Kristen Bell Mocked by 'Dateline' After 'Tone-Deaf' Joke About Dax Shepard Goes Viral

Kristen Bell is getting some heat for a distasteful murder joke she made about husband Dax Shepard.

Taking to Instagram to wish Shepard a happy anniversary on Saturday, October 18, Bell captioned a photo of him embracing one of their daughters: "Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once said to me: 'I would never kill you. A lot of men have killed their wives at a certain point. Even though I’m heavily incentivized to kill you, I never would.'"

While some thought the dark joke was funny, many weren't amused, finding it "unbelievably tone-deaf" and making light of domestic violence. The post received tons of comments, including one from Dateline that went viral. The account for the popular true crime show simply commented, "Screenshotted."

The one-word comment racked up over 63,000 likes and 160 replies. One user wrote, "you win the internet today," while another chimed in with, "just in case 👀 🔪."

Meanwhile, Howie Mandel quipped, "He should write for Hallmark."

Shepard's former Parenthood costar Mae Whitman also commented, "Only because we’d never let him get away with it ❤️."

Terry Crews also added, "This is LOVE ❤️😂."

The actress' post garnered more than a few comments from people who thought the joke was "insensitive" and "not funny at all."

One person wrote, "What kind of man says that to his wife? Oh wait, I know exactly what kind. Get out now, Kristen."

Another commented, "What a wild thing to post during Domestic Violence Awareness month."

Meanwhile, others were unbothered, finding the humor in the joke. Liv Tyler commented with a laughing emoji and Kimberly Williams-Paisley quipped, "Super sweet of him! 😂❤️."

Zoey Deutch also wrote, "you guys are the best."

Ted Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen, added, "Oh man. We are laughing so hard!!!!❤️."

The longtime couple's first crossed paths at the birthday party of a mutual friend in 2007. It wasn't love at first sight, though. Recalling the initial meeting in an interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, Shepard said he found Bell and her friend's "unbridled happiness" off-putting. As for the Veronica Mars star, she thought the actor and comedian "talked so much."

And once they got together, things weren't always easy. "We definitely had to work really hard at being a couple because we’re both incredibly, painfully stubborn, and we’re pretty much opposites," he told People in 2019. "I was like, 'That’s the best personality I’ve ever seen on a woman. I need to be around it. I want to be around it when I’m 80, but how?'"

After six years of dating, the pair eventually wed in October 2013, notably without a prenup, and have two daughters together, Lincoln, 12, and Delta, 10.