‘Dancing With the Stars’ Adds Action Icon’s Son to Season 31

Dancing With the Stars will premiere on Sept. 19 on Disney+ and the lineup of celebrities competing in the inaugural Disney+ season is beginning to fill out. Earlier in the week, we learned that Charli D’Amelio and her mother, Heidi, will be competing against each other this season. Now we know another famous child that looks to make their parent proud on the show.

According to Deadline, Joseph Baena is joining the reality competition and has been spotted attending rehearsals ahead of the live premiere. Baena is the 24-year-old son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, former California governor and a legendary action star.

Baena was born in 1997, the result of his mother having an affair with Schwarzenegger while serving as housekeeper to the Terminator actor and his wife, Maria Shriver. Baena and Schwarzenegger didn’t find out about their connection until 2011, with the resemblance between the pair apparent immediately. It helps that Baena is also a bodybuilder like Schwarzenegger and has gotten help from his father in the gym.

That said, there is no word on if Arnold can cut a rug on the dance floor. If he has awkward feet, Baena may have a step up on his father on this topic. Still, both have a solid relationship these days, which Baena expanded on with Men’s Health earlier in 2022.

“My dad is old-school; he doesn’t believe in handouts. He believes hard work pays off, and so do I,” Baena tells the outlet. “I love the word honor, and I’m very prideful in the sense that if I use my dad’s contacts or ask him for favors, I wonder what honor is that gonna bring me?”

Apart from this, the father and son are close. Both share an interest in health and fitness, but they have recently shown to have each other’s support in the more tense moments of life. Schwarzenegger recently found himself as part of Baena’s $1 million lawsuit stemming from a car crash.

Despite their close relationship, Baena doesn’t want to use his father’s last name. “When I go to auditions, they don’t know who I am, because we don’t have the same last name,” Baena tells Men’s Health, noting that when he does land a role, he knows it isn’t due to the name. “I know it’s all me.” Will he add a mirror ball to his list of accomplishments?