Will Ferrell is raising one funny brood.
The comedian and his wife, Viveca Paulin, first met at an acting class in 1995. They said, “I do,” in 2000 and welcomed their eldest son, Magnus, 19, in 2004. The couple further expanded their family with the birth of sons Mattias ( 17) in 2006 and Axel (14) in 2010.
When it comes to raising children, especially sons, Ferrell has plenty of wise — and funny — advice to share with parents. The comedian offered his fatherly words of wisdom to PEOPLE in 2008, explaining, “For me, talk to your kids, at least once a week.”
He jokingly added: “If you have time, do it two or three times a week, but otherwise, I find the time adds up when I let weeks and weeks go by without talking to my kids.”
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Additionally, Ferrell suggests parents of boys prepare for the noise. “It’s usually really loud in the house,” he told PEOPLE in 2017. “Whether they’re having a good time or they’re crazy, they’re always yelling.”
All kidding aside, Ferrell values spending time with his family the most. Ahead of the premiere of his 2015 film Dad is at home, told News.com.au much like his character in the film, “We’re all a bit blind as parents.” He continued: “We don’t really know, but as long as there’s enough love in the family, it will smooth out any rough landings. I can definitely relate to that.”
In July 2023, the whole family supported Ferrell at the London premiere of his film Barbie. Magnus, Mattias and Axel all wore suits for the special occasion.
Here’s everything you need to know about Will Ferrell’s three sons, Magnus, Mattias and Axel.
Magnus Pauline Ferrell, 19
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Ferrell and Pauline welcomed their first son, Magnus, on March 7, 2004. A few years after his birth, Saturday night live alum explained the meaning behind his firstborn’s name, as well as why the nickname raised some eyebrows.
“My wife was born in Sweden and we liked the idea of a Scandinavian name. I got a lot of criticism: ‘What kind of ego do you have to give your child a great name?’ That’s not it at all,” he said.
Just like his famous father, Magnus is quite the prankster. “He’s very subtly funny,” Ferrell said of his oldest child during a 2018 interview. Parade. The Dwarf star went on to reminisce about a funny stunt Magnus pulled on picture day at school. “He borrowed glasses from another kid for his yearbook photo last year. He doesn’t wear glasses. Here he is looking serious with glasses,” said the proud dad.
Of course, Ferrell had to applaud Magnus’ sense of humor. “Like ‘Magnus, that’s so subversive and funny. Totally my sense of humor.’ ” continued Ferrell. “He says, ‘Am I in trouble?’ Like, ‘No, you have to do it every year! Fantastically!’ ”
As Ferrell’s oldest child, Magnus is the first of the comedian’s children to enter the dating world. In 2017, Ferrell’s Other guys Costar Mark Wahlberg wasn’t too pleased when he found out Magnus and his daughter Ella Rae Wahlberg were friends on Instagram.
“I meant [Magnus] he was a great guy until I discovered that he had established some kind of communication with my oldest child,” Wahlberg said during an appearance with Ferrell on The Ellen Degeneres Show. – They follow each other on Instagram.
In the end, though, Wahlberg made his mark. “In fact, as I thought about it, I realized that it was inevitable that she would be with someone,” Uncharted said the star. “So if it could be with someone like Will, I’d be happy.”
Ferrell added that Magnus is a “good boy,” but also warned Wahlberg about his son’s new hobby: “He buys knives online. So keep the cutlery locked up if he comes.”
Magnus’ other hobbies include music, especially playing the keyboard. The aspiring musician is in a band with two of his friends, and sometimes with his dad. In December 2022, the band played their first live show in San Diego and Ferrell got up on stage to play a cowbell — a reminder of his iconic Saturday night live dash from more than 20 years ago.
Ferrell’s eldest currently attends his alma mater — the University of Southern California. In October 2023, the actor made headlines when he DJed at the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity’s tailgate during Trojan Family Weekend.
Matthias Pauline Ferrell, 17
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The couple welcomed their second child together, son Mattias, on December 30, 2006. While appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno In 2007, Ferrell admitted that he did not know the English translation of his son’s Swedish nickname. “Mattias means ‘fire eater,'” he joked. “No, I don’t know what it means. It’s a very popular name in Sweden.” The name Mattias actually means “gift of God”.
In a Q&A hosted by his House costar, Amy Poehler, on CBS This Morning, Ferrell revealed that his children seem to have inherited his sense of humor. “They all have a little twinkle in their eye,” he said. However, when it comes to his own comedy, Mattias and his brothers can be a tough audience.
“A lot of times I’ll get, ‘Stop the voices, let’s get back to the story. Like, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you’re taking away from the story,'” Ferrell told Poehler of his children’s reactions to his impressions.
Speaking with Parade In 2018, Ferrell said Mattias started to come into his old self SNL sketches in the sixth grade. “It’s fun when they find out,” he told the magazine.
In addition to comedy, Mattias is a sports enthusiast. In 2015, Ferrell shared with PEOPLE that he and Paulin signed on to coach Mattias’ soccer team. “My wife and I coach our eight-year-old’s team together,” he said at the time, adding, “so look out, AYSO Region 76. Here come the Chargers!”
Axel Paulin Ferrell, 14
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Ferrell and Pauline’s youngest son Axel was born on January 23, 2010 in Los Angeles. As Ferrell has said on more than one occasion, one of his greatest joys is embarrassing his children — especially when they’ve misbehaved. “If they were babbling or something, I show up to the dinner in just my underpants to warn them,” the actor told BANG Showbiz in 2017, according to the Associated Press.
“I can only imagine, but sometimes I equalize [parenting boys] what it must be like to run a prison,” he joked, adding that he often ends up “shouting orders” to his sons. “There’s so much chaos that you can’t really take the time to articulate it.”
Axel and his brothers love Halloween very much and even choose their dad’s Halloween costume every year. “We have an ongoing tradition of them picking out my Halloween costume, no matter what it is,” Ferrell said. “A few years ago I was the poop emoji.”
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