Josh Duhamel spends most of his free time off-the-grid in rural Minnesota.
“Part of the reason I built my place out in Minnesota, deep in the woods, is it’s removed from everything,” Duhamel, 52, told Parade in an interview published on Thursday, April 10. “The closest store is 40 miles away. Once we get there, it’s really about everybody taking care of each other — making memories, spending time with family and friends. You really get a chance to get back to the basics.”
He added, “You’re not consumed by all these other distractions. When you’re out there, it’s really about having fun, making sure everybody’s warm, everybody’s got food and water.”
The Ransom Canyon star shares son Axl, 11, with ex-wife Fergie and son Shepherd, 15 months, with wife Audra Mari. The family often heads up to the cabin, which Duhamel says “fulfills [his] soul,” together.
After a high-profile marriage and subsequent divorce from Fergie, Josh Duhamel sparked a low-key romance with now-wife Audra Mari. “Everyone told me that after you get married you feel different,” Mari exclusively gushed to Us Weekly in September 2022, shortly after exchanging vows with the Safe Haven star. “To be honest, I never really believed them and I thought it would […]
“I’ve become a lot closer to my own parents because of this place, which has been interesting. My dad absolutely loves coming out there to hang out,” he explained, noting his father was the one to first pick out the land. “We’ve spent more time together in these last five, 10 years than we ever did growing up. I’m much closer to my dad. My mom now loves coming out there. It’s become a real, central hub for all of us.”
Duhamel also has high hopes that his two sons will inherit the property when they grow up.
“My son is going to have memories of this place forever. He’s not on his iPad when he’s out there,” Duhamel added of Axl. “He’s out there in the boat with me or he’s playing soccer on the beach or he’s out there in the woods doing whatever I’m doing. And then I have a little baby, who’s going to experience the same thing. Someday, I hope to pass this on to them [so] they’re able to share it with their kids.”
Josh Duhamel and Fergie called it quits in 2017 and have been amicably raising their son, Axl, ever since. Duhamel and Fergie welcomed their son in August 2013, six months after announcing their pregnancy. “Josh & Me & BABY makes three!” the singer tweeted in February 2013. Four years later, the duo announced their separation […]
He continued, “It’s really important to me that they have this. It’s not just about having all the amenities and all the luxuries that we become so used to. It’s really about family. It’s about legacy.”
Now that Duhamel has settled up north, he is able to personally connect to his Ransom Canyon character on the upcoming Netflix western drama.
“I relate to the guy a lot,” he told Parade. “It’s about keeping this land that they’ve been nurturing for years in the family and not selling it off to whoever for whatever’s [buried] underneath it.”
