Kristen Bell has opened up about her husband Dax Shepard's drug relapse after 16 years of sobriety. In an interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," the actress shared how they were picking up the pieces and learning to move on.
"If he has to take medication for any reason, I have to administer it," Bell said, according to Yahoo! Entertainment.
She explained that they needed to implement a plan that would prevent Shepard from slipping back into addiction.
"He was like: 'So we need a stronger plan. I was faltering. I have to do some emotional work to figure out why I wanted to use again.'"
The couple, who have been married since 2013 and share two daughters, have also been going to therapy to keep their family together. Bell said she is determined to stand by her husband's side.
"One of the main reasons I love him is he's also addicted to growth," she said of Shepard. "He's addicted to evolving. And he was like: 'I don't want to risk this family — and I did — so let's put new things in place to make sure it doesn't happen again.'"
Shepard admitted in September that he had relapsed back into drug abuse. His addiction began with alcohol and cocaine, but after a motorcycle accident, he started abusing medication prescribed to ease his physical pain. Oxycontin and Vicodin were his drugs of choice. He had previously cleaned up his act but slipped back into old habits. He admitted to being high when he celebrated his 16th year of sobriety birthday.
Things are looking up for Shepard though.
"He is actually doing really great," Bell told DeGeneres. "I mean, look, everybody is up against their own demons. Sometimes it's anxiety and depression," which Bell suffers from. "Sometimes it's substance abuse."
Bell added she would support her husband and they would work through their problems together.
"I will continue to stand by him because he's very, very worth it," she said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.