Josh Duhamel, best known for his roles in blockbusters like Transformers and TV staples such as Las Vegas and All My Children, has traded the glitz of Hollywood for the wilds of Minnesota. Over the past decade, the 52-year-old actor has quietly transformed a remote parcel of lakeside land, roughly an hour and a half outside Fargo, North Dakota, into what he calls his "doomsday cabin"—a retreat designed to weather even the most dire of global catastrophes. And, as of early September 2025, Duhamel says the cabin is about 70 percent ready for any apocalypse that might come calling.
"Well, I have enough. Not 100 percent. Probably 70 percent," Duhamel told People in a recent interview, chuckling at the notion that he’s fully prepared for a world-ending event. The property, which he purchased more than ten years ago as an empty half-parcel, has been painstakingly developed by Duhamel himself. What started as a rustic shelter—without electricity, running water, or even basic amenities—has grown into a fully livable, off-grid home equipped with a custom water filtration system and Starlink internet connection.
For Duhamel, the journey from Hollywood to homestead wasn’t about paranoia or a desire to escape society. Instead, it was a deeply personal calling. "I make movies and TV shows, and I love it, I truly do love it, but I had this calling to go and really do things with my hands again—fix things, make things, and just do the basic things that we take for granted," he told People. The actor’s voice carries a certain nostalgia, a yearning to reconnect with the simple, practical skills that modern life often sidelines. "I’m really more of a guy who wants to stay true to my roots, get back to the basics, hone whatever basic skills I need in this world of massive technology, to do the basic things to provide for my family," he added.
Family, indeed, is at the heart of Duhamel’s off-grid experiment. He shares his retreat with his wife, Audra Mari, and their young son Shepherd, who is just over a year old. His eldest son, Axl, 12, from his previous marriage to singer Fergie, also spends time at the cabin. The actor’s parents and in-laws are frequent visitors—something Duhamel cherishes. "It’s really about the memories that we make as a family," he told Fox News. "My parents love coming out here to hang out, my wife’s parents love hanging out here."
It’s not all idyllic, though. Duhamel is quick to admit that the cabin, while now "completely livable," is still a work in progress when it comes to true self-sufficiency. "I could be a better hunter, I could be a better fisherman. I could stockpile a little more food supply," he confessed to People. The actor is candid about the learning curve, noting that while he’s made strides in building, fixing, and maintaining the property, survival skills like food procurement remain on his to-do list.
That honesty extends to his views on technology. While Duhamel’s home is equipped with modern conveniences like Starlink internet, he sees the cabin as a welcome "respite" from what he describes as "this world of massive technology." In fact, he’s not shy about expressing concern over the rapid advance of artificial intelligence. "One part of which that scares me is artificial intelligence (AI)," he admitted in his conversation with People. Yet, he’s careful to draw a distinction between his lifestyle and the stereotype of the paranoid “doomsday prepper.” "But the truth is, yes, people want to call it a doomsday prepper thing, but it’s really not that," Duhamel said. "I don’t think that we’re in any dire situation that we have to worry about prepping for doomsday, but it is good to have some of those skills."
His children, Duhamel believes, stand to benefit most from this back-to-basics approach. The actor told Fox News that he relishes teaching Axl and Shepherd practical lessons they’d never pick up in Los Angeles. "There’s a lot of good things about L.A., but it’s good for [Axl] to get his hands dirty and come out into the woods and help dad," Duhamel said. He recounted a recent day spent clearing a fallen tree, cutting it up, and stacking the wood—a far cry from the typical city childhood. "These kids need to learn how to do this stuff, and they’re not going to get to do that in L.A.," he added. "So, for that reason alone, I think it’s great. Plus, they just love it."
Duhamel’s journey to self-reliance has been gradual, marked by steady progress and a willingness to embrace discomfort. When he first moved to the property, the lack of electricity and running water forced him and his family to adapt quickly. Today, the cabin is "completely livable now," Duhamel said, but he doesn’t take the modern comforts for granted. "We get so accustomed to all these luxuries and these amenities that we have … and I think that’s what this is for me—it’s an opportunity to get back to the basics and really enjoy the simple things in life, and that’s family, that’s friends, that’s making memories," he told People.
In 2023, Duhamel first revealed his retreat from Hollywood, telling Inverse, "I’ve become a bit of a doomsday prepper, I guess. I’m building something so if things do go south, I have a place to take my family." Yet, as he’s quick to clarify, the motivation isn’t fear—it’s a desire for self-sufficiency, resilience, and a return to the fundamentals. "I was getting so far away from it for so long, that I felt like I wanted to get back to some of that," Duhamel reflected.
For now, the actor is content to keep learning, building, and preparing—one project, one lesson, and one memory at a time. His doomsday cabin, nestled deep in the Minnesota woods, stands as both a personal sanctuary and a living classroom, where the basics of survival are rediscovered, and the bonds of family are strengthened far from the distractions of the digital age.
