Dax Shepard has shut down “deeply insulting” rumors that he is “abusive” towards his wife, Kristen Bell, after his unconventional flirting method of complimenting other people went viral.
“Another time I was a horrible person was in the media, and I avoided that, but then it hit Kristen’s door really hard,” the actor said on his “Armchair Expert” podcast during Monday’s “Fact Check” segment.
“And then I found out everything people say about me.”
The “Parenthood” alum slammed the “strange narrative” describing him as “controlling, abusive and now flirting with people in public.”
Shepard, 51, said the rumors are particularly hurtful to him because he grew up with abusive men and “literally dedicated[his]entire life to being the opposite of all that.”
“I never yell at my kids, I don’t insult them,” he continued, referring to his two daughters Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11, whom he shares with Bell.
“I don’t yell at my wife. Having gone out of my way to be the opposite of what certain groups of people say I am, it’s difficult.”
The actor added that he also found the rumors “deeply insulting” to Bell, 46.
“She’s sitting in a house with her two daughters and making an example of an abusive relationship? It’s very offensive to her.”
The comedian then clarified comments Bell made on his podcast last week that he said were misinterpreted.
During his Oct. 26 appearance, the “Nobody Wants That” star told listeners, “If we go to a dinner or something, there’s a few things that Dax does where he doesn’t have to look up and wink at me, but I know he’s just the best guy. We’ll be at dinner and he’ll say to the waiter (or) the waitress, he’ll say, ‘Wow, you have amazing eyelashes, eyes beautiful, excellent work.'”
Shepard explained Monday that what she was trying to say was that he was flirting with her by “tipping people a lot” and “complimenting people,” but that he wasn’t complimenting “hot young waitresses.”
“I find the guy who I think hasn’t gotten a compliment in a while and I tell him I love his shoes. It’s always something I want to make his day, and so those compliments flirt with Kristen.”
Shepard said that once Bell’s comments “went through the grinder,” they turned into a sort of “flirting with people in front of her.”
“Usually I can ignore (the rumors), but when we’re in year two, there’s a new one, so it just starts to make me think, ‘Oh, is this just my fucking role?’ » Like every four months, there is a news that I am a terrible man.
The longtime couple has found themselves in hot water over the years for speaking candidly about their marriage and parenting.
Last year, Bell faced intense backlash over her “tone-deaf” wedding anniversary post, in which she joked that Shepard promised he would “never kill her.”
“Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once told me, ‘I would never kill you. Many men have killed their wives at some point. Even though I have a strong incentive to kill you, I never will. ❤️,” she captioned the October 2025 upload.
Social media users quickly branded the post “bizarre” and “disturbing”, particularly because it was shared during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The National Network to End Domestic Violence even weighed in, telling Page Six: “There is nothing funny about domestic violence ‘jokes’ that trivialize the very real fear, trauma, and pain that millions of victims and survivors face every day.”
Shepard addressed the controversy in April, revealing he had “no idea” the post sparked such a strong reaction.
“I didn’t know, and Kristen knew through her publicist but didn’t tell me. So, actually, I didn’t know, and it was brought to my attention.”
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