Dax Shepard is married. Very married.
If you’ve spent any time on the internet lately, you’ve probably seen the headlines. People are constantly asking if the Armchair Expert host and The Good Place star Kristen Bell are still a thing, especially when they get brutally honest about their "growing pains" or when legendary icons like Cher decide to weigh in on their compatibility.
Just this month at the 2026 Golden Globes, Dax had to laugh off a viral moment from his own podcast. Cher basically told him to his face that Kristen "could do better." Dax’s response? He joked on the red carpet that he’d been served divorce papers because of it.
He hasn't. It was a bit. They are still very much together, navigating the weird, fishbowl life of Hollywood with a level of transparency that makes some people cringe and others feel seen.
Is Dax Shepard Married? The 2026 Status Update
Honestly, the short answer is yes. Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell have been legally wed since 2013. But their story didn't start with a big white wedding or a fairy-tale spark. Far from it.
When they first met at a dinner party back in 2007, Kristen didn't even know who he was. She actually thought he might be one of the guys from Jackass. There were no sparks. Dax, for his part, was suspicious of her. He famously said he thought she and her friends were in a cult because they were just too happy.
"Something stinks here," he recalled thinking.
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It took a few weeks and a Detroit Red Wings game for things to actually click. Since then, they've become the poster couple for "working on it." They don't pretend it's easy. They talk about couples therapy like it’s a gym membership—something you just do to stay healthy.
That Famous $142 Wedding
A lot of people forget that they actually delayed their marriage for years. They made a pact that they wouldn't get married until same-sex marriage was legal in California. They stuck to it, too.
Once the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, Kristen didn't wait for a fancy dinner. She proposed to him on Twitter.
The ceremony itself? Total chaos in the best way.
- No flowers.
- No guest list.
- Just a trip to the Beverly Hills County Clerk’s Office.
- Total cost: $142.
Kristen wore black. Dax wore a tux he picked out for her. It was tiny, fast, and exactly what they wanted. They’ve now been married for over 12 years, celebrating their anniversary this past October with a typically weird post where Dax told her, "I would never kill you."
Why Everyone Thinks They’re Breaking Up
The reason "is Dax Shepard married" stays in the search bar is because they are so open about their fights. In a world of filtered Instagram perfection, they’re the couple telling you they were "at each other's throats" during the pandemic.
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They’ve faced real stuff. Dax’s relapse in 2020 after 16 years of sobriety was a massive public moment. He talked about it on his podcast, Armchair Expert, with a raw vulnerability that you just don't see from A-list actors.
Kristen stayed. She’s been vocal about "earning" their relationship. They use a lot of "monkey" metaphors—basically saying we’re all just primates with big brains and complicated emotions trying to figure out how to live together.
The Cher "Controversy"
In early January 2026, Cher appeared on Armchair Expert and dropped a bomb. She told Dax, "You must have something I don't see," implying Kristen was out of his league.
Social media went nuts.
But if you actually know their dynamic, it was just another Tuesday. Dax isn't threatened by his wife’s success or the fact that the world thinks she’s "America’s Sweetheart." He’s the first one to agree. At the 2026 Globes, where Dax was nominated for Best Podcast and Kristen for Nobody Wants This, they looked as solid as ever.
The Family Life in 2026
They have two daughters, Lincoln and Delta. You won’t see their faces on Instagram, though. The couple has been fierce advocates for "no-kids paparazzi" laws. They want their kids to have a normal life, even if their parents are talking about their bathroom habits to millions of listeners.
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Last summer, they ditched LA for a while to live in Tennessee. They wanted to be "lake rats." It’s that balance of Hollywood glitz and "getting way too close to turtles" that seems to keep them grounded.
What You Can Learn From Their Marriage
They aren't "goals" in the traditional sense. They’re a reminder that a long-term marriage is a choice you make every morning.
If you’re looking for a takeaway from the Dax and Kristen saga, it’s basically this:
- Prioritize growth over perfection. They both go to therapy individually and together.
- Be honest about the ugly parts. Covering up problems usually just makes them rot.
- Keep the humor. If you can’t laugh when Cher tells you your wife is too good for you, what’s the point?
Dax Shepard is married, and he’s likely going to stay that way as long as they keep doing the work. They’ve built a brand out of being "relatably messy," and so far, it’s working.
To keep up with their latest updates, the best source is usually the Armchair Expert podcast feed. They tend to drop their biggest life news there first, usually tucked between a conversation about neurobiology and a story about Dax’s 1967 Lincoln Continental. Look for their recent anniversary episodes for the most candid look at where they stand today.