Kristen Bell is ‘beyond proud’ of Dax Shepard, who thanks fans for support

Late last week, Dax Shepard revealed that he’d relapsed after 16 years of sobriety. He told the story on his podcast about how he had been buying and secretly taking opioids after his prescription ran out for a recent motorcycle injury. At that point he was seven days sober and detoxing. He was talking to his co-producer and podcast co-star, Monica Padman, and I mentioned That Dax sounded much more concerned about the effects on Monica of his relapse than he did his family. He barely mentioned his wife, Kristen Bell, or their two daughters. Some people postulated that the podcast is about Monica since she’s Dax’s costar and his audience is invested in her, but it just seemed strange to me. We talked about this in our weekly Celebitchy Zoom meeting and the consensus was that Dax is very self absorbed and that both Dax and Kristen are codependent on Monica. Both of them have called her their soulmate, which sounds really messed up to me since she’s their employee. What’s more is that Monica really sucked up to Dax in that episode I listened to. It was striking to me.

Anyway Dax has since put out another podcast. I didn’t listen to it, I have trash TV to catch up on (I’ve been bingeing Alone on Netflix and Hulu I love it!), but I’m sure some of you did and have more informed opinions than me. I’m only being a little sarcastic, I do feel less qualified to write about this than people who listen to Armchair Expert every week. Dax thanked everyone for their support, which he said he felt undeserving of. Here’s more of what he said, via People:

“I want to say thanks to all the people that have been so unbelievably lovely to us in response to ‘Day 7,'” Shepard, 45, said during Monday’s episode of his Armchair Expert podcast.

The Parenthood star’s co-host, Monica Padman, then chimed in to say that she hopes Shepard feels “loved and supported” and that his fears were “abated.”

Shepard expressed that he’s felt a sense of relief, saying, “My fears were the opposite of what the result was,” before he admitted that he’s “struggling with some fraudulent feelings of receiving love based on a f— up.”

“But, at any rate, I am really, really grateful, and there’s so many beautiful, nice people,” Shepard shared.

The actor went on to clarify that when he shaved his head earlier this month, he was not “high.” (PEOPLE reported on Sept. 17 that Shepard gave himself a new hairdo to match his daughter’s “specific haircut.”)

“A lot of people said, ‘I could see you were high as a kite,’ ” Shepard said on the podcast. “I actually was not. I was having a metamorphosis, transitional — I wanted to make a physical statement that I was shedding something.”

[From People]

By being so open and honest about his struggle Dax has helped a lot of people. We’ve lost so many people to opiate addiction and it’s torn apart families and broken so many hearts. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but it’s absolutely not. There’s the pain of losing someone when they pass from an overdose, but you also lose addicts psychologically as they become a different person.

Us has some insider quotes about how Kristen was in the dark about Dax’s relapse. They say she’s very proud of him for tackling his addiction and being open about it.

“Dax chose to keep this a secret from Kristen because he felt so ashamed at the time and didn’t want to hurt her,” the insider tells Us. “They have such a strong marriage and have always been there for each other through thick and through thin.”

[Dax] knew his reveal “would be devastating” to the Good Place alum, 40, so he had tried to handle it alone first.

“Eventually, he couldn’t hide it from her any longer and he had to come clean. She was nothing but supportive and there’s no blame or anger on her side – just love, care and determination to get through this together,” the source continues. “Her heart aches for Dax after what he went through with his dad, and she’s beyond proud of him for turning his life around whilst openly addressing his demons head-on…

“They’re both fully confident everything will be OK, but they’re taking nothing for granted,” the source tells Us. “Dax knows there will be hurdles and difficulties ahead. Thankfully he’s a guy blessed with incredible courage, a strong sense of focus and his dream soulmate to count on 24/7. He’s working the steps and feels nothing but grateful – especially if he can be a voice to help others and ultimately save lives.”

[From US Magazine]

Kristen has always been supportive of Dax’s sobriety and his attendance at AA, she’s talked about it for years, and I believe these quotes about how they’re doing now. I’m sure they’re fighting over stupid sh-t like they always do too.

Kristen recently Instagrammed this photo of Dax and one of their lazy dogs. This is cute. You know how I feel about these two. I also want sobriety for everyone who needs it.

View this post on Instagram

My 2 favorite guys.💜 Cc @packlife_la

A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on

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14 Responses to “Kristen Bell is ‘beyond proud’ of Dax Shepard, who thanks fans for support”

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  1. lucy2 says:

    I wish him a lot of luck and support in his recovery. I hope Kristen has outside support as well.

  2. morningjacket says:

    If anyone is looking for help with sobriety and/or interested in Sober October, Tempest, Holly Whitaker’s online sobriety platform, is hosting a free Sober October program. I highly recommend not only her book (Quit Like a Woman) but Tempest itself and the resources they advocate. I am not an employee, just someone who really appreciates the work she does!

    • TaraBest says:

      Thanks for sharing this! I wanted to share this info on the last post where people were talking about AA being too male dominated/focused, but I’ve not used Tempest myself, only heard about it. I didn’t feel right recommending something I’ve not participated in, but it’s great to hear that you’ve found it helpful!

    • Celebitchy says:

      How do I get it free? The stuff I see requires a membership.

    • tammy says:

      Would these be good for the spouse of an addict?

      • morningjacket says:

        I have used Tempest as the daughter of a very serious, abusive alcoholic. It is helpful in acknowledging your own feelings about alcohol and other substances and learning how to live free of any substances by creating a life that you don’t need to escape. I would honestly recommend heading over to The Temper (a separate website full of helpful information) or picking Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker.

    • MM2 says:

      You can also check out a podcast Holly Whitaker did with Laura McKowen called Home.

  3. HeyThere! says:

    I’m a fan of armchair expert. I saw the episode pop up and was hurt for him. You could hear the pain in his voice. Big hugs to their family. The thing about recovery is you are never ‘over it’, you have a life long battle.

  4. Polly says:

    Is their bed two separate mattresses?! Brilliant!

    • ReignbowGirl says:

      Because Mr. ReignbowGirl is a tall drink of water, and I really like my space for sleeping, we’ve always had a king sized bed. However, we had duvet issues: He likes to wrap it over the end of his feet, and I sleep like a shrimp with the covers up to my ears. I solved this problem a few years ago with two twin sized duvets, and our next bed upgrade will be two twin mattresses next to each other so can each truly have the bed we want. And maybe, just maybe, have a good night of sleep!

    • E.D. says:

      I think they have one of those ‘Sleep Number’ beds as it’s a sponsor on his podcast and in the advert for it he mentions his own personal sleep number.
      They do look incredible I must say.

  5. NeoCleo says:

    He has always bothered me. Something about his face. His whole face.