After Kristen Bell’s anniversary post caused online outrage, Dax Shepard breaks his silence.
Image: X/@Mix96_7
Just when most thought the internet drama around Kristen Bell’s anniversary post had faded, Dax Shepard, 51, has reignited the conversation by speaking out about the controversy for the first time.
Nearly six months after Bell’s post sparked online backlash, Shepard addressed it on his "Armchair Expert" podcast, saying he was completely unaware of the uproar at the time.
In October, Bell celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary with an Instagram post featuring a photo of Shepard hugging one of their daughters. While the image drew applause, the caption drew criticism.
Bell shared a quote from Shepard that joked about him saying he would never kill her, a phrasing that many found insensitive.
“Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who, after an episode of ‘Dateline,’ 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 incentivised to kill you, I never would',” the caption read.
Critics especially took issue because the post coincided with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, arguing the dark humour trivialised a serious issue.
Shepard explained that he didn’t even know about the backlash for more than a week after the post went up, because Bell’s publicist informed her first, not him. He said a friend finally alerted him to the situation, and he’s since looked back on the whole episode with bemusement.
He alluded to the situation when he dismissed "all these people that are convinced I'm beating Kristen," arguing that those who were "outraged" about the post were people who have "never been in a relationship."
"We both grew up with domestic violence, so if you tell me how domestic violence works, I can tell you those guys who beat my mom's a-- never went online to find out if it was acceptable from someone," he said.
"That's not actually how it works. So you want to be really mad about a hypothetical scenario that's never happened."
Although he has tried to shrug off the controversy - laughing about an unaired joke with guest comedian Nikki Glaser - critics, including domestic violence advocacy groups, have emphasised why context matters when public figures reference sensitive topics.
Some commentators contended that the anniversary caption “normalised abuse” and lacked awareness of its potential impact.
Bell hasn’t publicly addressed the criticism directly, instead limiting comments on the original post and keeping focus on her family.