Josh Duhamel Says He Would Live in Minnesota Cabin 'All Year Round' If He Could: 'It's a Special Place'
Josh Duhamel Says He Would Live in Minnesota Cabin 'All Year Round' If He Could: 'It's a Special Place'
Colson ThayerWed, March 25, 2026 at 9:43 PM UTC
0
Josh Duhamel on ExtraTVCredit: ExtraTV/YouTube -
Josh Duhamel says he would live in Minnesota "all year round" if he could
The actor, 53, opened up about his life with wife Audra Mari and his two sons out in the rural Midwest during a conversation with Extra TV
“They’re just exploring. They’re swimming. They’re jet skiing. They’re skiing. It’s a pretty special place,” Duhamel says of his sons while living in Minnesota
Josh Duhamel is a Minnesota boy at heart.
During a conversation with Extra TV, published on Friday, March 20, the Preschool actor, 53, chatted with host Derek Hough about his excitement to become a girl dad with wife Audra Mari.
“I don’t know what to make of it,” the father of two boys says. “I’m just— I cannot wait to meet her.”
The Dancing with the Stars judge then asked about Duhamel’s “off-the-grid” lifestyle he shares with Mari, 32, and his two sons Axl, 12, and Shepherd, 2, in the rural Midwest.
“We live in North Dakota, but our cabin is just across the border in Minnesota,” he says. “So we spend a lot of time there.”
While the Safe Haven star’s family does spend time in Hollywood while the actor works, he says they spend a “majority of our time” in the land of 10,000 lakes.
“It’s very cold this time of year, so it’s not ideal, but I truly could live out there all year round if it weren’t for work,” Duhamel reveals. He says the kids get a “taste” of Los Angeles, but back at home, they get to enjoy the woods.
Josh Duhamel sits in front of logs outside.Credit: Josh Duhamel/Instagram
“They’re just exploring. They’re swimming. They’re jet skiing. They’re skiing. It’s a pretty special place,” he says. This isn’t the first time the Shotgun Wedding actor has opened up about his love for Minnesota. In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE back in August, Duhamel revealed he felt a “calling” to return to his roots.
Advertisement
“I make movies and TV shows, and I love it, I truly do love it, but I had this calling to go and really do things with my hands again — to fix things, make things and just do the basic things that we take for granted,” he explained.
Josh Duhamel, wife Audra Mari, and sons Shepherd and AxlCredit: Josh Duhamel/Instagram
"I'm really more of a guy who wants to stay true to my roots, get back to the basics, hone whatever basic skills I need in this world of massive technology, to do the basic things to provide for my family," added the star. "That's really what it's about for me."
The actor bought an empty half-parcel of land in rural North Dakota more than a decade ago. Over time, he slowly built a rustic cabin there himself, which he refers to as his “doomsday cabin.”
"We're deep in the woods out there, so it is fun. There are bald eagles everywhere, there are otters swimming with their little babies all over the place," he explains of the exciting aspects.
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
But, there are some not-as-fun parts of living in the deep wilderness.
"We are constantly fighting the mice from getting into the cabins. That's a constant man versus nature struggle we deal with," Duhamel said with a laugh.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
