Why Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard’s 17-Year Marriage Defies Hollywood Odds
Oh great, another perfect celebrity couple to feel mildly inadequate about. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have been coasting through Hollywood for 17 years, yet somehow they still manage to look like your best friends on a road trip rather than a tabloid disaster waiting to happen. It all started in 2007 when Bell met Shepard and thought he just would not stop talking—possibly mistaking him for one of those Jackass guys. Fast forward through a second impression at a hockey game, a gum-request handshake, and a respectful early breakup, and suddenly these two were inseparable.
Bell, who is now a 2025 Emmy nominee for her Netflix series Nobody Wants This, and Shepard, the mastermind behind the Armchair Expert podcast, are as Hollywood as it gets. But unlike most A-listers, they actually talk about trust, therapy, and real emotions. Bell told E! News correspondent Will Marfuggi that she sleeps easier knowing that even if Dax makes out with the most beautiful person on set, he is coming home to his real family. Yes, you read that right—she cheered him on during his smooch with Minka Kelly on Parenthood, quipping “Yes. Get it. We’re married, we’re not dead.” And when Bell filmed a steamy scene with Adam Brody in Nobody Wants This, Shepard’s response was “Oh my god, I want you to kiss him so badly.” That is genuine partnership, folks.
Before you roll your eyes, know that this duo still fights. They’ve been in “incredibly toxic” patterns, have almost broken up more than once, and they go to couples counseling to keep that spark from turning into a flatline. They credit their emotional self-awareness and mutual support for being able to laugh at themselves and at each other most of the time. Bell admits that the reason she gave Shepard her number at that game was that she wanted to keep her options open. Shepard’s respectful breakup two months into dating only broke her heart enough to make her value his honesty in the long run.
Their relationship reads like a rom-com you wish Hollywood would actually produce: two flawed people who talk, listen, and put in the work. Bell says she appreciates that Shepard “really strives to be a great husband and father.” Shepard returns the love by rooting for her victories on and off the screen. They are far from perfect and proudly admit it—maybe that’s the secret. In an industry built on image and gossip, these two have managed to stay real without going off the rails.
So there you go, another celebrity romance that actually seems to work because they treat each other like adults rather than co-stars in a never-ending drama. And if you’re still waiting for the other shoe to drop, well, keep checking the tabloids. You might just be disappointed.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, eTalk, Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum, Sunday Sitdown With Willie Geist
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
