Josh Duhamel, Audra Mari Welcome First Child Together

It’s already been an exciting year for Josh Duhamel and his wife Audra Mari.

Nearly a year and a half after the couple said “I Do,” Josh and Audra are now parents! On January 17, the couple announced the birth of their baby boy six days after his birth day, January 11. They also shared his adorable name, Shephard Lawerence.

This is Audra’s first child, but Josh’s second. He and his ex-wife Fergie also share a son, Axl, who is now 10 years old.

Back in 2022, Josh Duhamel’s ex-wife, Fergie, shared that she is all for his engagement to Audra Mari.

“Fergie is genuinely happy for Josh,” a source tells PEOPLE of the former couple. The two share an 8-year-old son, Axl Jack. “They co-parent really beautifully together and communicate about many things.”

“They both want happiness for the other and cheer each other on still,” says the source. “They don’t do everything in the world together, but seem pretty united for the sake of their son at all times and do occasionally spend family-related things together.”

In addition, the source adds: “There seems to be zero bad blood.”

Fergie, 46, and Duhamel, 49, began dating in 2004 before getting engaged in 2007. They were married in 2009 and announced their split in a joint statement in September 2017. The two finalized their divorce in 2019. 

And since their breakup, Duhamel has been out with Eiza Gonzalez and, of course, Mari.

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Duhamel announced his engagement to Mari, 28, in an Instagram post on Saturday with a photo of the two beaming on the beach.

“It’s on!! She found a message in a bottle that washed ashore and said YES!! @audramari,” Duhamel captioned the shot of the couple, while he held up a handwritten letter that read: “Audra Diane Mari Will You Marry Me?”

Fergie praised the couple in the comment section, writing, “Congrats!!!????????????????????????.”

A source revealed in December 2019 how Duhamel was “really happy” with Audra, who he had begun “dating seven or eight months” prior.

The source’s comment arose during a holiday party the two attended together that month, at which Duhamel and Mari “were basically together all night,” an onlooker shared with the outlet at the time.

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This past Monday, a source revealed to the outlet how Duhamel was in a dark place, post-divorce from Fergie but — when Mari came into his life, she was a breath of fresh air.

“You could tell that they had something special early on. He introduced her to his friends right away,” said the source. “He seemed a bit gloomy after his divorce and Audra definitely cheered him up. She came into his life at the perfect time.”

“They live a pretty quiet life in L.A. They often grab dinner in Malibu and walk on the beach. They have friends over for barbecues,” the source added.

When Duhamel sat down for Dax Shepard‘s Armchair Expert podcast in 2018, Duhamel revealed what he was looking for in his next season of life.

“I’m not 30 years old anymore. I’m 45. I want to have more kids in the next few years,” the actor said at the time. “So it’s more about finding someone young enough to have kids. It’s not as if I’m out there trying to just f— anything. That’s not who I am. I’m trying to find a girl that I can be with and have a family with.”

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