Kristen Bell Faces Huge Backlash For 'Tone Deaf' Anniversary Post to husband Dax Shepard Referencing Men Who 'Killed Their Wives'
Kirsten Bell has sparked fury on social media for an 'insensitive' post marking her 12th wedding anniversary to husband Dax Shepard.
Oct. 21 2025, Published 12:50 p.m. ET
Kristen Bell has been slammed for her "tone deaf" anniversary message to husband Dax Shepard.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Frozen star, 45, has come under fire for joking about "men killing their wives," especially as October is widely recognized as Domestic Abuse Awareness Month.
'Domestic Violence Isn't A Joke'
Bell's post sparked anger from social media users.
Bell took to Instagram to mark her 12th anniversary, showing her daughter sitting on Shepard's lap as he tightly embraces her. But it was her accompanying "insensitive" caption that landed her in hot water.
She wrote: "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.'"
Fans were quick to jump on her comment, including one social media user, who wrote, "Domestic violence isn't a joke."
Another added: "Kristen, there's no way you posted this during domestic violence awareness month."
A third commented: "Hey! I've been a fan for a while. I just wanted to say that please don't joke about domestic violence," and added, "please keep in mind that this is something real that lots of people suffer on a daily basis. And the text could be triggering for victims."
'Wildly Insensitive'
Bell paid tribute to her husband by joking about how he has no intention of 'killing' her.
"That's a wildly sad and insensitive thing to say," a fourth chimed in, while a fifth agreed: "Incredibly insensitive! I'm just shocked she posted this.”
Others went even further, warning, "Not funny at all. What kind of man says that to his wife? Oh, wait, I know exactly what kind. Get out now, Kristen."
"Domestic violence isn't a joke," another person commented, while one wrote bluntly, "Congrats on 12 years, but worldwide, a woman is killed every ten minutes by her partner."
A longtime fan added a more measured plea: "Please don't joke about domestic violence. It's something real that lots of people suffer from on a daily basis. The text could be triggering for victims."
Bell's caption triggered a flurry of angry reactions on social media.
Despite the backlash, Bell has not yet responded to the criticism or deleted the post.
The couple first met in 2004 at a friend's birthday dinner, though Bell once admitted her first impression of the Armchair Expert host wasn't exactly love at first sight.
Bell Reveals How She First Met Shepard
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The 'Frozen' star admitted she had 'no chemistry' with Shepard when they first met.
"That guy from Punk'd talks so much. Woah, he's chatty," she recalled during a June 2024 appearance on SiriusXM's Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson & Woody Harrelson (Sometimes). "We had no chemistry that night."
They reconnected three years later at a hockey game, and that's when sparks flew, thanks to a surprisingly unsanitary (and bold) move.
"He asked me for a piece of gum," Bell explained. "I said, 'No, just this,' and kind of coyly took it out of my mouth. And he grabbed it from me and goes, 'I'll take it.' Then he put it in his mouth, and I was like, this guy wants to f--k me. After that, I was absolutely smitten."
