Kristen Bell is gearing up to return in Nobody Wants This Season 2 this week, but the actress has made the headlines for an altogether different reason: a controversy over an anniversary post with her husband and fellow actor, Dax Shepard.
Nobody Wants This did the business for Netflix when it landed last September, earning 15.9 million views in its first full week. The rom-com series stars Bell and Adam Brody as an agnostic sex podcaster and a newly single rabbi who, despite their differences, fall in love.
It was so successful that Netflix soon ordered a Season 2, which will drop on the streaming service on October 23, 2025. But this is far from the only hit Bell’s been involved in, with credits including Veronica Mars, The Good Place, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Behind the camera, Bell is married to Dax Shepard, who she shares two daughters with. Over the weekend, she took to Instagram to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary, and she’s now facing backlash. Warning: some may find this content distressing.
Why is Kristen Bell under fire?
Both Bell and Shepard are facing criticism for joking about domestic violence in the anniversary Instagram post, especially as it was shared in October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The post includes a photo of the married couple hugging, alongside the caption, “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.’”
The word “incentivized”, meaning motivated or encouraged to do something, could be referring to a personal reason, or the very real statistics about intimate partner violence.
According to the BJS, of the 4,970 female murder victims in 2021, 34% were killed by an intimate partner. By comparison, about 6% of the 17,970 males murdered that year were victims of intimate partner homicide.
As was revealed in the Netflix documentary American Murder: Laci Peterson, a study found that US women who are pregnant or who have recently given birth are more likely to be murdered than to die from obstetric causes.
Clearly, both Shepard and Bell were joking, and it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. But netizens have argued that the caption trivializes domestic violence, particularly given how common intimate partner homicide is.
As said, many felt the timing made it especially inappropriate, as October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, when advocacy groups focus on supporting survivors and honoring victims.
“Domestic violence isn’t a joke,” wrote one in response to the post, while another said, “During Domestic Violence Awareness Month? Tone deaf and insensitive, imo.” A third added, “Crazy thing to joke about honestly. Sincerely, someone who thankfully survived.”
A fourth added, “I’m a fan of hers and I’ve heard her stories. Apparently life with him was not easy and it always seemed like they worked through their issues and built a beautiful family but, this is scary. This is tone deaf and not something to say lightly or joke about.”
Dateline’s official Instagram account even responded, simply writing, “Screenshotted.” Another said on X/Twitter, “I’m just in shock. Why would you post this? Then Dateline said wait a damn minute.”
Amid the backlash, some fans have jumped in to defend the stars, suggesting this is their brand of humor. “The people in the quotes have apparently never heard Kristen Bell or Dax Shepard open their mouths if they think this is even remotely serious lmao,” wrote one.
“Tell me you’ve never listened to Dax Shepard without telling me you never listened to Dax Shepard,” said another. “He’s a COMEDIAN. He has some dark humor. My goodness people. Stop it.”
Has Kristen Bell or Dax Shepard responded?
No, neither have responded, although both Shepard and Bell have limited the comments on their Instagram posts. It’s unclear if this is in response to the backlash or for another reason.
Some have been calling on Bell to take the post down, having been left surprised it’s still active three days after it was shared. “Three days and it’s still up,” said one.
But others are demanding that the post be left up, with one writing, “Please never apologize for this… I got the joke. It was funny!”
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