This story was somewhat complicated to me in that I thought Kristen Bell was responding to negative comments on an Instagram post she made about her husband, Dax Shepard. That would be understandable, but she responded to a comment on an Instagram post by an outlet called Pop Culture which has an some quotes from Dax. Apparently Dax is on Top Gear America, which exists despite Top Gear USA. (It’s like a reboot of that, which was a remake of the original British show. I don’t understand it either, but it has two seasons, the first of which which came out in 2017 on BBC America and it’s airing again this year, on the MotorTrend network.)
Dax premiered a mural on his van for that show which is an old school airbush. He told Pop Culture it was inspired by the movie 1977 Breaker Breaker, with Chuck Norris. However I googled the van art shown in that movie and it was just a big eagle so that doesn’t track. The mural shows Dax super buff and being grabbed on the leg by Kristen, which is a common movie poster trope called the Leg Cling. You can see the van art below. It’s kind of cool-looking but I get why Kristen isn’t a big fan. Dax told PopCulture that Kristen wasn’t thrilled with it, but it didn’t sound like she made a stink except for telling him not to keep it in the driveway.
“[The van] was inspired by Breaker Breaker, a Chuck Norris movie,” Shepard told PopCulture. “I’ve always loved those ’70s muraled up vans. I’ve wanted one. And my wife is pretty adamant that’s the one vehicle she doesn’t want in our driveway. But she wasn’t thrilled with the level of ‘female empowerment’ that was depicted in that mural. Understandably. And my kind of excuse was we had to honor the era in which this was popular. It didn’t fly.”
I don’t think I would want that in my driveway either, especially if I was famous because it would let everyone know that’s where I lived. Anyway, on the Instagram post for this article someone commented that these two seem like they hate each other. I mean we’ve heard them say they regularly go days without talking to each other, so it’s not a stretch to assume this. Plus Dax has been rude to Kristen on camera and they’re always talking about their problems. Kristen deigned to respond to this person and defended her relationship. Here’s what was said:
Comment: Every piece of news I see about them talks about how they just can’t f–ing stand each other, constantly fight, now this dude is apparently objectifying her as well. Just what’s the point? straight people are so tragic.
Kristen: We adore each other, we just try to always be honest about how marriage, or companionship in any form, is hard sometimes. You can’t always be in control, or right, and it’s important to us that we lead with the honesty of your “perfect match” being a myth. You gotta work hard to love yourself, and love other humans. Xo
[From Instagram via PopCulture]
“Straight people are so tragic.” Hard agree. I’m single, but that’s because my husband and I started arguing more than we got along and it felt bad so we got divorced. We tried counseling but it didn’t work. I’m way happier alone than with someone I had to work to be with. It also doesn’t mean we didn’t love each other, just that we couldn’t make it work. Nor does that mean that every relationship I have will be like that. While “perfect match” may be a myth, “someone you get along with better” is not.
I also would never air my business like this, but I’m not famous and I don’t depend on people paying attention to my personal life to make money. Why is she responding to a comment about a random short interview her husband did? There’s less than a paragraph of quotes from Dax and he calls Kristen’s objection to the van understandable. It feels like this was a big fight they had and she’s responding to that, not to what Dax actually said or what this person said particularly. This is very similar to other comments I’ve read about them and she must know that.
I would hand over my firstborn to have those two stop talking.
HA! I’d give up my second-born. He’s giving me the shits right now. I’m with you. No one will have anything to chip you about if you just shut the hell up. How have they not worked this out? It makes me think they like negative attention, too.
He seems insufferable. These two are getting a big fat People Magazine divorce eventually, it’s just a matter of when. At least I hope so, for Kristen’s sake.
He really is. I used to listen to his podcast and it’s clear that he’s one of those who think that being aware that he is awful makes it ok. He is deeply insecure about her success and he never misses an opportunity to bring it up. And get this, he is so jealous of the attention she gets when she uses his anecdote suggestions on talk shows that that he insists that she credit him for them. Remember all the attention she got for playing the sloth video on Ellen? That drove him crazy because she didn’t publicly acknowledge that it was his idea to bring the video. He admits this not just on his own podcast but I heard Justin Long raise it on his own podcast too.
Now maybe you are thinking that he was just joking. Well he also refused to help her prepare for her Kimmel hosting stint unless she officially hired him as a writer. He was dying inside as she got that gig. Jealousy.
And the most fascinating part of this marriage is that he co-opted her personal assistant/best friend and made her his co-host. Talk about SWF your own wife. Both women have discussed the strain thats created for their work relationship and friendship but obviously Kristen doesn’t want to impede her friends podcasting success. And now Dax has cultivated such a close relationship with this woman that shes basically a co-wife without the sex. In fact, he told her about his drug relapse before his wife and then had her in the room while he confessed to his wife. The audience comments on that episode were wild.
Kristen seems to accommodate his nonsense because he gaslights her about being tolerant of different approaches to marriage —- I’m not kidding about that either but this post is already too long.
Honestly, they do not seem to have a healthy dynamic, and he frequently comes across as mean to his wife, at least to me. The podcast thing with her assistant was and is sketchy as hell.
I don’t get what she sees in him. He seems to like bringing her down. And he’s obsessed with himself, it must be so exhausting.
I do believe she adores him, but it doesn’t seem like the same is true for him. She can be a little much, but I think she genuinely has a good heart and good intentions. And I just don’t get that same vibe from him.
Do go on. This is the most interesting thing I’ve read about them so far.
I like her as an actress, and she seems fine as a person too, from what I can tell. I couldn’t stand Dax’s character on “Parenthood” and I always felt like he was like that IRL too for some reason. I think she could do better. What’s the point if they’re so often in conflict?
Both of them are insufferable!
I can’t stand these two, and I do agree with the original comment. Straight people do keep up with this bit that’s it’s funny or cute to hate your partner. And that’s just not healthy. Of course you won’t get along all the time, but it shouldnt be hard work ALWAYS.
Also, I always think back to when they first started dating and Dax said something about how white trash Kristen is bc she’s from Michigan, and how he couldn’t believe she had stretch marks and cellulite. He’s so gross, I’ve never looked at him the same way after that.
He’s from Michigan too
Ewwww I have never liked him, but that’s awful. She seems a bit extra, but great and he just seems underwhelming next to her talents.
I’m from MI and along with those comments he’s over for me. Wth, he really said that about her when they were dating and she went on to marry and have kids with this dude?? So she looked like a NORMAL woman and he ripped her for it? That’s why me and so many women have body issues from a very young age because unattractive mediocre men say this shit and judge women by an impossible standard and it’s upheld everywhere and by women as well. These guys think that just because they have a dick they can look and act however they want and don’t need to improve themselves in any way. Ugh, gosh that just really got under my skin.
I’m also from Michigan and have had stretch marks from the age of 14 because I suddenly grew DD sized boobs over about six months, despite being small everywhere else. It’s something I used to be SO embarrassed and and self-conscious about. No man, or even boyfriend from high school, has ever commented on it, but I definitely internalized the whole “your entire body must be perfect and your skin must be flawless everywhere” message from somewhere anyways. If a boyfriend or man had ever even noticed/mentioned the stretch marks, let alone talked about how gross or unattractive they were, I probably would have cried for days and wouldn’t be able to get over it.
I’m 33 now and have belly stretch marks from having a baby, and while the boob stretch marks don’t bother me anymore, the belly ones still make me insecure sometimes, even though no one has ever even commented on them. So I can’t imagine how it would feel to have someone A) comment on them, B) comment on them negatively, and C) comment on them negatively in public during an interview
He sounds like the typical chauvinistic pig that has no self confidence so he takes it out on her. What she sees in him, I cannot and could not understand in a million years!! He reminds me Chris Pratt, both selfish and egotistical pathetic excuses for men. The most detrimental affects that these two men have, are their children. The boys will grow into men who openly are cruel, critical and emotionally abusive to their partners. The girls will grow to search out for men like their fathers as the emotional abusive behaviour will continue. These people are not a good match and the men need deep therapy and need to grow up and be accountable for their behaviour.
They irritate. Yes, they’re famous/personal life interest etc but their dynamic DOES seem off to me, a casual gossip site observer.
The throuple feel with them and Monica is also a concern of mine.
The Monica dynamic is sooo unhealthy. Not because they might be a thruple (although none of them have ever acknowledged that) but because Dax and Kirstin are her BOSSES. That is a huge red flag. Monica does not have any power in whatever relationship they may have going on.
She talks publicly about their relationship A LOT, and all for publicity and/or opportunities to make money. That’s her choice (I find it super cringe). But…if you’re going to talk publicly about how much hard work your relationship constantly is, people may publicly discuss it. She can’t have it both ways.
This!
no relationship should be that much work
Hard agree. Their marriage sounds exhausting.
I don’t think either of them would be happy with an easy, laid back marriage. They both seem to enjoy talking things to death and going to therapy and working to fit a square peg into a round hole. They’re kind of perfect for each other in that way. I can’t imagine anyone else would put up with them, though he seems a lot worse than her.
It’s kind of a saying- If you have to work that hard at a relationship, it’s NOT working.
“Straight people are so tragic. Hard agree”
??
Why are either of these comments ok, or necessary?
Yeah, that comment was definitely unnecessary.
It’s funny. And it’s punching up. It’s ok.
It sounds to me like you’re trying to claim heterophobia or something.
Straight culture (yes, it is a culture, just as there is a “gay culture”) has normalized hating your spouse, talking about how much work it is to be with them, etc. Think of all the male comedians whose entire careers are built on talking about how much they hate their annoying wives or how marriage is a trap. Think of all the women constantly talking about how useless and unhelpful their husbands are. It’s not to say that gay people don’t have relationship problems, obviously not — but the point is that straight culture has a cultural connotation of “putting up” with your partner, often to the point of wondering why the couple is even together to begin with, or there still being pressure on a woman to “make a marriage work” even though all signs point to the relationship just not being very healthy.
Gay people’s problems are often different in that dynamic since there aren’t gender roles in a traditional sense, and a gay celebrity couple can’t be as public regarding their problems since a large part of the population (the entire world is not as progressive) thinks of those relationships shouldn’t even exist or are abominations to begin with. Gay people couldn’t even get married in this country until 2015, so please get some perspective. That comment is a bit glib and offhand, but at its core it’s pinpointing the idea that straight people have patterns and relationships that may be worth interrogating, especially when gay people’s dynamics show that there are also ways to have relationships outside of gender expectations or stereotypes.
Agreeing with nerdista and peri here.
+1000. straight people are mostly tragic.
I can’t help but suspect that the way they “adore each other” is definitely going to give their kids some emotional trauma. As in, I genuinely think their kids would be better off if they just got an amicable divorce…and I say that as someone who believes in the institution of marriage.
I agree. I wonder if Kristen would want her daughters to emulate the same kind of relationship she has with Dax in their own lives when they get older. If the answer is no, then what does that say about her own relationship, despite her insisting that they adore each other?
Is that supposed to be them in the mural? It doesn’t look like her but the guy looks like Dax
I think my main objection to that van if I were her would be that she was made to look like Blake Lively. I’d be like why are you proudly displaying a 6′ tall leggy blonde clinging to you on a van in my driveway. Thankfully, though my marriage also is not perfect, my husband has COMMON SENSE and doesn’t intentionally try to provoke me like that.
Yeah, that van image would annoy the crap out of me (and I agree, I think it is intentional)
Do I understand this correctly? She commented on a post on a pop culture Instagram account? Lainey is right. These celebs are the biggest gossips in the world! They live for this drama.
He basically is abusive and she is passive aggressive. They are so toxic and yet we are meant to look at them as a solid couple. It’s gross. They are both so problematic.
That van art is something that you might kid around about – I could see my husband and I joking about it as a tacky present for him – but you would never actually get if you are in a healthy relationship.
Tacky 70s van – funny. Tacky airbrush art- funny. That specific art – not so funny.
It seems like a passive-aggressive dig at her when you put it in the context of ALL the comments they’ve made about how hard their marriage is and how difficult their communication seems to be.
He irks me so much. Once on a podcast he said that other people in Hollywood don’t like him or are intimidated by him because he reminds them of the high school quarterback (!!!) and that he made the Hollywood “nerds” feel bad about themselves. The notion that anyone would feel insecure because of his alleged physical prowess or beauty is so freaking ridiculous. Dax, you have a sun-damaged busted thumb face. No one is threatened by you!
For real?! Dude, get over yourself! You are not one of the Chris’s!!!!
Dax seems very envious of Kristen, which is unhealthy. Rumour has it that Dax is well hung. Is K dickmatized? I cannot fathom any other reason K would want to be with him.
Oh, my. That is some next level self-aggrandisement. For a man who’s spent as much time in 12 Step meetings as he has, that comment is shockingly lacking in self-awareness. As is most of the gaslighting bullshit he pulls on his wife, who desperately needs Alanon. Like, she needs to be going to a meeting a day for a YEAR, at least.
This relationship is toxic. If they want to keep working at it, to hang in there, hang on for dear life, remain hung up on an idea of something that no longer exists, if it ever did, then that’s what they’re going to do. But I’m sad to say there’s almost guaranteed to be a Big Celebrity Divorce in their future.
Maybe Kristen is the sort of woman who will pick herself up, dust herself off, and back away slowly so as not to draw out the uglier elements lying dormant in him, but which clearly do exist. I hope one day she’ll figure out how to get out of this gruesome mess and do it mostly unscathed… but that’s impossible. She’s so enmeshed with his poisonous branches, it’ll take years of therapy to get her cut loose of them all.
Way too many mixed metaphors in this comment… but it’s hard watching this happen and not saying anything at all.
AA should give seminars to other cults because they are clearly the most successful cult in the world. Even fundamentalist Christians don’t talk and behave with this level of missionary fervor. Not only does everyone who has ever looked twice at a glass of wine NEED to go, not only is it the ONLY possible way for anyone to get clean, now the spouses need to be going too. Every day for a year! Not a therapist, but AA. Truly amazing considering the wealth of data showing that it literally has a negative success rate, quitting alone with no counseling is actually more effective and long-lasting than meetings, and the psychological concepts behind the AA philosophy are archaic and just plain incorrect! Like so many others in the program, Dax hasn’t shed a single toxic behavior of belief except the actual consumption of alcohol, yet he’s an AA “success story”. What a bunch of absolute garbage. It’s shameful the way this cult has become an unquestionable element of American society.
Also he’s totally balding.