Dax Shepard’s Journey: A Have a look at His Rollercoaster Journey by way of the Years

Dax Shepard. Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Dax Shepard is all the time one to talk his thoughts — which has often landed him in scorching water.

The “Armchair Knowledgeable” podcast host made headlines in September 2023 when he obtained right into a heated dialogue with Jonathan Van Ness about gender-affirming take care of transgender youth. Van Ness, who’s nonbinary and makes use of all pronouns, broke down in tears after Shepard — who finally apologized — repeatedly grilled him concerning the concept.

Shepard’s tense second with Van Ness is way from his solely controversial commentary. In 2021, the Parenthood alum and spouse Kristen Bell began a Hollywood-wide debate once they revealed on The View that they might go “5 – 6 days” with out bathing their younger daughters. Their very own candid confession got here after Shepard had Mila Kunis on “Armchair Knowledgeable,” throughout which she revealed she and husband Ashton Kutcher solely bathe their children when “you possibly can see the grime on them.”

Maintain scrolling for Shepard’s ups and downs by way of the years:

Married Kristen Bell

Shepard tied the knot with Bell in 2011. In 2017, the Good Place alum solely opened as much as Us Weekly concerning the pair’s marriage, explaining that she doesn’t suppose “folks notice” simply how a lot “work” goes into their relationship — but it surely all pays off.

“It isn’t straightforward to work round one other human being, however for those who decide to it, you possibly can just about completely respect that individual, however then it doesn’t actually matter for those who disagree since you nonetheless respect that individual,” she defined. “However each day, he simply makes me snicker on a regular basis. He’s obsessive about consideration, so he’s consistently making jokes to attempt to get me to provide him extra consideration or to get me to giggle. And , he was a slapstick comedian, so I’m dwelling with a comic.”

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Podcast Success

Shepard’s “Armchair Knowledgeable” podcast — which he cohosts with Monica Padman — proudly “celebrates the messiness of being human,” the present’s logline reads. After years of working as a comic and actor, Shepard launched “Armchair Knowledgeable” in 2018. The critically-acclaimed pod has been nominated for quite a few awards and has featured a wealth of A-list company over time, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Invoice Gates to Hillary Clinton.

Parenthood

Shepard might have starred on the hit dramedy from 2010 to 2015, however he didn’t develop into a father himself till the 2013 beginning of his and Bell’s firstborn daughter Lincoln. The couple welcomed daughter Delta two years later.

“When I’ve failures in life, I get to return house and nonetheless be dad,” Shepard gushed throughout a SXSW panel in March 2023. “It’s the most transformative expertise. You’ll be able to really feel it’s why you’re right here.”

He added: “Nothing compares to being a dad. It’s the biggest factor that has ever occurred to me.”

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Bathing Controversy

Shepard and Bell could also be A-list mother and father, however they discovered themselves fielding criticism when revealing they’ve discovered themselves solely bathing their daughters roughly as soon as every week generally.

“By George, we needed to begin saying, ‘Hey, when’s the final time you bathed them?’” Shepard recalled on The View in 2020, noting that they’ve gone “5 – 6 days” with out washing their daughters earlier than.

“When you catch a whiff, that’s biology’s approach of letting you have to clear it up,” Bell quipped. “There’s a pink flag, as a result of truthfully, it’s simply micro organism. And when you get the micro organism, you gotta be like, ‘Get within the tub or the bathe.’”

Dependancy and Relapse

Shepard has lengthy been candid about being an addict — and bravely got here ahead to talk about his relapse in 2020.

Shepard had moments of relapsing all through his 16 years of sobriety, he defined on “Armchair Knowledgeable” on the time. He had “cycles” of taking an excessive amount of prescription remedy following a 2012 bike accident, but it surely wasn’t till he discovered himself excessive at his 16-year sober celebration that he launched he wanted to confess he was struggling.

“I’ve had quite a lot of buddies that I’ve watched undergo this entire cycle, and I lastly have the humility to say I can’t be any totally different,” he stated. “I gained’t be particular. I gained’t be smarter. I will probably be precisely like everybody else.”

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Jonathan Van Ness Drama

Shepard and Van Ness’ September 2023 “Armchair Knowledgeable” dialog about gender-affirming care rapidly turned south as soon as Shepard gave credence to those that oppose it.

“Some individuals are very uncomfortable about youngsters transitioning. How do we all know that the individual’s not gonna change their thoughts? Then there’s one other counterargument. In the event that they kill themselves, then that’s actually f–king everlasting. … To even query it makes you an enemy. I don’t suppose that’s the way in which ahead,” he stated.

Van Ness held nothing again in his response.

“I’m a nonbinary f–king trans individual. Once I speak to my dad or individuals who say comparable issues, it’s exhausting to be cool by way of that,” he stated. “I’m not calling you a transphobe. You cannot be transphobic and nonetheless have ideas that espouse trans misogyny and espouse transphobic ideologies or beliefs and never be transphobic.”

Shepard apologized, however the dialog already left its mark on Van Ness, who cried “as a result of I’m so uninterested in having to battle for little children as a result of they only wish to be included,” he defined. “I want that folks had been as keen about little children having the ability to be included or develop up as they had been about fictitious ladies’s equity in sports activities. I’ve to inform you I’m very drained.”

If you happen to or somebody is scuffling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Companies Administration (SAMHSA) Nationwide Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).