Will Ferrell Compares Raising Three Sons To Running A Jail But Is Proud 'They’re Funny In Their Own Ways'

Mar 13, 2023 by apost team

Most parents can relate that raising a kid isn’t easy. Then again, having kids is a blessing. Plus, the occasional challenges of raising kids add to the overall fun of the whole family dynamic. Of course, it’s different for parents who are raising two or three kids at the same time. Take it from Will Ferrell who opened up about raising his three sons.

Born on July 16, 1967, Will Ferrell is considered one of the funniest actor-comedians out there, whose humble beginnings as a comedian started when he made it as part of The Groundlings, where he got to showcase his improvisational skills.

He then went on to bring his comedic skills to television when he became part of the NBC sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live.” He then successfully brought his humor to several hits on the big screen including “Elf,” “Step Brothers” and “Get Hard,” among other movies.

But outside of his work as an actor and comedian, Will is living the life of a happy family man. He has been blessed with a beautiful wife, Swedish actress Viveca Paulin and three children Magnus, Mattias and Axel Ferrell, who were born in 2004, 2006 and 2010, respectively.

In an interview with PEOPLE back in 2006, Will revealed the reason behind his son Magnus' name.

“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 said.

Even though Will is one of the most successful comedians of his generation, his kids don’t see him the way most people do.

In an interview with “CBS This Morning” in 2017, Will admitted that he would often get flak from his children.

"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,” he said.

Will said his children have acquired his comedic DNA but said that they did not simply inherit his humor and found their own comic side. “They’re funny in their own ways,” he told Parade in an interview in 2018.

“I have a freshman in high school and he’s very subtly funny. 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. Like ‘Magnus, that is so subversive and funny. Totally my sense of humor.’ He’s like, ‘Am I in trouble?’ Like, ‘No, you’ve got to do it every year! Fantastic!’” he said.

While his sons have ways of making people laugh that he said are different from his, he said it still makes him happy knowing they manage to remain good kids. Will, in a way, found a similarity between him and his kids in that regard. 

“They kind of have their own senses of humor. It’s fun to see them make their friends laugh. Very similar to me, they’re good kids at school and yet they like to try to be funny,” he said. 

“That’s kind of naturally the way I was. I was a really good student. If I found an opening, I’d try to be funny just to amuse myself. I was far from the class clown standing up on my desk trying to get attention. My interest in being humorous never came from that place,” he added.

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Will recalled the one time his son Magnus got out of swimming after he told his coach that he got his period, something he thought at that time was hilarious. "I thought that's shocking, but that's kind of funny!" he said.

If there’s one joke Will doesn’t run out of, it’s his being a father to his three sons.

In an appearance on “The Ellen Degeneres Show” back in 2020, Will told Jennifer Aniston that raising his three sons is like “running a small correctional facility.”

“You go from all the things you read about like conflict resolution, ‘I’m sorry that your feelings are hurt,’… within five minutes it’s like, ‘Get upstairs now and brush your teeth. Shut up, I don’t care, why? Because I said so.’ … It’s like running a small correctional facility. I want to get high powered water cannons installed so I can just hose them down,” he said.   

Despite Will’s hilarious statement about raising his three sons, people outside their family can attest to the way Will and his wife brought up their children. One of them is Mark Wahlberg who said he is okay with Will’s son Magnus dating his daughter Ella Rae after he found out that the two are talking to each other on Instagram.

"Those things happen. As long as I know who they are, where they come from, and know their parents, in this case, of course I know a lot. So, I'm good. I know Will and (his wife) Viv (Paulin), and they're very, very nice and they're raising very young, fine boys. So, he's all good,” Wahlberg said.

What can you say about Will Ferrell as a dad to his three sons? Let us know what you think and pass this on to your family and friends who might find this story interesting!