COUPLESDax Shepard Admits Wife Kristen Bell 'Didn't Tell' Him About Her Anniversary Post Sparking Backlash: 'I Had No Clue'
On a new episode of his podcast, Dax Shepard admitted wife Kristen Bell 'didn't tell' him about her controversial anniversary post.
April 6 2026, Published 6:23 p.m. ET
Dax Shepard wasn’t clued into what fans believed to be drama between him and wife Kristen Bell.
During the Monday, April 6, episode of his “Armchair Expert” podcast, the comedian, 51, addressed his woman’s controversial anniversary post from six months prior.
In October 2025, Bell seemingly alluded to domestic violence in what was supposed to be a sweet anniversary tribute to Shepard.
Nikki Glaser guest-starred on 'Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.'
“I was alerted by someone that this whole thing was happening,” he recalled on the podcast. “I didn’t know, and Kristen knew through her publicist but didn’t tell me. So, I actually didn’t know, and this was brought to my attention. Shepard didn’t know about the online buzz for a week and a half."
“I had no clue,” he insisted. “Someone comforted me, and I was like, ‘What are you [talking about]?’ And then I had to go to Kristen, like, ‘What are they talking about?’ She’s like, ‘Oh, that post I had.’”
What Did Kristen Bell Say in Her Controversial Anniversary Post?
Dax Shepard was not aware of the anniversary post debate.
Last October, the Frozen star, 45, wrote on Instagram, “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,❤️.’”
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The National Network to End Domestic Violence released a statement after Kristen Bell's post.
Her choice of words rubbed some people the wrong way, including the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
“There’s nothing funny about domestic violence ‘jokes’ that trivialize the very real fear, trauma and pain that millions of victims and survivors face each day,” the charity told Page Six in a statement. “Especially during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we all have a responsibility to support victims and survivors, to invest in proven solutions and to speak about this issue with the seriousness it deserves.”
Nikki Glaser Planned to Mock Dax Shepard at Golden Globes
Kristen Bell admitted Dax Shepard once said he was 'heavily incentivized' to kill her.
Shepard’s podcast guest Nikki Glaser revealed that she initially planned to roast him about the incident during the Golden Globes in January.
“Die My Love. If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You. Sorry, Baby,” she considered saying on stage. “These are not just captions to Dax Shepard’s Instagram post for Mother’s Day. Or, like … these are not just Dax Shepard captions for his anniversary post. These are movies nominated tonight.”
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have been married for over 12 years.
Although Shepard thought the joke would have been “very funny,” the comedian stood by her decision to leave it out of her monologue.
“I didn’t do it because I also, like, it was old news by then,” she explained. “But mostly because I didn’t know where you stood on [the topic]. I wasn’t one of those people that reached out like, ‘I got your back, man.’ ‘Cause I’m like, ‘Maybe he doesn’t even know about this.’”
