Inside Kristen Bell And Dax Shepard’s Volatile Marriage

Kristen Bell stirred up a wave of controversy with a recent Instagram post, and it is shedding new light on her complicated marriage with Dax Shepard.

The actress, who has always been honest about her personal life, shocked fans with a dark anniversary joke that quickly landed her in hot water.

Now, insiders are revealing what has really been happening behind the scenes of one of Hollywood’s most talked-about marriages.

Kristen Bell shocked fans this week with a controversial Instagram tribute celebrating her 12th wedding anniversary with Dax Shepard.

She shared a photo of them hugging on a bed, along with a caption that revealed words her husband said to her.

“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,” the caption read.

The post, meant as humor, quickly backfired. Many fans called it “tone deaf” and “insensitive,” especially since it came during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

A few days later, insiders told the Daily Mail that Bell likely didn’t realize how offensive it would sound.

One source claimed, “Her humor can go dark and sometimes be funny. But she’s oblivious to people’s feelings and will say anything at any time.”

They echoed fans’ sentiments, calling the post “tone deaf” and a perfect representation of the 45-year-old’s personality.

Behind their playful social media presence, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard’s marriage has been anything but calm.

Sources described their relationship as “volatile,” revealing that even small disagreements can spiral into days of silence.

Bell herself once opened up about a brutal argument that left her “blacked out” and not speaking to the actor for three days.

During a 2020 appearance on Justin Long’s “Life Is Short” podcast, she recalled their “top of the lungs screaming” fight over house chores.

Bell said she had left a simple note asking Shepard to fold towels, which he took as “controlling.”

“We both blacked out and got into a fight,” she said. “A lot of harsh words being thrown around. I grabbed my pillow, stomped down the hall, and slept in the front room crying.”

Despite their explosive moments, the Emmy Award winner said they always find a way to reconnect, and at that time, it was through adopting a rescue dog named Frank.

Bell has never hidden the fact that therapy is a cornerstone of her marriage. An insider credited couple’s therapy as the glue holding the duo together.

“Couple’s therapy has been the main reason they haven’t broken up,” the source said.

Shepard’s past struggles with addiction and Bell’s emotional intensity have made counseling essential to keeping them together.

In a chat on Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson’s podcast in June 2024, the “Nobody Wants This” star revealed that they began therapy just six months into their relationship.

“We went to therapy a lot our first and second year, because we’re both really stubborn,” she said. A few years prior, Bell noted that during the pandemic, when they were at each other’s throats, therapy “brushed up” their marriage.

“Every couple of years, we’re like, ‘We’re being antagonistic toward each other. We go back to therapy and figure out what I’m not doing that’s best for you and what you’re doing that’s best for me,” she told PEOPLE in 2021.

Kristen Bell’s openness has also invited endless rumors about her marriage.

Shepard was forced to deny claims that they were “Hollywood swingers,” telling “The Drew Barrymore Show” in September 2024 that it was simply a “tabloid story.”

Still, their unusual bond with Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” co-host, Monica Padman, has fueled speculation for years.

In 2021, Padman joked on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that she was part of a “three-way marriage” with the couple, which the comedian quickly clarified wasn’t sexual.

Beyond gossip, Bell has stood by her man through darker moments.

When he relapsed after 16 years of sobriety in 2020, he confessed he’d been secretly taking painkillers. “I felt terrible about the lying,” he admitted.