A Look At Fergie And Josh Duhamel's Co-Parenting Dynamic

Despite getting divorced in 2019, Josh Duhamel and Fergie have remained committed to raising their 10-year-old son, Axl, together. In an interview with Fatherly, Duhamel shared that from the moment that they separated, Fergie insisted that they remain civil for the sake of their son. As Fergie succinctly told People in 2017, "Axl comes first." So while celebrity divorces may be known for how complicated they can be, Duhamel said (via Today) that he and Fergie agree on a few key things that make co-parenting easy. "We want him to be a good, kind, compassionate, hard-working, thoughtful young man and we both have that common goal with him. And she's easy to get along with. It's as simple as that."

Still, Fergie was a little protective of who Axl got to meet. Duhamel told Fatherly, "She was very adamant about not letting him meet people I was dating until we'd been dating for six months or something ... I dated a couple of girls, and he never got to meet them. Which I'm glad." But Axl eventually met a new woman in his father's life when Duhamel met and married 29-year-old model Audra Mari in 2022 and announced that Axl would soon have a new sibling. In true, perfect co-parent fashion, Fergie reacted with nothing but support when the pregnancy was announced on Instagram, commenting, "I am truly happy for you guys. Axl can't wait to be a big brother."

Much of Josh Duhamel and Fergie's open-armed co-parenting dynamic can be attributed to the fact that both of their parents were divorced. In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Duhamel spoke further about how both him and Fergie being children of divorce helped align their co-parenting goals. "We both had parents who got divorced who didn't get along so great and didn't want to do the same thing to our kid. [We] had to be a positive example for Axl," he explained. "We just both wanted the same thing — and that is to create an easy place for him that isn't awkward or uncomfortable or pressure-filled." 

To further add to the co-parenting bliss, the two have apparently put their money where their mouth is, as court documents revealed that not only do they share 50-50 custody of Axl, but they have agreed not to make any child support payments to one another (via Blast).