Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Stopped Financially Supporting His Son After Graduating

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a man of many talents. He is a successful actor, producer, author, activist, philanthropist, and retired professional bodybuilder. And even though Arnold is wealthy — his net worth is estimated to be $450 million to be precise — he still doesn’t want to spoil his kids and aims to give them a chance to learn how it is to earn their own money.

Arnold’s son, Joseph Baena, is now 25 years old and recently graduated from college.

Joseph studied business at Pepperdine University, and after 4 years of working hard on his studies, he proudly wore his cap and gown on his graduation day. The young man revealed that during this time, his father helped him financially to get through college, and he is very grateful for that.

But, right after he finished college, Arnold stopped financially supporting his son and said to him, “You’re on your own.”

This came as a surprise to Joseph, and he had to find a way to start earning money.

At the time, Joseph had auditioned for a few acting roles he thought he was going to get, but that didn’t pan out. He needed a job that would make him some kind of income, so he started interning at a real estate company.

While he started interning only with one motive — to make money while trying to pursue a movie career — Joseph enjoyed it and realized that he could do the job pretty well, so he got his license. Earlier this year, he sold his first property and celebrated the milestone by sharing a post on Instagram, thanking his clients for putting their trust in him.

Although he found satisfaction in working as a realtor, Joseph still dreams of following in his father’s footsteps.

Joseph and Arnold don’t only share DNA, but many interests as well. Joseph is also a bodybuilder, just like his father, and he strives to, one day, become a well-known actor.

Even though Joseph has “an inside man” in the industry that could give him an easy start, he believes hard work always pays off and decided to take that path. “My dad is old school, he doesn’t believe in handouts. He believes hard work pays off, and so do I,” revealed Joseph. “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?”

Joseph doesn’t plan to stop chasing his dreams.

Even though he finds it hard to always get compared to his dad, he knows that he only has to live up to his own expectations. He acknowledged that it’s crucial for him to follow his own path.

“I don’t have to do what my dad did. I don’t have to get into acting or bodybuilding,” he revealed. “I want to move forward and keep growing myself, keep going for my dreams, passions, and that’s what I’m going to keep doing.”

At what age did your parents stop financially supporting you?