Hollywood Showdown: Dax Shepard and Eric Dane’s AA Meeting Nearly Turned Into a Brawl
Here’s a millennial PSA: even in a room meant for healing, Hollywood egos can flare. Dax Shepard, now a proud sober dad of two and host of the Armchair Expert podcast, recently spilled on his June 23 episode with Brad Pitt about how a casual AA gathering turned almost violent when he first met Grey’s Anatomy alum Eric Dane. According to Shepard, back when both were struggling—him with alcohol, Dane with painkillers—they locked horns over the meeting’s timer. “Eric threatened a dude in the meeting, and I said, ‘Let’s go, motherf––er,’” Shepard recalled, admitting he was “not in the best space” and might not have even been sober at the time.
The tension escalated when Dane snapped at Shepard for messing with that timer, warning, “If you hit that timer again, I’m gonna f––king throw you in that candle.” Shepard fired back, “Stand up, let’s go outside.” They both rose, ready to duke it out in the parking lot—ironically, still at an AA event dedicated to “healing and understanding.” Thankfully, their sponsor intervened and brokered peace before any punches were thrown. What started as a near-altercation morphed into unexpected camaraderie when Shepard admitted, “I hated you for so long, but I’ve come to really love you,” to which Dane confessed he felt the same.
Over the years, this once-potential feud has blossomed into a genuine friendship. Shepard, 50, credits Dane’s honesty for breaking through his defenses, while Dane, 52, appreciates Shepard’s vulnerability. Both have since gone public about their journeys—Shepard focusing on alcohol sobriety and family life with wife Kristen Bell and daughters Lincoln, 11, and Delta, 10, and Dane opening up about his battle with painkillers and life with wife Rebecca Gayheart and daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.
If you thought that was the only celebrity spat in town, think again. Queer Eye’s Tan France and design guru Bobby Berk quietly addressed rumors of a backstage rift earlier this year. In January 2024, Berk told Vanity Fair they’d be “fine,” clarifying the issue was a “personal” matter unrelated to the show. France later denied plotting to replace Berk, stressing Netflix ran a full casting process. And don’t sleep on Charmed lore—Shannen Doherty and Alyssa Milano reignited old feud chatter when Holly Marie Combs alleged Alyssa once forced producers to choose between them back in 2001, leading to Doherty’s exit.
Celebrity drama is never far from center stage, even when recovery rooms turn into boxing rings. If this saga trends, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Anyway, that’s the low-key chaos—take it or leave it.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online, Armchair Expert podcast, Vanity Fair
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
