PHOTOSKristen Bell and Dax Shepard Scandal Explained: Why Her 12th Wedding Anniversary Tribute Sparked Outrage
Kristen Bell's 'tone-deaf' Instagram post celebrating her and Dax Shepard's 12th wedding anniversary did not sit well with fans.
Nov. 1 2025, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Kristen Bell Marked Her 12th Wedding Anniversary With Dax Shepard
Kristen Bell sparked backlash after sharing the wedding anniversary post with a controversial caption.
Kristen Bell's tribute to her husband, Dax Shepard, to mark their wedding anniversary did not land well with the public.
On October 17, the Nobody Wants This actress uploaded a photo of her husband embracing one of their daughters. While she shared the sweet snap to wish Shepard a happy anniversary, the controversial murder joke in the caption triggered a backlash.
"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.'❤️," Bell wrote.
Several celebrities brushed it off as a joke, including Mae Whitman, who commented on the post, "Only because we'd never let him get away with it ❤️."
Kristen Bell Met With Backlash Over the Anniversary Post
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have been married since 2013.
Bell's post went down badly, as social media users did not find it funny.
The official account for Dateline wrote, "Screenshotted."
One user asked, "is this... supposed to be funny?"
"It is insane that this post is still up," a second pointed out, while another shared, "Domestic violence isn't a joke."
Another posted, "What a wild thing to post during Domestic Violence Awareness month."
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Kristen Bell Did Not Address the Controversy in an Interview
Kristen Bell has since limited the comments on the post.
Amid mounting backlash, Bell made an appearance on the October 23 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Fans expected her to address the scandal, but the mom-of-two did not mention the controversy and focused instead on family moments, including past Halloween costumes and vacations.
Kristen Bell Reflected on Her Relationship With Dax Shepard
Kristen Bell said she and Dax Shepard are 'opposites attract.'
While promoting the second season of her hit Netflix show Nobody Wants This after the scandal, the Veronica Mars alum reflected on her relationship with Shepard as she discussed her character's challenges.
"My advice to Joanne is just calm down a little bit," she said. "I feel like she can get very amped up very quickly, and in order to take yourself from a 'me' to a 'we,' it requires a lot of patience."
Bell added, "Having someone that is very opposite from me is certainly something that I feel. I feel like my real-life husband and I are 'opposites attract.' But that doesn't mean we couldn't make it work, or didn't want to make it work."
She also shared that patience and respectful conversations help their marriage last.
