Why's Kristen Bell facing backlash over seemingly harmless anniversary post
What's the story
Actor Kristen Bell is facing backlash for a recent Instagram post celebrating her 12th wedding anniversary with husband Dax Shepard. The post featured a sweet photo of the couple hugging, what put netizens off was the caption accompanying the photo. It included an unsettling quote attributed to Shepard. Many social media users found the caption inappropriate, especially since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Backlash
What did Bell exactly post?
In her post, Bell wrote, "Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once said to me: 'I would never kill you. A lot of men have killed their wives at a certain point. Even though I'm heavily incentivized to kill you, I never would.'" Even if Bell was aiming at some witty leg-pulling humor, the "funny" aspect was lost on most people and the statement drew ire from several commenters who felt it was insensitive and inappropriate.
Public reaction
'Unbelievably tone deaf' wrote one critic
One critic wrote, "Just an fyi, posting this caption during domestic violence awareness month is unbelievably tone deaf :/ please reconsider." Another pointed out, "Thats a wildly sad and insensitive thing to say considering it's domestic violence awareness month and thousands of women have died at the hands of the man they trusted." One fan noted that even joking about spousal violence wasn't nice and that "to post this and call it sweet or a joke is wild to me."
TV show reaction
'Dateline' reacted to Bell's Instagram post
The true crime news program Dateline also reacted to Bell's Instagram post, commenting "Screenshotted." This response received over 40,000 likes and sparked a flurry of replies from users who praised the show's social media team. Despite the backlash, some fans defended Bell and accused her critics of being "too sensitive."
Relationship timeline
More about Bell-Shepard
Bell, 45, and Shepard, 50, got married in October 2013. They have two daughters together, Lincoln and Delta. Last week, Bell had jokingly admitted to forgetting her anniversary while attending the premiere of Nobody Wants This Season 2. She had said she was glad an Entertainment Tonight reporter reminded her about it.