Dax Shepard Responds to Claims He’s ‘Controlling’ Toward Wife Kristen Bell

Celebrity couples often find their private lives dissected by the public, and few know that better than this beloved Hollywood pair. Now, one half of the duo is opening up about the toll the latest wave of rumors has taken on him and his family.

Dax Shepard is setting the record straight about the dynamic of his marriage to Kristen Bell. The actor and comedian, 51, pushed back against accusations that he is abusive and controlling toward the "Good Place" actress.

Shepard addressed the claims during the November 9 episode of his podcast, "Armchair Expert," where he spoke candidly about how the criticism had spilled over into his wife's life.

"Another round of me being a terrible person was in the media, and I avoided that," he said. "But then it hit Kristen's doorstep really hard, and then I got to find out everything that people are saying about me."

According to Shepard, what troubled him most was the "abusive" label being attached to his name. He voiced his frustration, saying, "[The] weird narrative that is surrounding me as like controlling, abusive, now flirting with people in public, which I don't do."

The "Parenthood" star said the claims are especially upsetting because he has dedicated his "whole life to being the opposite" of the abusive men he grew up around.

"I don't ever yell at my children. I don't yell at my wife," he said. "To have given it my all to be the opposite of what now some group of people is saying I am, it's hard."

Beyond the personal sting, Shepard added that he finds the characterization "deeply insulting" to Bell, saying, "She's what, she's sitting in a house with her two daughters and modeling some abusive relationship? Like, it's very offensive to her."

Shepard's remarks come two weeks after Bell sparked conversation about the couple's unconventional approach to flirting. During her own appearance on "Armchair Expert," Bell revealed that Shepard flirts with her by paying compliments to other people.

"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 said. "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.'"

"But that's flirting with me because he just made someone else feel good," Bell added.

As Shepard later suggested, not everyone interpreted her words the way she intended. On Monday's episode, he set out to clarify what Bell meant by her comments.

"I think she phrased it in a way that got easily confused for people," he explained. "Because we're saying, I flirt with Kristen by tipping people a lot. And I flirt with Kristen by complimenting people."

The comedian then went on to describe exactly who tends to be on the receiving end of his kind words.

"If you think I'm complimenting like hot young waitresses, yeah, you got a problem," Shepard continued. "I'm finding the dude that I don't think's had a compliment in a while and tell him I love his shoes. It's always somebody that I want to make their day."

Still, the ongoing scrutiny has clearly weighed on him. Shepard noted that he can usually "brush off" what the public is saying about him, "but when we're now on year two of [this], [where] there's a new [thing], then it just starts making me think like, 'Oh, is this now my [expletive] role?'"

He shared that the narrative that he's a "terrible man" makes him want to "go away."