COUPLESWho Is Josh Duhamel’s Wife? Meet Former Beauty Queen Audra Mari
Get to know Audra Mari — the former beauty queen, model and proud wife of Josh Duhamel.
May 10 2025, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Josh Duhamel stole hearts not just on Netflix with his hit series Ransom Canyon, but in his real life, too! Fans are buzzing about his whirlwind romance with glamazon Audra Mari.
OK! takes a deep dive into the life and career of Duhamel's second wife.
Audra Mari made her mark as a top finalist at Miss USA 2014 and Miss World 2016.
Mari is a former beauty queen hailing from Fargo, N.D. She strutted her stuff as the first runner-up in Miss USA 2014 and had fans cheering when she made the top six at the Miss World pageant in 2016. In her prime, Mari focused on modeling, gracing the pages of the Ocean Drive swimsuit issue.
"I'm not perfect and I never will be," she shared candidly with CBS News in June 2015. "Everybody has insecurities. Modeling is great because it brings out the positive things about yourself. So no, you don't need to be perfect, and then it's important to know they do have Photoshop!"
How They Met
Four years later, in March 2019, Mari and Duhamel would first cross paths thanks to a mutual friend.
"We were introduced by a mutual friend while living in Los Angeles, who knew that we were both from North Dakota," she revealed to Vogue Australia in September 2022.
"We began communicating back and forth while Josh was working with [the African Community and Conservation Foundation]. When he returned to Los Angeles, he invited me over for a barbecue at his house, and the second I walked in, he offered me a Coors Light. The rest is history, really," she added.
Audra Mari found lasting love with Josh Duhamel.
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Duhamel was previously married to pop princess Fergie from 2009 to 2019, and they share a little miracle — their son Axl Duhamel, who was born in 2013. After their divorce, both of them committed to co-parent their son.
Fast forward to October 2019, eagle-eyed onlookers spotted Josh and Audra packing on the PDA at the Toronto airport.
In January 2022, Josh dropped the big news that he popped the question! "It's on!! She found a message in a bottle that washed ashore and said YES!! @audramari," he gushed, posting a couple's beach pic on Instagram.
In a revealing January 2022 chat with Access, Josh described a proposal like something out of a rom-com. "I didn't really know how I was gonna do it until I got there," he said. "Then that morning, it kinda hit me — I was like, 'You know what? You guys have any empty bottles around here?' And I went and talked to the concierge. So we planned it all out."
Josh Duhamel and Audra Mari tied the knot in 2022 and welcomed their son, Shepherd, in 2024.
When they reached the proposal spot, "the bottle wasn't there." He quickly pivoted to distract her with cornhole before the bottle miraculously appeared.
Duhamel emphasized their undeniable chemistry, saying, "She's a very sweet girl. Very similar interests — we're from North Dakota; we love lake life. She's got a cabin not far from mine. We just match. She's an amazing person."
The pair wed in 2022.
Two lovebirds confirmed they officially wed in North Dakota on September 2022.
Josh and Audra share son Shepherd, who was born in January 2024.
