Will Ferrell's 3 Kids: All About Sons Magnus, Mattias and Axel

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Barry King/Getty

Will Ferrellis raising one funny brood.

The comedian and his wife,Viveca Paulin, first crossed paths at an acting class in 1995. They said, “I do,” in 2000 and welcomed their eldest son, Magnus, 21, in 2004. The couple expanded their family further with the births of their sons Mattias, 18, in 2006, and Axel, 15, in 2010.

When it comes to raising kids, especially sons, Ferrell has a lot of sage — and funny — advice to share with parents. The comedian dished out his fatherly words of wisdom to PEOPLE back in 2008, explaining, “For me, talk to your children, at least once a week.”

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Additionally, Ferrell suggests that parents of boysprepare themselves for the noise. “There is usually a high volume in the house,” he told PEOPLE in 2017. “Whether they’re having a great time or whether they’re losing their minds, they are always yelling.”

Jokes aside, Ferrell values family time the most. Ahead of the premiere of his 2015 filmDaddy’s Home, he toldNews.com.authat much like his character in the movie, “We’re all flying blind a little bit as parents.” He continued, “We don’t really know but as long as there’s enough love in a family, it’ll cushion any bumpy landing. I can definitely identify with that.”

In July 2023, the whole family supported Ferrell at the London premiere of his movieBarbie. Magnus, Mattias and Axel all wore suits for the special occasion.

Here’s everything to know about Will Ferrell’s three sons, Magnus, Mattias and Axel.

Magnus Paulin Ferrell, 21

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Ferrell and Paulin welcomed their first son, Magnus, on March 7, 2004. A few years after his birth, theSaturday Night Livealum explained the meaning behind his firstborn’s name, as well as the reason why the moniker raised some eyebrows.

“My wife was born in Sweden and we loved the idea of a Scandinavian name. I’ve gotten a lot of flack: ‘What kind of ego do you have to have to name your child the great one?’ That is not it at all,” he shared.

Just like his famous dad, Magnus is quite the jokester. “He’s very subtly funny,” Ferrell said of his oldest child during a2018 interview withParade. TheElfstar went on to recall a funny stunt Magnus pulled off on picture day at school. “Last year, for his yearbook photo, he borrowed another kid’s glasses. He doesn’t wear glasses. There he is with this very serious look with glasses on,” the proud dad said.

Of course, Ferrell had to applaud Magnus' sense of humor. “Like ‘Magnus, that is so subversive and funny. Totally my sense of humor.’ " Ferrell continued. “He’s like, ‘Am I in trouble?’ Like, ‘No, you’ve got to do it every year! Fantastic!’ "

As the oldest Ferrell child, Magnus is the first of the comedian’s children to enter the world of dating. In 2017, Ferrell’sThe Other GuyscostarMark Wahlbergwasn’t too pleased when he found out Magnus and his daughter, Ella Rae Wahlberg, arefriends on Instagram.

“I thought [Magnus] was a lovely lad until I found out that he has formed some sort of communication with my oldest child,” Wahlberg said during an appearance with Ferrell onTheEllen DegeneresShow. “They’re following each other on Instagram.”

Ultimately, though, Wahlberg gave his stamp of approval. “In actuality, as I’ve thought about it, I’ve come to understand that it is inevitable that she’ll be with somebody,” theUnchartedstar said. “So if it could be with someone like Will, I would be happy.”

Magnus' other hobbies include music, particularly playing the keyboard. The budding musician is in a band with two of his friends and sometimes his dad. In December 2022, the band had their first live gig in San Diego andFerrell got up on stage to play the cowbell— reminiscent of his iconicSaturday Night Livesketch 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 heDJed a Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity tailgateduring Trojan Family Weekend.

In June 2024, Magnus shared a video on TikTok “rating things my dad has done,” sharing a photo from his prom and revealing the embarrassing thing that Ferrell did that night.

In the picture, Ferrell is dressed in full medieval garb as he stands next to Magnus, who is wearing a checkered suit. “Dressed as a medieval lordto embarrass me at prom 10000/10,” he wrote on the video.

Mattias Paulin Ferrell, 18

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The couple welcomed their second child together, sonMattias, on Dec. 30, 2006. While appearing onThe Tonight Show With Jay Lenoin 2007, Ferrell admitted he doesn’t know the English translation ofhis son’s Swedish moniker.“Mattias means ‘one who eats fire,’ " 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.”

“A lot of times I’ll get, ‘Stop with 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 kids' reactions to his impressions.

Speaking toParadein 2018, Ferrell shared that Mattias had started getting into his oldSNLsketches in the sixth grade. “It’s fun when they discover,” he told the magazine.

In addition to comedy, Mattias is passionate about sports. In 2015, Ferrell shared with PEOPLE that he and Paulin had signed up to coach Mattias' soccer team. “My wife and I are coaching, together, our 8-year-old’s team,” he said at the time, adding, “so, look out, AYSO Region 76. Here comes the Chargers!”

Axel Paulin Ferrell, 15

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Ferrell and Paulin’s youngest, sonAxel, was born on Jan. 23, 2010, in Los Angeles. As Ferrell has said on multiple occasions, one of his greatest joys is embarrassing his children — especially when they’ve been misbehaving. “If they’ve been mouthing off or something, I turn up at dinner wearing just my underpants to warn them,” the actor told BANG Showbiz in 2017, per theAssociated Press.

“I can only imagine, but I sometimes equate [parenting boys] to what it must be like running a prison,” he joked, adding that he often ends up “barking out orders” to his sons. “There is so much chaos you can’t really take the time to articulate.”

Axel and his brothers are very into Halloween and they even pick outtheir dad’s Halloween costumeevery year. “We have a standing tradition that they get to pick out my Halloween costume, no matter what it is,” Ferrell said. “I was a poop emoji a couple years ago.”

source: people.com