Kristen Bell is under fire for what many fans have called a “deeply inappropriate” and “tone-deaf” anniversary tribute to her husband Dax Shepard.
The Nobody Wants This actress, 45, shared a photo with Shepard, 50, over the weekend to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary, but her caption left followers stunned.
“Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once said to me: ‘I would never kill you. A lot of men have killed their wives at a certain point. Even though I'm heavily incentivized to kill you, I never would,’” Bell wrote.
Within minutes, the post drew widespread criticism from fans who accused Bell of making light of intimate partner violence, particularly jarring given that October marks National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Fans call out “tone-deaf” timing
“Timing and tone really matter, especially with sensitive topics,” one X user wrote.
Another added: “Kristen Bell thinking it was OK to post this to her 16 million followers during Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, when a woman is killed by a man she knows every 10 minutes, is insane.”
On Instagram, commenters expressed similar outrage. “That’s a wildly sad and insensitive thing to say considering it’s domestic violence awareness month and thousands of women have died at the hands of men they trusted,” one person wrote, via Daily Mail.
Another added: “This is tone-deaf and offensive during any month.”
Others were more direct: “Domestic violence isn’t a joke,” one user wrote. “Congrats on 12 years, but worldwide, a woman is killed every ten minutes by her partner. #StopViolenceAgainstWomen.”
One longtime fan urged Bell to reconsider her words, writing: “Please don’t joke about domestic violence. The text could be triggering for victims.”
Another commenter pointed to sobering statistics: “The number one cause of death for pregnant women is their partner. Super tone-deaf, hun.”
As of now, Bell has not responded to the backlash or deleted the post, though, she has since posted a further image to her Instagram account where she's debuting her outfits for an upcoming press tour.
Inside Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard’s relationship
Bell and Shepard first met in 2004 at a friend’s birthday dinner, though sparks didn’t immediately fly. “That guy from Punk’d talks so much. Woah, he’s chatty,” Bell joked during a 2024 interview on SiriusXM’s Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson & Woody Harrelson. “We had no chemistry that night.”
They reconnected three years later at a hockey game, where, according to Bell, things took an unexpectedly flirty turn. “He asked me for a piece of gum,” she recalled. “I said, ‘No, just this,’ and coyly took it out of my mouth. He grabbed it from me and said, ‘I’ll take it,’ then popped it in his mouth. I thought, this guy wants to f*** me. After that, I was absolutely smitten.”
Though Shepard briefly got cold feet and ended things, he called Bell four days later, admitting he’d made “a big mistake.”
The pair went on to become one of Hollywood’s most candid couples, often speaking openly about therapy, mental health, parenting, and marriage.
Bell has frequently praised her husband, saying every new discovery about him “leaves [her] more and more impressed," saying: “He’s so protective, loyal, curious, and constantly challenging himself,” she said.
The couple tied the knot in 2013 in a low-key ceremony at a Beverly Hills courthouse after Bell re-proposed to Shepard. They share two daughters, Lincoln, 11, and Delta, nine, per E! Online.