Dax Shepard responds to claims he is ‘controlling’ and ‘abusive’ towards wife Kristen Bell
Dax Shepard is addressing the ‘weird narrative’ surrounding his marriage to wife Kristen Bell as their relationship faces another wave of scrutiny.
The actor, 51, directly spoke about claims that he’s ‘controlling’ and ‘abusive’ to his wife of 13 years while speaking candidly on his podcast Armchair Expert.
“Another round of me being a terrible person was in the media, and I avoided that,” he shared. “But then it hit Kristen’s doorstep really hard, and then I got to find out everything that people are saying about me.”
The Parenthood star, who shares two children with Bell, shared his frustration toward the claims that he is ‘abusive’ to his wife makes him feel.
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“This weird narrative that is surrounding me as like controlling, abusive, now flirting with people in public, which I don’t do… It’s so frustrating.”
He further explained that the claims are especially difficult to hear given his efforts to distance himself from the abusive men he grew up around. He said he has spent his 'whole life to being the opposite of all that'.
He shared: “I don’t ever yell at my children. 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 also took issue with how the claims reflect on the Nobody Wants This star, 46, saying he finds the characterisation ‘deeply insulting’ to his wife.
“She’s what, she’s sitting in a house with her two daughters and modelling some abusive relationship? Like, it’s very offensive to her.”
Shepard’s comments come just over a year after Bell sparked backlash with an Instagram post celebrating the couple’s 12th wedding anniversary.
The actress shared a photograph of herself and her husband alongside a caption joking that he had promised he would never kill her, despite being 'heavily incentivized' to do so.
The post prompted criticism from social media users, who accused the couple of making light of domestic violence. The backlash was heightened by the fact that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, while Bell also faced calls to address the controversial wording and subsequently limited comments on the post.
While Bell did not address the backlash, Shepherd said he had ‘no clue’ about it while speaking on his podcast in April.
“I was alerted by someone that this whole thing was happening,” he recalled during the 6 April episode, which featured guest Nikki Glaser.
“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.”
Admitting that he was unaware about the controversy for ‘a week and a half’, he said: “I had no clue. 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.’”
On Monday’s episode of the podcast, Shepard also addressed Bell’s comments about her unexpected thoughts on flirting. The Frozen star said her husband flirts with her when he gives other people compliments.
She said: “We’ll be at dinner and, like, he’ll say to the waiter or waitress, he’ll go, ‘Wow, you have incredible eyelashes, gorgeous eyes. Great, great job.’
“But that’s flirting with me because he just made someone else feel good.”
Attempting to clarify her statements, Shepard said: “I think she phrased it in a way that got easily confused for people. Because we’re saying, I flirt with Kristen by tipping people a lot. And I flirt with Kristen by complimenting people.
“If you think I’m complimenting like hot young waitresses, yeah, you got a problem. 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 somebody that I want to make their day.”
Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity, Podcasts
Greg Harris
