THE BAD PLACE

A-Lister’s Husband Raises Eyebrows With Bizarre Marriage Confession

The comments have shocked fellow celebrities and fans.

Kristen Bell’s husband has come under fire for the eyebrow-raising tactic he uses to “flirt” with his wife.

Bell, 46, was a guest on the Oct. 26 episode of her husband’s podcast, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. Other guests included her Nobody Wants This season 3 co-stars Adam Brody, Justine Lupe, and Timothy Simons.

In the episode, the Emmy-nominated actress said her husband of 13 years flirts with her “a lot” by giving attention to other people.

“We’ll be at dinner and like he’ll say to the waiter or waitress, he’ll go, ‘Wow, you have incredible eyelashes, gorgeous eyes. Great, great job,’” she said.

“He doesn’t have to look up and wink at me, but I know that he’s just being the best boy,” Bell said.

Many faces in the studio looked confused, and Brody and Shepard’s co-host, Monica Padman, asked how that counted as flirting with Bell.

“That’s flirting with me, because he just made someone else feel good,” Bell said.

“Let’s say it is a girl,” she continued. “He’s going to have zero interaction with this girl for the rest of his life. The chances of him ever having another conversation with her are so microscopic. But to me, to know that my partner actively smiles at people and gives them compliments…”

Others in the studio remained silent, besides Padman, who said Bell has “such an angel soul.”

Shepard and Bell met in 2007 at a mutual friend’s birthday party and married in 2013 at the Beverly Hills courthouse. They share two children, Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11.

Online, people expressed their opinions of the unconventional marriage confession.

One person wrote on Threads, “Nah because [what the f---]. Someone get her out. I’ve heard enough.”

The post got over 22,700 likes. Commenters said Bell was “in The Bad Place,” referencing her hit sitcom The Good Place, in which The Bad Place is the show’s version of hell.

“Convincing your wife that you flirting with the waitress is somehow actually flirting with you is next-level gaslighting,” one comment with over 22,500 likes read.

Some commenters pointed out that there are other ways to make people feel good about themselves, like telling them he appreciates them and their work.

“When I was a waitress I would HATE when men did this,” one person wrote. “He’s not making anyone feel good. He’s making someone doing a job for tips feel uncomfortable…”

Some less popular comments defended Shepard, saying the 51-year-old’s compliments weren’t sexual and that his celebrity status probably made the people he complimented feel special.

Further in the episode, Shepard said he draws the line at complimenting other people’s lips.

“You’ve never done anything that’s felt even borderline,” Bell said. “Like you’ll point out if someone has great eyebrows or great cheekbones or great… You know what I mean?”

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The couple gave an example of when Shepard first met one of Bell’s friends and complimented her eyebrows.

“That’s why it makes me fluttery inside,” she said. “That’s why it gives me butterflies because everyone saw it. He’s the only one that said it. Maybe she hadn’t had a compliment today.”

The couple’s marriage has faced criticism over comments Shepard made before: In February, The Cut published “I Love My Husband Who Hates Me” following a viral clip from Shepard’s podcast in which he asked Cher to describe her “dream partner” for his wife because “I know you think she could do better, and I don’t disagree.”

Bell’s comments have also sparked controversy. In 2025, the Veronica Mars star dedicated an anniversary post to Shepard, writing, “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.’❤️"

She turned comments off after fans flooded the post with negative responses.

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Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

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