Josh Duhamel is one of many celebrities happy to be away from Hollywood life, something that he thinks affected his marriage to Fergie.
In a new interview on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger,” Duhamel said he never really felt at ease in the world of fame.
“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,” Duhamel said. “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.”
Josh Duhamel said during an interview on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger” that Hollywood can “suck the soul out of you if you’re not careful.” (Valery Hache / AFP via Getty Images / File)
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Duhamel and Fergie were married from 2009 to 2019 and share one son together, Axl.
Reflecting on their marriage, the 50-year-old told Bensinger that he doesn’t have any regrets or negativity toward Fergie but realized they weren’t compatible in how they handled the spotlight.
“We had a great time, but I think we kind of just outgrew each other and had very different interests,” he said. “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.”
He added, “I’m very lucky that she’s a kind human, I really am.”
Duhamel said he and Fergie “outgrew each other” but are committed to co-parenting their son, Axl. (Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Tom Ford / File)
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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,” Duhamel said.
“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,” he added.
The “Shotgun Wedding” star recalled stressful holidays with divorced parents and wanted to avoid the same stress for Axl.
Duhamel and Fergie are shown with son Axl in 2016. Duhamel said he and Fergie want to “create a easy place for him” as co-parents. (Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images for Pandora Media Inc. / File)
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“I didn’t want to do all that. I think we both wanted the same thing, and that is to create a easy place for him that isn’t awkward or uncomfortable or pressure-filled,” he said.
Duhamel has since moved to North Dakota and recently married former Miss World America Audra Mari. The couple is expecting their first child together.
“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,” Duhamel said of his decision to leave Los Angeles.
He continued, “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’s been moments where I could have gone off the grid for sure.”
Duhamel married Audra Mari in 2022 and the couple recently announced they are expecting their first child together. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images / File)
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“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.”
