Kristen Bell did not appear on the Today show as scheduled, following public criticism for an anniversary tribute to her husband, Dax Shepard. Bell, 45, was slated to appear on the NBC morning program on Wednesday, October 22, alongside her Nobody Wants This co-star Justine Lupe.
Lupe, 36, instead discussed the second season of the Netflix series solo. During her appearance, Lupe recalled a prank she played on Bell.
“Kristen is obsessed with pranks. She comes to set and just looks up different pranks on her phone and shows them to me,” Lupe stated. “So I knew that was, in some way, her love language: pranks.”
Lupe also noted Bell’s interest in “biohacking,” explaining that Bell uses a glucose monitor and wears a weighted vest between takes. This inspired Lupe’s elaborate trick.
“I basically thought: I’m going to convince her that I’m drinking my own urine,” Lupe revealed. For two months, Lupe pretended to drink fake urine, which was actually chamomile tea. Bell reportedly "completely fell for it" and even consulted a doctor about its safety.
The day prior to her scheduled Today appearance, Bell posted an Instagram carousel from the Nobody Wants This press tour. One clip showed Bell alongside co-star Adam Brody, with Lupe, Timothy Simons, and Jackie Tohn positioned behind them.
Her caption read, "Lewks and Prezz day 1 and 2 @nobodywantsthisofficial 🛏️ ❤️ (I used a bed because the emoji has no nightstand, if you know you know and if not, you’ll know on October 23.)"
The controversy stems from Bell’s anniversary post to Shepard last week. She shared a photo of the couple embracing, captioned: “Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once told me: ‘I would never kill you. Many men have killed their wives at some point. Although I have many incentives to kill you, I never would.’”
The caption quickly drew online criticism. Some users commented on the seriousness of the statement, with one writing, "Domestic violence is not a joke." Another added, "I know the caption should be sweet and funny, but globally a woman is killed every ten minutes by her partner… #stopviolenceagainstwomen."
The official Dateline Instagram account also weighed in, commenting, “Screenshot.”
However, other users defended Bell. One user wrote, “I was in an abusive marriage for TWENTY-THREE YEARS and I love this post. If you don’t want it to affect you, get off the internet.” Another supported Bell, stating, “This post is for her husband, not for all of us! Why do people have to take it to the next level? She is talking to her husband but shares it with us. Not everything has a hidden message!”
Bell has since limited comments on her Instagram post.
Bell and Shepard married in 2013, the same year they welcomed their daughter Lincoln. Their second daughter, Delta, joined the family in 2014.
The couple has often shared details of their relationship publicly. In September, Shepard commented on his podcast “Armchair Expert” that he would consider his relationship with Bell successful even if it were to end.
He stated, "I always say: if Kristen and I ever end, I would only describe this as an enormously successful relationship. We love each other very much. We have these two beautiful children. We have a great time together.”