Josh Duhamel is one of the many celebs happy to be away from Hollywood life, which he believes affected his marriage to Fergie. In a recent interview on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger,” Duhamel said he never really felt at ease in the world of fame.
He said, “I don’t think I ever really got comfortable with all of it. It was just a lot. I missed the simplicity of who I really am. I’m just not a guy who is comfortable doing red carpets, doing all the Hollywood stuff. I don’t hate it, I’m better at it now than I was, but it just took me a long time to really feel like I belong, like I fit in.” He added, “You know Hollywood and L.A., that whole lifestyle can suck the soul out of you if you’re not careful.”
Fergie and Duhamel were married from 2009 to 2019 and share one son, Axl. Reflecting on their marriage, the 50-year-old actor told Bensinger that he has no regrets or negativity toward Fergie but realized they weren’t compatible with how they handled the spotlight. He said, “We had a great time, but I think we kind of just outgrew each other and had very different interests. The older I got, the more I wanted to come back here, but this is not for her. But I’ve got no hard feelings for it. I truly don’t.”
Duhamel added, “I’m very lucky that she’s a kind human, I really am.” Though they split, the “Las Vegas” star said he and the “Glamorous” singer are in a good place, focusing on co-parenting their 10-year-old. “I made peace with that part of my life. She and I have a great relationship; we’re both raising that boy together.”
He added, “We both had parents who got divorced who didn’t get along so great, and [we] didn’t want to do the same thing to our kid.” The actor recalled stressful holidays with divorced parents and wanted to avoid the same stress for Axl. He said, “I didn’t want to do all that. I think we both wanted the same thing, and that is to create an easy place for him that isn’t awkward or uncomfortable or pressure-filled.”
Duhamel has since moved to North Dakota and recently married former Miss World America Audra Mari. The couple is expecting their first child together. Duhamel said of his move from Los Angeles, “Now, I’ve had a lot of success there; it’s afforded me a lot of things, very grateful for that, but it doesn’t mean I have to live that lifestyle. Having this place out here almost helps my career because I can get back to being who I really am. If I’m there and I get caught up in that world, you start to lose track of who you are. And I don’t think I’ve ever done that, thankfully, but there have been moments where I could have gone off the grid for sure.”
Duhamel concluded, “And that’s why Audra’s so great for me. We’re both hard-core North Dakotans who love it here, who love the people here, who have family here. We both love lake life, we both love family, we both love kids.”