Dax Shepard just reminded everyone why he’s the ultimate ride-or-die husband.
During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, the Parenthood star revisited one of the most jaw-dropping (and oddly sweet?) stories from his marriage to Kristen Bell: the time he physically unclogged her milk duct during breastfeeding by sucking it out himself.
A Sucker For Love
"Let’s just say that I extracted mastitis and we’ll leave everyone’s imagination to wander," Shepard said, as Barrymore visibly recoiled and the audience leaned all the way in.
“It is not easy and not rewarding,” he admitted. “I mean, it is, to know that you’ve helped your partner, but other than that, it’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s down in the trenches, you know?”
Bell — who shares daughters Lincoln, 12, and Delta, 10, with Shepard — was quick to defend the, ahem, unorthodox move.
“I realised the level of commitment that this man had to me,” she said during the interview, gently stroking his face in full gratitude.
This isn’t the first time Bell has talked about the incident. Back in 2018, she dropped jaws when she told the story on an episode of Momsplaining.
“I said to my husband: ‘I really need you to suck this out. We could talk about it, we could be weird about it, or you could just go ahead and nurse,’” she explained. “He pulled it out. He had a cup next to him. He was pulling out and spitting into this cup, and I’ve never been more in love in my life.”
Bell later doubled down on the effectiveness of the method in a recent Momsplaining sit-down with Katie Lowes: “It works.”
Lactation experts actually agree. Leigh Anne O’Connor, a certified lactation consultant, told Self that it’s not uncommon for partners to be recruited for relief in extreme cases of mastitis. “It can be hard to suck effectively, but it can be done,” she said. "If your baby is not nursing or is not nursing well, or pumping hasn't helped, a partner might do an efficient job of clearing the plug."
A Cheeky Emmy Celebration
Shepard’s very literal support for Bell isn’t just limited to clogged ducts — the couple continues to go all-in for each other’s wins.
Just last week, Shepard marked Bell’s 2025 Emmy nomination with an Instagram post that had fans doing double takes. The Frozen and The Good Place actress was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Joanne in Nobody Wants This.
Shepard celebrated the moment by sharing a snap of Bell in their backyard doing full-on downward dog wearing nothing but knee-high bright blue socks.
“People might not know everything that happens behind the scenes in order to create an Emmy nominated performance like Kristen’s,” he wrote. “This may or may not have been a part of her training, but it felt right. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!”
Bell’s own Instagram was more subdued — kind of. She posted photos of her and series creator Erin Foster reacting to the news mid-Zoom call, eyes wide and mouths agape. “Finding out I was nominated for an Emmy — finding out @erinfoster was nominated for an Emmy!!!!” she captioned the post.
The show itself also nabbed an Outstanding Comedy Series nod, and co-star Adam Brody landed a nomination for his role as Rabbi Noah Roklov. Bell’s competition this year includes heavy hitters like Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Uzo Aduba (The Residence), Jean Smart (Hacks), and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear).
Shepard, ever the cheerleader, dropped into Bell’s comments with: “May you only listen to 'Strut' by Steven Seagal all day long. You’ve earned it!!!!”
From Clogged Ducts to Emmy noms: The Shepard-Bell love story
Bell and Shepard have been together since 2007, meeting at a dinner party and officially tying the knot in 2013 once same-sex marriage was legalized in California — a decision they held out for in solidarity.
Now, more than a decade and two kids later, they’re still going strong, still oversharing, and somehow still managing to keep it weird and romantic.
Whether it's unclogging milk ducts or posting pantsless celebration pics, one thing is clear: there is no such thing as too much information when it comes to Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard — and we wouldn't have it any other way.