JOSIE Canseco is a Victoria’s Secret model, a reality TV star, the daughter of a baseball legend – and a self-made woman.
The 26-year-old hit the headlines early this year when she fired back at trolls who accused her of being a nepo baby.
Her dad, controversial MLB icon Jose Canseco, earned over $40 million in his 17-year playing career, in which he won two World Series and was a six-time All-Star.
But the steroid-stained slugger blew all his earnings and filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
“Everyone claiming I came from all this rich money because I’m a ‘Canseco’ do ur research,” the 5-foot-9 model posted on social media.
“My ‘family money’ was blown by the time I was 6/7 w bankruptcy n I had to work my a** off to not only sustain my ‘family name’ but also pay my bills cause no one paid that s**t except me.”
Josie went on to add that while she has “been graced with a privilege of being born within a family that earned what they earned,” she “really went through that s**t n busted my a** the traditional way.”
Jose, who starred for the Oakland A’s and New York Yankees, was also arrested for a domestic battery charge against Josie’s mother, Jessica, in 1998.
He pleaded no contest to the charge and was given a one-year probation as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Jose and Jessica, a cosmetic tattoo artist, were married for just three years before accusations of infidelity and battery resulted in a divorce in 1999.
Josie says she was forced to pretend to be rich growing up to keep up the so-called façade.
“I love my dad and I am proud of where I come from,” Josie told the New York Post.
“Growing up, there was a lot of pressure to live up to certain expectations and money as if I was rich and stuff. It was a bit of a façade.
“I didn’t want people to know the struggle because it was out of my power – for example, the bankruptcy or [times] he was arrested.”
Josie was raised in Los Angeles and attended a performing-arts school.
She took up modeling as a young teen, signing with Next Models New York City when she was 17.
Initially, she lived in small New York apartments cramped with fellow models, sometimes earning just $100 a week.
“A lot of models say you aren’t a real model unless you’ve lived in a model apartment with six or seven girls,” Josie said.
“[Inevitably,] there are some girls doing drugs, some are cooking fish at 7 a.m., stinking up the whole place, and there are cigarettes.
“You have no privacy, which is tough. But it’s how I had to start.”
Josie’s modelling career quickly took off as she worked with brands such as Sherri Hill, Frankies Bikinis, Nike, Juicy Couture and Alo Yoga.
She auditioned for the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, became Playboy’s June 2016 Playmate of the Month and walked in the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
Josie also became a reality TV star, starring with her mom on Hollywood Exes and The Mother/Daughter Experiment: Celebrity Edition.
She recently signed up for MTV’s The Surreal Life!
Since stepping into the spotlight, Josie has been linked to several high-profile guys.
Her first public relationship was with hip-hop artist Mike Stud, which lasted from 2015 to 2019.
She then dated Brody Jenner in 2019 and Logan Paul in 2020.
Josie has also become a successful social media influencer with 1.1 million followers on Instagram.
She told Maxim: “I’m grateful for my family in every way but it’s just not all what it may seem.”
