Josh Duhamel’s 10-year-old son Axl is preparing to welcome a new sibling — and he even has a name picked out.
While appearing on Live With Kelly and Mark on Wednesday, September 13, Duhamel, 50, noted that he and wife Audra Mari, who tied the knot in September 2022, have a baby name picked out but he “can’t tell” what it is. However, he did reveal what Axl wants to call the new addition to the family.
“He likes Gary. He wants to name the baby Gary,” the actor said. While cohost Kelly Ripa chimed in to say she finds the name “cute,” Duhamel shut down his son’s suggestion. “I think if we have a dog, we’ll name it Gary,” he joked.
Duhamel shares Axl with ex-wife Fergie. The former couple, who wed in 2009, announced their separation in 2017 and finalized their divorce two years later. Duhamel and Fergie, 48, have maintained an amicable coparenting relationship since their split.
During a 2018 interview with E! News, Duhamel described the Black Eyed Peas alum as a “great mom” and said coparenting was “going really well” for the pair. “All we want is the best for our son, so it’s a bit of a juggling act but we’re both grown-ups who can handle a lot,” he continued. “And he’s happy. That’s the main thing.”
Fergie showed her support for Duhamel and Mari, 29, when they announced their pregnancy news via Instagram on Monday, September 11.
“I am truly happy for you guys. Axl can’t wait to be a big brother,” she commented on the post.
Duhamel echoed Fergie’s sentiments on Live With Kelly and Mark on Wednesday, noting that his son is “very excited” about the news. “I don’t think he quite understands that it’s actually real,” he said. “He will once he sees this little thing in front of him. I think I’m probably the same.”
The Thing About Pam actor added that he thinks welcoming a little sibling will “be good for” Axl “because he’s been an only child up to this point.”
Duhamel continued: “Now he’s going to have some responsibility. He’s excited. He’s going to be a great older brother, too. He’s a really sweet-natured kid who loves babies, so I think this is kind of perfect.”
In addition to singing his son’s praises, Duhamel has been vocal about what he loves about Mari. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight in February 2022, he said that knew “pretty early on” in the duo’s relationship that the model was The One.
“She’s an awesome girl, [and] she’s perfect for me,” he gushed at the time. “We’re both from North Dakota and I think there’s a commonality that we have. She’s great.”
That September, Mari exclusively told Us Weekly how she and Duhamel’s relationship changed after they exchanged vows earlier that month.
“Everyone told me that after you get married you feel different,” she said. “To be honest, I never really believed them and I thought it would feel the same way it’s felt being with Joshua for the last three years. But it’s much different! I feel secure.”
