Ransom Canyon star Josh Duhamel, 52, addresses 21-year age gap with wife
Josh Duhamel is explaining how he ended up married to a woman 21 years his junior.
While appearing on Amanda Hirsch's Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast recently, the 52-year-old actor — who was previously married to Fergie — said he initially hesitated to get romantically involved with his wife Audra Mari, 31.
'It was truly platonic for years,' the father-of-two said, sharing that he thought 'I'm not even going to go there' when he first met the former pageant queen.
The two bonded over both being from North Dakota and he eventually invited her to a barbecue, 'still thinking it was totally platonic, just as a friend from NoDak.'
'There aren't many people from there,' he noted about their home state connection.
Duhamel told Hirsch they started dating when he realized 'she's more mature than I am.'
Now the two lovebirds are parents to 16-month-old son Shepherd.
Josh also shares 11-year-old son Axl with 50-year-old pop star Fergie, to whom he was married from 2009 until their separation in 2017. The music artist filed for divorce in May 2019, two years after their separation was announced. The divorce was finalized on November 22, 2019.
When he and new wife Audra announced that they were expecting their first child back in September 2023, the Black Eyed Peas singer was quick to show support.
Commenting on Audra's Instagram post at the time, she wrote, 'I am truly happy for you guys. Axl can't wait to be a big brother.'
Duhamel and Mari tied the knot in September 2022 in Fargo, North Dakota.
They had gotten engaged months earlier in January, with the actor sharing the news on social media.
'It's on!! She found a message in a bottle that washed ashore and said YES!! @audramari,' he wrote at the time.
Inside the bottle was a handwritten letter that read: 'Audra Diane Mari Will You Marry Me?'
They were first seen together in October 2019 when they were spotted kissing in Toronto.
Josh opened up in an In Depth With Graham Bensinger interview in October 2023 and explained why things didn't work out with his ex-wife Fergie.
He said he and the singer simply grew apart: 'I think we kind of outgrew each other and had very different interests.'
The actor added in the sit-down conversation, 'I made peace with that part of my life. She and I have a great relationship, both raising that boy together. There wasn't anything wrong with [the marriage]. We had a great time.'
The Shotgun Wedding star detailed further: 'The older I got, the more I wanted to come out [to North Dakota]. This is not for her. But I've got no hard feelings…I'm very lucky that she's a kind human. I really am.'
Bringing up his wife, he said, 'That's why Audra's so great for me. We're both hardcore North Dakotans…We both love lake life. We both love family. We both love kids.'
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