Dax Shepard Admits His 'Anarchist Point of View' Made Him Reluctant to Marry Kristen Bell

Dax Shepard once thought he could spend his entire life with Kristen Bell without getting married to her.

He looked back at his initial decision during the latest episode of his "Armchair Expert" podcast, revealing his resistance to marriage and how an emotional Christmas Eve with his family ultimately changed his mind.

Shepard revealed that he once believed marriage was unnecessary, arguing that a legal document could not determine how partners treated one another. Bell recalled his position during their podcast conversation.

"A piece of paper filed at a courthouse somewhere in California is not going to dictate how I treat you," Shepard had told her. "It's just not, and so I'm going to treat you well and act like your partner for the rest of your life."

He called this an "anarchist point of view," asking why the government should have a say in whether two people want to live together. "I don't have to ask the state of California if we can be together, and then ask them if we cannot be together," he said.

Additionally, both Bell and Shepard grew up witnessing multiple divorces within their families, which shaped their views on marriage and led them to question the institution.

Despite their differing views, the Nobody Wants This star revealed that she never pressured Shepard to change his mind about marriage. She was comfortable with the idea of skipping a traditional wedding because he already treated her like his wife.

Bell recalled, "You told me why. I didn’t think there would ever be an answer because I was like, ‘I kind of like that tradition.'"

Although Bell appreciated the idea of marriage, she felt secure in the relationship they had built and was willing to continue their life together without officially tying the knot.

Shepard changed his mind about marriage after Bell arranged for his parents to travel from Detroit to California to spend the holiday with them.

"We had this beautiful Christmas Eve with my family," he recalled. Later that night, the Veronica Mars actress spoke about how grateful she was for their little family, which is when Shepard suddenly felt ready to get married.

"I was like, 'F--- it, I'm just gonna go get the ring now,'" he said. The Hit and Run star had already bought an engagement ring and wasted no time in proposing to his favorite woman.

Shepard revealed that he still remembers walking back into the bedroom and finding Bell in tears, as she had a feeling something special was about to happen. However, she had no idea he was planning to propose that night.

"He got down on one knee, and he said, 'Will you marry me?'" Bell recalled. "And then I started sobbing really, really hard because that was very overwhelming, something I didn't think was coming."

The couple began dating in 2007 and announced their engagement in 2010. They welcomed their first daughter, Lincoln, in March 2013 before officially tying the knot at the Beverly Hills County Clerk's Office that October.

Bell and Shepard later expanded their family with the arrival of their second daughter, Delta, in December 2014.