Dax Shepard initially refused to tie the knot with Kristen Bell because he didn\u2019t believe in marriage.<\/p>\n
The longtime couple recalled their engagement and the comedian\u2019s hesitancy to propose during Monday\u2019s episode of his \u201cArmchair Expert\u201d podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou told me you didn\u2019t believe in marriage,\u201d the \u201cNobody Wants This\u201d actress told Shepard. \u201cYou told me why. I didn\u2019t think there would ever be an answer because I was like, \u2018I kind of like that tradition.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Dax Shepard (pictured here) initially refused to tie the knot with Kristen Bell because he didn\u2019t believe in marriage. Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard<\/p>\n \u201cYou told me you didn\u2019t believe in marriage,\u201d Bell (pictured with Justin Lupe Monday) recalled of Shepard on his podcast. \u201cYou told me why.\u201d Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard<\/p>\n Per Bell, Shepard reasoned at the time, \u201cA piece of paper filed at a courthouse somewhere in California is not going to dictate how I treat you. It\u2019s just not. So I\u2019m going to treat you well and act like your partner for the rest of your life, but it has nothing to do with that piece of paper.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite being more \u201ctraditional,\u201d she admitted that, at the time, the \u201cParenthood\u201d actor made a \u201cpretty decent point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018OK well, he treats me like his wife, so who cares?’\u201d<\/p>\n Shepard, 51, added, \u201cThere was some anarchist point of view of like I don\u2019t have to ask the state of California if we can be together and then ask them if we cannot be together.\u201d<\/p>\n Bell recalled her now-husband (pictured in 2022) telling her, \u201cA piece of paper filed at a courthouse somewhere in California is not going to dictate how I treat you.\u201d kristenanniebell\/Instagram<\/p>\n Despite Bell (pictured with her husband in October 2025) being more \u201ctraditional,\u201d she accepted and respected Shepard\u2019s reasoning. kristenanniebell\/Instagram<\/p>\n The podcast host also noted he had a negative perception of marriage since he and the \u201cVeronica Mars\u201d actress both come from broken homes.<\/p>\n However, after the couple spent a \u201cbeautiful Christmas Eve\u201d with his family, Shepard decided to pop the question.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were in bed that night, and you were kind of expressing gratitude for this little family we were making,\u201d he recalled. <\/p>\n The \u201cHit and Run\u201d actor had bought a ring and was going to surprise Bell, 46, with a proposal at her favorite restaurant a month later, but that moment felt too perfect.<\/p>\n Shepard (pictured in January), however, changed his mind and popped the question after spending Christmas Even with Bell and his family. daxshepard\/Instagram<\/p>\n \u201cWe were in bed that night, and you were kind of expressing gratitude for this little family we were making,\u201d the actor (pictured in 2024) recalled. kristenanniebell\/Instagram<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I was like, \u2018Oh, this is the moment I\u2019m going to try to recreate in a month at Stanley\u2019s over a salad, but it\u2019s happening.\u2019 I was like, \u2018F\u2013k it, I\u2019m just gonna go get the ring now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Shepard then recalled going to their bedroom closet and rummaging through a jacket pocket to find the engagement ring. In that moment, Bell suspected a marriage proposal was about to happen.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s already crying by the time I got back to the bed,\u201d Shepard said with a laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cHe got down on one knee, and he said, \u2018Will you marry me?\u2019 And then I started sobbing really, really hard because that was very overwhelming of something I didn\u2019t think was coming,\u201d the \u201cGood Place\u201d actress recounted.<\/p>\n Once he asked Bell (pictured with Shepard in January) to marry her, she broke down in tears because she thought the moment would never come. Getty Images for Vanity Fair<\/p>\n The couple tied the knot in 2013 and welcomed two daughters, Lincoln and Delta (seen above). kristenanniebell\/Instagram<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The pair began dating in 2007 and announced their engagement in 2010. <\/p>\n Bell and Shepard welcomed daughter Lincoln<\/a> in March 2013, seven months before they tied the knot at the Beverly Hills County Clerk\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n They welcomed their second daughter<\/a>, Delta, in December 2014.<\/p>\n The pair (pictured in June), who do not have a prenup, have been very candid about their marriage struggles. Billboard via Getty Images<\/p>\n The \u201cNobody Wants This\u201d star (pictured with Shepard last year) admitted she cries \u201cweekly\u201d due to the pressures of marriage and children. Getty Images<\/p>\n The couple has been very candid about their relationship<\/a> over the years, including going to couples therapy <\/a>since the beginning and not having a prenup<\/a>.<\/p>\n