No single cause has been confirmed by both former spouses. The most specific explanation comes from Josh Duhamel, who said years later that he and Fergie were very different people who had outgrown each other and no longer shared interests. Fergie’s 2017 remarks add that she did not want the split and that they were no longer a romantic couple. Their September 2017 joint statement gave no reason at all. The reporting does not support claims of cheating, abuse, or a specific argument as the cause.
Why the title says “eight years,” not 13
The couple’s marriage and their time together are often blurred. They married in 2009, and their separation was announced in September 2017, which makes the marriage about eight years long. Entertainment Tonight, reporting Fergie’s October 2017 interview, described the couple as having been together for roughly 13 years at that point, so the “13-year” figure refers to the length of the relationship, not the marriage. The divorce was finalized in 2019, according to Parade’s March 2, 2026 report.
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Key dates
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Fergie and Duhamel marry. | ABC News |
| 2013 | Their son, Axl, is born. | ABC News |
| Earlier in 2017 | The couple decide to separate, according to their later joint statement. | ABC News |
| September 14, 2017 | They publicly confirm the separation after eight years of marriage. | ABC News |
| October 2017 | Fergie speaks about the split, saying it was not her plan and that the couple are no longer romantic partners. | Entertainment Tonight; CBS News |
| 2019 | The divorce is finalized. | Parade |
| October 5, 2023 | Duhamel describes the marriage’s end in his interview with Graham Bensinger. | The Independent |
| March 2, 2026 | Duhamel summarizes the mismatch as having different views of the world. | Parade |
What the couple said in 2017
The joint separation statement
The announcement was issued by both of them. Fergie and Duhamel wrote that they had decided to separate as a couple earlier that year, and that they wanted to keep the matter private so their family could adjust before it became public. They said they remained united in supporting each other and their family. The statement contains no reason for the separation, which is the single most important thing to understand about it. Its silence on cause is a deliberate choice of privacy, not a hidden explanation.
Fergie’s account
Fergie spoke about the split in October 2017. On The Wendy Williams Show, she said: “It wasn’t my plan. I wanted to stay married forever.” In the same period she described their relationship as no longer romantic while stressing that they still shared a responsibility for their son. She said: “We forever have that project together and we’re doing the best we can,” referring to co-parenting. Her remarks establish that she did not initiate the end of the marriage in the sense of wanting it, but they do not identify what went wrong.
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Duhamel’s later explanation
The 2023 Graham Bensinger interview
Six years after the announcement, Duhamel gave the most detailed account of the marriage’s end. He said: “You know I think we both agree that we’re just very different. And we made an awesome kid. We get along great, and we get to raise him without any acrimony.” He also reflected: “I think we just kind of outgrew each other, and had very different interests.” Asked about the public side of his life, he said: “I don’t think I ever really got comfortable with it,” referring to the Hollywood lifestyle and its public-facing demands. As reported by The Independent, these are his own retrospective views, not a joint explanation.
The 2026 summary
In a 2026 interview reported by Parade, Duhamel condensed the problem into one sentence: “She and I just have different views of the world, and that’s okay.” This is the same theme as his 2023 remarks, stated more briefly.
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What the sources do not establish
None of the reporting reviewed supports cheating, abuse, a particular fight, or another private event as the reason for the split, and those should not be presented as causes. Duhamel’s comments about discomfort with Hollywood are context he offered about his own experience; they are not an established sole cause, and Fergie has not made a similar statement. Neither former spouse has given a detailed account of the decision-making process, so the public record stops at each person’s description of the outcome.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Co-parenting after the split
This is the one area where both former spouses describe the same arrangement. Their son, Axl, was born in 2013, and both have said they share the work of raising him. Duhamel said they could raise him “without any acrimony,” and Fergie described their co-parenting as an ongoing shared project. Both statements were made in public interviews, so readers can compare them directly with the joint 2017 statement.
Quick Recap
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Before quoting these remarks
- Check the original interview recording or transcript before using extended quotes, since outlets sometimes trim context.
- Keep Duhamel’s 2023 and 2026 reflections separate from the 2017 statements, which were made closer to the separation.
- Attribute the claim that the couple “were very different” to Duhamel alone; it is not a joint finding.
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