Dax Shepard Responds to Claims He’s ‘Abusive’ to Kristen Bell

Dax Shepard has pushed back against claims that he is “abusive” toward his wife, Kristen Bell, after she described his unconventional way of flirting with her.

During a recent episode of Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Bell, 46, said her 51-year-old husband flirts with her by complimenting other people while she is nearby.

The unusual explanation quickly spread online, prompting some fans to suggest Bell was in “serious denial.”

On Monday, Shepard addressed the backlash, which followed earlier criticism over his declaration that he is “obsessed” with Sabrina Carpenter, 27.

“Another round of me being a terrible person was in the media, and I avoided that, but then it hit Kristen’s doorstep really hard,” he said on his podcast. “And then I got to find out everything that people are saying about me.”

He criticized what he called a “weird narrative” portraying him as “controlling, abusive, and now flirting with people in public.”

Dax Shepard, 51, rejected claims that he is “abusive” toward his wife, Kristen Bell, 46, after she described his unusual approach to flirting

Bell recently said on Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast that he flirts with her by complimenting other people in front of her; the couple are pictured in 2025

Shepard said the accusations were particularly painful because he grew up around abusive men and has “literally dedicat[ed] [his] whole life to being the opposite of all that.”

“I don’t ever yell at my children, I don’t swear at them,” he said, referring to the couple’s daughters, Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11.

“I don’t yell at my wife. To have given it my all to be the opposite of what now some group of people is saying I am, it’s hard.”

Shepard, who married Bell in 2013, added that the allegations were also deeply insulting to his wife.

“She’s sitting in a house with her two daughters and modeling some abusive relationship? It’s very offensive to her.”

He went on to explain that Bell’s comments had been misunderstood.

During her October 29 appearance on the podcast, Bell said, “If we go to a dinner or something, there’s a couple things Dax does where he doesn’t have to look up and wink at me, but I know that he’s just being the best boy. We’ll be at dinner and he’ll say to the waiter [or] waitress, he’ll go, ‘Wow, you have incredible eyelashes, gorgeous eyes, great job.’”

Shepard’s co-host, Monica Padman, joked that he was actually flirting with the restaurant employee. Bell replied, “That’s flirting with me because he just made someone else feel good.”

Shepard criticized the “weird narrative” portraying him as “controlling, abusive, and now flirting with people in public”

He said the allegations were particularly hurtful because he grew up around abusive men and has “literally dedicat[ed] [his] whole life to being the opposite of all that”

Bell said that during dinner Shepard might compliment a server by saying, “Wow, you have incredible eyelashes, gorgeous eyes, great job”

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After Monica Padman joked that Shepard was flirting with the employee, Bell said it was flirting with her because he had made someone else feel good

Shepard’s unconventional method of flirting went viral, with some fans claiming Bell was in “serious denial”

Bell also said that although Shepard would have no further interaction with the woman, she appreciated knowing that her husband actively smiled at people and offered them compliments.

Shepard clarified that Bell was referring to his habit of tipping generously and complimenting people, rather than him hitting on “hot, young waitresses.”

“I’m finding the dude that I don’t think’s had a compliment in a while and tell him I love his shoes. It’s always something that I want to make their day, and so those compliments is flirting with Kristen.”

He said he was becoming increasingly frustrated by the recurring criticism. “Usually I can brush [rumors] off, but when we’re now on year two of now there’s a new one, then it just starts making me think, ‘Oh is this just my f*****g role?’ Like every four months there’s a new thing about me being a terrible man.”

This is not the first time comments from the couple have sparked debate about their marriage.

In October, Bell told Bustle magazine that balancing marriage and parenthood regularly leaves her in tears.

“It’s hard. Do not think because I am on your television that it is easy for me. It’s brutal. I cry weekly,” she said.

Shepard later discussed the situation on his podcast, explaining that raising two children entering puberty had changed the family dynamic.

“We have two children and they are going through puberty and that stressor is, it throws the whole dynamic into a new zone that you have to figure out, ‘Okay, how do we now navigate this?’”

Bell said in an October interview with Bustle that managing marriage and parenthood sometimes makes her break down in tears; she is seen in January

Bell faced backlash last year after making an “insensitive” joke about Shepard not murdering her while celebrating their anniversary

“We don’t scream at each other or swear at each other,” Shepard said, adding, “I’m very large in my house and I have to really be mindful. I just talk loud.”

However, he acknowledged that they sometimes postpone difficult conversations.

“We’ll go to bed for sure for like, we’ll kick something down the road for a week. We’ll go to bed for a week where it’s like, ‘Mmm we’re gonna have to talk about this eventually.’”

The couple also faced a wave of criticism over an anniversary post Bell shared last October.

“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, adding a heart emoji.

Commenters reacted angrily, calling the joke “offensive” and “insensitive” while pointing out that it had been posted during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.