People tend to have very strong opinions about Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell, individually and collectively. To me they seem like a well-suited couple, united in an off-kilter (at times off-putting) sense of humor and some other polarizing beliefs. Cher, by contrast, is a goddess beloved by all (ALL I tell you!). Cher and Kristen both survived starred in Burlesque, where apparently they hit it off as friends. So on Monday Cher was the guest on Dax’s Armchair Expert podcast (sidenote: the show may win the first Golden Globe for podcasts on Sunday), and Kristen sat in for this interview with her costar/friend. There’s a clip that’s going viral, where Dax claims that Cher has always thought Kristen could do better, and asks Cher to name who she thinks would be a better match for Kristen. Naturally, Cher had a fabulous response, delivering a backhanded compliment to Dax in her own inimitable fashion:
“Who would be your dream partner for her? Cause I know you think she could do better, and I don’t disagree,” Shepard said of his wife, Bell, who appeared during the episode.
While Cher didn’t have another person in mind for the Nobody Wants This star, she noted, “The truth is, I trust her. So you must have something that I don’t see.”
Cher first met Bell while filming 2010’s Burlesque, when she and Shepard were already engaged. They officially tied the knot in 2013 and share daughters Lincoln, 12, and Delta, 11.
“We got along so well, and we were very simpatico, and I respected her a lot,” Cher said of meeting Bell alongside costars Christina Aguilera and Stanley Tucci. “I didn’t know who she was, but she was good.”
Shepard decided to plead his case, telling the Grammy winner, “I’ll tell you the thing that you should like about me. I’m not threatened by her shining. Love it. The shinier she gets, the better.”
Cher noted that her longtime boyfriend Alexander “AE” Edwards has a similar trait, saying, “Alexander is that way too. The more I shine, the more he has fun.”
Bell referred to it as, “Guys who polish you so you shine more.”
At the end of their conversation, Shepard told Cher, “I adore you, and I understand nobody’s good enough for her.”
Bell told her costar that Shepard is “almost too good for me,” calling him a “slow burn.”
“You seem like a good dad,” Cher told Shepard, to which bell replied that Shepard is “the best dad there ever was.”
“I put on a good show when the guests are here,” Shepard joked of his parenting skills. “That was the first hug I’d given my daughter in two years. Just because you were here. I wanted to impress you.”
Ok, it’s one thing to read “The truth is, I trust her. So you must have something that I don’t see.” But you simply must witness Cher speaketh this line in motion. She CANNOT get through to the end without laughing her ass off! It happens right at “something that I don’t see,” and is coupled with an intonation and facial expression that conveys, “I can’t possibly imagine what that something could be, and man are you good at hiding it!” And at this point Kristen starts laughing and covers her face with her hand. For his part, Dax doesn’t act offended at all, and you could say he takes the dig gracefully. But I’m not letting him off that easily, cause you know what he doesn’t say after Cher’s comment? THANK YOU. When Cher gives you the gift of her focus, be it for praise, pillory, or prank, I say the only appropriate response is gratitude! She’s Cher, bitch!
PS — “Guys who polish you so you shine more” is just not rubbing me the right way.
Cher believes Kristen Bell deserves better than her husband, Dax Shepard. 👀 pic.twitter.com/mXhEAqoTWp
— New York Post (@nypost) January 5, 2026
Photos credit: Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com/Avalon, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Getty
I saw the clip and it seemed tense to me. Like something Dax would use to pick a fight later and Kristen was bracing for it. He was way too aggressive with this line of questioning. And he threw out Brad Pitt’s name as a contender, which is yucky.
Oh man. Back during my commuting days, I listened to a heavy rotation of podcasts, and Armchair Expert was high among them. “Expert on Expert” has some really fascinating episodes with non-celebrities — HIGHLY recommended (FBI profilers! Sociopathy experts!) The celebrity interviews are unbearable, though — Dax’s desire to relate to his interviewees comes across more as a desperation to be seen like them — it’s cringey.
That being said.
Dax does seem incredibly sincere, eager to be honest and introspective, and genuinely curious about the world. Those qualities are so special and so rare together. And he does seem like an incredible dad. Honestly, addicts-in-recovery are some of my favorite people, because they are willing to dig deep into themselves and the world to find commonalities and patterns.
I don’t know where I’m going with this, but I do think he gets a lot of unearned $hit.
I was entertained during the early episodes of Armchair episodes, but after listening to the Casey Affleck episode, his podcast and anything related to Dax were a big HELL NO. Hearing Dax and his sidekick defend and kiss up to Casey all throughout the episode had Casey himself was distancing himself from the fawning (Casey appeared on the podcast after sexual assault allegations from his movie’s DP and producer. I listened initially to the episode to hear how Dax would try to get through the big elephant in the issue. Verdict: he kissed ass like crazy). It was so effin gross. Dax’s female(!!) sidekick even went so far as to claim that women are out there making shit up about SA.
Maybe Cher laughed because she was making a d*ck joke?
That’s where my mind went, too.
It’s clear Dax is bothered that Cher thinks that Kristen could do better. If both were secure in their relationship this wouldn’t be a discussion.
Of course Amy Schumer divorced her husband. She was constantly and continually putting him down and snide to him. She knew he was on the spectrum when she married him. I can’t stand her. I hope he finds a nice and kind girlfriend after doing his stint in hell.
And yes, love Cher, and love that everybody loves her.