Josh Duhamel Talks TikTok’s New Favorite Steamy Cowboy Show, ‘Ransom Canyon’

What kept Ransom Canyon star Josh Duhamel, 52, and his now-wife, Audra Mari, 31, in the friend zone for years? Their 21-year age gap—which eventually became irrelevant. Of course, we wanna know more about that.

On Not Skinny But Not Fat, Duhamel opened up to Amanda Hirsch about his now-celebrated relationship, along with his imposter syndrome (even at his level of stardom), the “most douche-y” Hollywood thing he’s ever done, and his resume of Blockbuster rom-coms, including his latest project: Netflix’s steamy cowboy drama Ransom Canyon, co-starring Minka Kelly. 

Hirsch admits her fangirl status immediately—and honestly, so do we. Josh Duhamel remembering when he first met Amanda on the red carpet for Shotgun Wedding on Hollywood Boulevard in 2021? We’re kicking our feet and blushing too. 

‘Ransom Canyon’: Josh Duhamel returns to the small screen 

Thanks to Ransom Canyon, Duhamel is back on the small screen. The show is all cowboy vibes, and the girlies on Tiktok are loving it. The Netflix show is about three rivaling ranching families fighting for their land in a small Texas town. Rumor has it there’s a steamy sex scene with Duhamel during a tornado. “I’ve never been in that situation. When I read it, I was like, ‘Really? We are going to be doing it while the house is being torn up? This doesn’t feel like the best life decision,’” Duhamel says.

Although Duhamel has not added the cowboy hat and boots to his daily attire, he describes himself as “cowboy adjacent.” About embracing the aesthetic, Duhamel says, “I’m from North Dakota, and I’ve got a place out in the woods in Minnesota. I’m often in ‘ranchy type’ stuff just because I’m out there f****ing around with my tractor. But I’m not a full cowboy—not yet. If we get picked up for another season, who knows?”

Josh Duhamel’s Ransom Canyon-esque off-grid sanctuary

Duhamel has an off-the-grid lakehouse in Minnesota, which he says is full-on “lake vibes.” Why Minnesota, you ask? Great question. Duhamel, a North Dakota native and now resident of the Peace Garden State, chose Minnesota because it’s an hour across the border from his home state. He also has a condo in North Dakota, and he and his family go back-in-forth to the lakehouse. How did he find the lakehouse? The short version is he bought 12 acres (half a parcel) 16 or 17 years ago, and then, the other half went up for sale. 

“It was a sh*tty, old hunting shack with no electricity or water. Then, I had 24 acres. And then, the one next to that one went up for sale. Then, I had these two cabins. Only one of them had electricity. Neither had water. That was my project, fixing them up for years,” Duhamel says. 

To date, Duhamel has property in North Dakota, Minnesota, and California. Although he loves the Midwest, he doesn’t plan to leave Los Angeles anytime soon: “I don’t think I’ll ever leave L.A. totally. But North Dakota is one of the greatest states in the country, and nobody knows about it.” 

Full of dirt roads, farms, small communities, and roadside saloons, Duhamel loves his home state. He’s even done tourism commercials and events for the state. “It’s a vibe,” says Duhamel, “but it’s not like New York City with Time Square and all the shows. North Dakota is a throwback to when life was not as complicated or as fast paced.” 

Josh Duhamel’s big Hollywood break

As a small town North Dakota kid, Duhamel didn’t grow up with a lot of money. He recalls landing his first acting job in New York in his late 20s: “I was finally making money on this show, and I was living in the big city. I went nuts for a lot of years… but it was good fun.” 

Growing up, Duhamel was into sports but he actually dreamed of becoming a dentist, which is why he moved to California. He took all the steps—he got his degree in biology, went to dental school, passed the Dental Admission Test. “Secretly, I think I wanted to do [acting], but I didn’t know how to do it,” he says.

His career trajectory pivoted at the 1997 International Model and Talent Association competition in New York City—which he won, with Ashton Kutcher as runner-up. 

“It was models and actors trying to get discovered. They put me in these crazy, plunging costumes,” he recalls. “We get to the end of this thing, and it’s between me and Ashton. I swear to God I had just won Miss America. I was so excited that I felt like they lifted me up and put on a sash and tiara. For two years after that, nothing happened. I didn’t even get an agency from it.” 

In contrast, Duhamel says, “Ashton Kutcher went on and got a Calvin Klein campaign and That ‘70s Show. I was so pissed. We laugh about it now whenever I see him. It was a good thing probably because I had to hit the streets and bust my a** to make anything happen.” 

Eventually, after a couple of years, he started auditioning for commercials and did some modeling. He didn’t make money during his first year acting, but it took him a few years to gain traction after moving to Los Angeles in 1998. He landed his breakout role in 2002’s Win a Date With Tad Hamilton. 

Josh Duhamel on marriage and fatherhood

Duhamel has always been attracted to strong personalities, which is what drew him to Mari, another North Dakota native (Fargo to be specific). He first connected with Mari after following her pageant career online. “It was truly platonic for years. I thought she was too young for me. But we started DMing back and forth. Then, a friend of ours was staying where she was working, The Penthouse in Santa Monica… and then we just started talking. I invited her to a barbecue, still thinking it was platonic. She came, and when I saw her, I was like, ‘Holy sh*t, she’s beautiful.’”

On the age gap, Duhamel jokes that Mari was actually more mature than him. Married for two years, they now have 16-month-old son Shepherd Lawrence Duhamel, half-brother to Axl Jack Duhamel from Duhamel’s previous 10-year marriage to Fergie. 

“It’s fascinating how kids change in the first year. Just to see them morph from this helpless infant…they say the first year, they grow more than any other time,” Duhamel says. 

Being away from his kids is Duhamel’s least favorite part of acting. He feels the guilt. A three-month filming gig in London eats away at him: “I missed all of my son’s, Axl’s, soccer and basketball season. I didn’t see a single game. That kind of stuff kills me because you can’t get that time back.”

Duhamel and his wife are planning to have another child, hoping for a daughter. His parenting style is tough—letting his kids get dirty rather than, in his words, raising “snowflakes.” 

To learn more about Duhamel’s family and the internet craze about Ransom Canyon, tune into Not Skinny But Not Fat.