Jeff Lewis thinks he could’ve prevented Josh Duhamel and Fergie’s split.
“I think this marriage could last if you listen to us,” Lewis, 53, told Duhamel, 51, of his union with wife Audra Mari during an episode of his Amazon Freevee show, Hollywood Houselift, that aired earlier this month. “We could’ve saved the first one.”
Duhamel laughed and replied, “But you know what? Here we are. Live and learn!”
The actor was previously married to Fergie, 48, from 2009 to 2019. The exes, who share 10-year-old son Axl, announced their split in 2017 and finalized their divorce two years later.
During an October In Depth With Graham Bensinger interview, Duhamel said the fame that came with being part of a high-profile couple was “a lot” for him to handle.
“I don’t think I ever really got comfortable with all of it,” he admitted. “I just missed the simplicity of who I really am, you know? … I’m just not a guy who is comfortable going to red carpets. Doing all the Hollywood stuff.”
Duhamel added that he and the former Black Eyed Peas singer didn’t agree on where to put down roots. He had a desire to return to his home state of North Dakota whereas Fergie is from Southern California.
“I made peace with that part of my life. She and I have a great relationship,” Duhamel said of his ex-wife. “I’ve got no hard feelings for it. I truly don’t. I’m very lucky that she’s a kind human.”
After his split from Fergie, Duhamel moved on with Mari, 29, whom he wed in 2022. The twosome revealed in September that they are expecting their first baby together.
During Duhamel’s appearance on Hollywood Houselift, Lewis couldn’t resist poking fun at the age gap between Duhamel and Mari.
“Where is she today?” Lewis inquired about Mari.
“She’s finishing school,” Duhamel replied, prompting Lewis to shoot back, “High school?”
After Duhamel explained that Mari is getting her business degree, Lewis quickly countered, “Is she in a sorority?”
Mari and Duhamel proved they’re in on the joke by dressing up as Anna Nicole Smith and J. Howard Marshall for Halloween in 2022. (Smith married Marshall in 1994, when she was 26 and he was 89.)
“What age difference? Ladies and gentlemen Anna Nicole Smith & J. Howard Marshall ♥️,” Mari captioned an Instagram video of the pair in their costumes.
Duhamel further acknowledged that he’s not as spry as his wife during an October 2022 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
“The next morning, after the wedding, [I] couldn’t get out of bed again,” he said while discussing the back injury he suffered on his and Mari’s wedding day due to wild party bus dancing.
Recalling Mari’s thoughts that morning, Duhamel said: “‘Oh, my God. Everything is fine here. This is, like, the first day of my marriage, and I’m wheeling my husband around in a wheelchair.'”
Duhamel had a good sense of humor about the vulnerable moment. “I’m already way older than she is. It wasn’t a great start, but I was like, ‘Babe, for better or worse,’” he said.
