Arnold Schwarzenegger sent shockwaves through
the entertainment industry when news broke
that he'd fathered a love child with his family's
housekeeper.
The scandal destroyed his marriage and tarnished
his political career.
Let's find out what that child, Joseph Baena,
is doing today.
In 2015, TMZ reported that Joseph Baena had
graduated from Frontier High School in Bakersfield,
California.
The commencement ceremony included a bit of
drama, depending on how much you like to read
into online gossip.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had reportedly skipped
his son's big day to spend time with his daughter
Katherine in Santa Monica.
However, Joseph's mother Mildred was reportedly
there to support her son and pose for pictures
with him.
Baena went on to enroll at Pepperdine University
in Malibu, California, where he majored in
business and business management.
Although Schwarzenegger wasn't there for his
son's high school graduation, he was a huge
source of support at his college send-off
in April 2019.
He captioned a shot of the two of them on
Instagram,
"Congratulations Joseph!
Four years of hard work studying business
at Pepperdine and today is your big day!
You have earned all of the celebration and
I'm so proud of you.
I love you!"
Despite the awkward way in which the world
found out about his identity, Joseph Baena
has been working steadily with his father
to develop a strong and lasting bond.
Schwarzenegger confirmed as much in an interview
with Howard Stern in 2015, in which he revealed,
"He's terrific and he totally understands
the situation.
So, it all has worked out…It's a very tough
situation for him.
It's a very tough situation for my kids, very
tough situation for my family.
It was tough for everybody.
But it has happened and now we have to figure
it out, right?"
In October 2016, Baena traveled to Munich,
Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest and his 19th
birthday with his dad.
The happy travels were shared on Schwarzenegger's
Instagram, along with the caption,
"Happy birthday, Joseph.
Great student, great athlete.
I'm proud of you and I love you!"
Considering that his father got his start
as a world-famous bodybuilder, it was perhaps
inevitable that Joseph Baena would also spend
plenty of time in the gym.
Nevertheless, it's still remarkable to see
just how ripped he's already become.
In January 2019, he set the internet on fire
when he mimicked one of his father's most
famous bodybuilding poses and posted the rippling
results on Instagram.
Speaking of Joseph's dad, he's very confident
about his son's ability to rise to the top,
which he spoke about in an interview with
Extra's Mario Lopez.
"He's very serious about it, and I'm very
happy about it, because as I said to him,
I said, 'It's important to take care of your
body, train hard, if you're passionate about
that.
But also study hard.'"
Like father, like son?
In September 2016, Baena starred in a video
directed by his friend Ben Hess that recreated
the famous "Bad to the Bone" scene from Terminator
2, which, of course, his father starred in
25 years prior.
While Baena looked like a natural in front
of the camera, he initially played it coy
about whether he'll actually try to make the
leap to big Hollywood movies.
When TMZ asked him about that possibility
in June 2017, he replied with a simple, "We'll
see."
But his tune changed in November 2019, when
he gave a very revealing interview with TooFab,
He noted that he was possibly planning on
applying to grad schools for an MBA, but then
he also admitted:
"Acting is a huge goal of mine, bodybuilding
is a huge goal of mine, and real estate is
also a big goal of mine."
So let's not rule out a career in movies just
yet for this son of a Hollywood legend!
Not only is Joseph Baena killing it as a college
graduate, he's also apparently doing well
in the love department.
He's been spotted dating Nicky Dodaj, a financial
planning intern
who attended Pepperdine the same time as him.
Dodaj graduated from the school with a degree
in Business Administration and Management,
and it looks like she's in the process of
pursuing her MBA.
Although the two appear relatively private
about their romance, Dodaj did post a heartfelt
note on Instagram in honor of Baena's 22nd
birthday in October 2019, along with the caption,
"Happy birthday to my person !!!!! From group
partners in a business project to now !!! I
love you & can’t wait to celebrate with
you."
As for Baena, he shared a beautiful shot of
the pair at a charity event in November 2019.
It looks like these two might just be built
to last.
Sibling relationships can be complicated,
particularly when family betrayal is involved.
Someone who's surely well-versed in this area
is Joseph Baena, who is supposedly not close
with his dad's four other children, especially
Katherine Schwarzenegger.
A source who knows her said to Page Six in
June 2019,
"Why should she have a relationship with this
kid?
Joseph is the product of an affair that Arnold
kept hidden for years!
This was a deeply damaging and shameful situation
that destroyed her family.
I can't say I blame her for not wanting to
embrace this living ­reminder of that."
It's also worth noting that Katherine failed
to mention Joseph in a post celebrating National
Siblings Day earlier that year.
But it seems like Baena is trying to forge
a relationship with his half-siblings.
When Katherine tied the knot with actor Chris
Pratt, for instance, he left a message of
congratulations on her Instagram.
Baena reportedly wasn't invited to the nuptials,
though, with an insider explaining to Page
Six,
"Even if he had been invited, he would say
he wouldn't have wanted to go to the wedding
as he would be a distraction.
It would have definitely taken away the shine
from Katherine's big day.
It would have really been the only story of
the day."
It's possible Joseph Baena and his half-siblings
will grow close one day, but it's of course
ultimately their decision in the end.
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