Dax Shepard Reacts to Claims His, Kristen Bell's Marriage Is "Abusive"

Kristen Bell Says Dax Shepard Flirts With Her by Complimenting Other PeopleDax Shepard is setting the record straight. Two weeks after Kristen Bell shared that her husband flirts with her by complimenting their waiter or waitress while on a date, the Parenthood actor addressed misconceptions about their 13-year-old marriage. "Another round of me being a terrible person was in the media, and I avoided that," Shepard began on the Nov. 9 episode of his Armchair Expert podcast. "But then it hit Kristen's doorstep really hard, and then I got to find out everything that people are saying about me." He argued that there is "a level of unjustness" regarding the perception of his behavior, noting that there is "this weird narrative that is surrounding me as controlling, abusive, now flirting with people in public, which I don't do." The 51-year-old acknowledged that the way Bell—with whom he shares two daughters—explained their dynamic on the Oct. 26 episode of his podcast alongside her Nobody Wants This costars could have been misconstrued."I think she phrased it in a way that got intentionally, easily confused for people because we're saying I flirt with Kristen by tipping people a lot and I flirt with Kristen by complimenting people," Shepard said, "If you think I'm complimenting hot young waitresses, you got a problem." "I'm finding the dude that I don't think has had a compliment in a while and tell him I love his shoes," he clarified. "It's always somebody that I want to make their day. So those compliments are flirting with Kristen. But it got to be, when it went through the grinder, that I flirt with people in front of Kristen." The podcast host also shut down speculations that he abuses his wife or their kids. "For me, growing up around certain men who behaved a certain way, and then literally dedicating my whole life to being the opposite of all that," he shared, "I don't ever yell at my children. I don't swear at them. I don't yell at my wife. To have given it my all to be the opposite of what, now, some group of people is saying I am is hard."Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for MPTF"I find it deeply insulting to my wife, additionally," Shepard continued. "She's what? She's sitting in a house with her two daughters and modeling some abusive relationship? It's very offensive to her." Bell explained during the previous episode that she feels her husband is flirting with her by complimenting others and making them feel good. "If we go to a dinner or something, there's a couple things Dax does where he doesn't have to look up and wink at me, but I know that he's just being the best boy," she recalled. "We'll be at dinner and he'll say to the waiter, waitress, he'll go, 'Wow, you have incredible eyelashes, gorgeous eyes, great job.'" The Frozen star's heart totally melts when Shepard "actively smiles at people and gives them compliments." As Bell and Shepard try their best to tune out the critics, keep reading for a look back at their sweet romance.Instagram/Kristen BellAmourDax Shepard shared a kiss with daughters Lincoln and Delta, who were dressed in chic French-style ensembles that included striped tees and berets. Kristen Bell captioned the post in honor of her husband's birthday in January 2025, "I cannot imagine life without you."Instagram/Kristen BellBest BudsKristen had a rosy time going "flower farming" with her girls during a trip to S.E. Daugherty & Sons Farms in Nashville, Tenn., in July 2025. Instagram/Kristen BellSetting SailDelta and Lincoln took in the sunset view with their furry friend in summer 2025. As Kristen put it in her Instagram post, "Lake life : 5 out of 5 jalapeños."Instagram/Kristen BellSpreading the LoveThe Parenthood alum gave a kiss to his daughter while out to dinner.Instagram/Kristen BellMilestone MomentsKristen provided a glimpse at their family bond while honoring Dax's sobriety anniversary in September 2025. "This is what 21 years of sobriety looks like," she wrote. "Lots of hugging. Hugging everyone and everything. Hugging life. Thank you for getting sober, @daxshepard. I am eternally grateful to have you. We all are."Instagram/Kristen BellWarm EmbraceThe father-daughter duo cuddled during a sweet moment in another snap. Instagram/Kristen BellTough MomentsThe family got emotional while sharing an embrace at school.Instagram/Kristen BellBig GirlDax proved he's the ultimate girl dad while sharing a hug with his kiddo, clan in lemon pajamas. Instagram/Kristen BellFerry Impressive HugWhen his daughter got too tired on a boat outing, Dax carried her on his lap as he sat at the wheel. For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App