Hollywood actor becomes ‘doomsday prepper’ after moving to woods (2025)

A famous Hollywood actor has moved his entire family into a deep wood, almost 40 miles from civilisation, after becoming a ‘doomsday prepper’.

Josh Duhamel, 52, is most famous for starring as Leo Du Pres in the long-running American soap opera All My Children between 1999 and 2002.

Duhamel then pivoted towards the film industry in the early 2000s, eventually starring in the Transformers franchise and teen romcom Love Simon.

From 2009 to 2019, he was married to Stacy Ferguson – better known as Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie – with the pair confirming their divorce after two years of separation.

And it appears he’s now about turn his back on Tinsel Town, with a new home in Minnesota ready to house him, his wife 31-year-old wife Audra Mari, and their one-year-old son.

A North Dakota native, Duhamel has never been too far away spiritually, and now he’s preparing to rock up in neighouring state Minnesota to protect his family.

He explained why he spent 15 years building his new digs: ‘Part of the reason I built my place out in Minnesota, deep in the woods, is it’s removed from everything.’

Speaking to Parade, he continued: ‘It really got me back in touch. There’s something about it that fulfils the soul in a lot of ways. 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.’

He then said that moving to Minnesota’s remote areas gives him a chance to ‘get back to the basics,’ adding that he’s ‘not consumed by all these other distractions’.

Duhamel’s 11-year-old son Axl – whom he shares with his ex-wife Fergie – is apparently benefiting from the move too, with nature proving to be the perfect playground.

‘My son is going to have memories of this place forever. He’s not on his iPad when he’s out there. 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.’

As well as growing closer to his parents, Duhamel has said that his home, close to the Canada border and the Great Lakes, might well come in handy if society shows any signs of collapse.

In 2024, he explained to Inverse that he was building the lakeside cabin ‘in case things go south’ in Los Angeles: ‘I have this crazy fixation – what if I have to take my family out [of LA] and live off the land.

Calling himself a ‘doomsday prepper,’ he admitted to Graham Bensinger in 2023 that water would become ‘something we’re in desperate need of at some point’ while showing off wells and water system he’d built himself.

The state of Minnesota is famous in America for its numerous lakes and remote spots, being nicknamed The Land of 10,000 Lakes over the years.

Right now, an action film called Off the Grid, starring Duhamel, is in post-production – the film follows the story of a man who goes on the run after stealing a scientific invention.

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