the goal that the actor's son and former governor of California had set for himself before the championship. This is his third competition. The first took place at the end of March at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships, and the second, on April 4, at the INBA Iron Gladiator in Corona (California), where he won in Classic Physique.
"As my father always says, there is no such thing as a self-made man," the athlete asserts. And indeed, Baena has not had a full-time coach but has not lacked guidance, finding in his father his best reference and inspiration. In fact, they have been seen training together at Gold's Gym in Venice, California. Baena described him in an interview in April with 'Entertainment Now' as "the best training partner," someone who encourages him "when carbs are low, calories are low, and I start to get tired."
In that same interview, Baena explained that his interest in bodybuilding began during his college years, as a general curiosity about health, and that his father then gave him a bodybuilding encyclopedia. From there, he fell in love with "weightlifting" and also "eating healthy."
Joseph Baena is the son of former California governor and his housekeeper Mildred Baena, with whom he was unfaithful to his wife Maria Shriver Kennedy. As a result of that infidelity, Joseph was born, and the marriage of Shriver and Schwarzenegger ended after 25 years of relationship and four children together. In fact, Joseph was born just five days before the youngest child of the marriage, Christopher.
When this relationship came to light, there was such an uproar that Joseph and his mother had to leave their humble home in Bakersfield (California) to move for a time to Texas, as they did not want to be the center of attention. However, in 2011, Mildred gave an interview to Hello! where she recounted that Maria had noticed the resemblance of their children and asked her if Joseph was her husband's son. They both ended up crying and hugging on the floor. "It was so strong. She cried with me and told me to get on my knees," she confessed in the gossip magazine.
Joseph Baena decided not to use his father's surname because he wanted to carve out a future for himself. He grew up without luxuries and without any whims that would alert anyone to who his real father was. And when the truth was on everyone's lips, Joseph wanted to continue living a normal life. He studied at a school in Brentwood and graduated in Business Administration from Pepperdine University, a very emotional moment, as father and son shared a photo on Instagram the day he received his degree. The proud dad wrote: "Congratulations Joseph!" Four years of hard work studying business at Pepperdine and today is your big day! You have earned all the celebration and I am very proud of you. I love you!"