A Complete Timeline Of Kristen Bell And Dax Shepard's Relationship

This article references drug misuse and addiction.

When Kristen Bell met Dax Shepard in 2007, little did she know he would go on to become her husband and the father of her kids. Still, she couldn't have asked for a better choice. "[I'm] decidedly confident I chose the right person," she gushed to People, eleven years later. "He does almost everything in a 'manly; way. He can put a ponytail on our five-year-old's hair as manly as he can change his brake pads in the driveway." Arguably one of Hollywood's favorite and cutest pairs, they have repeatedly been referred to as the ultimate in couple's goals – something Shepard himself has admitted did not come easy. "If I had to sum it up in one word, it's work," he said during an interview with Today. "... And it's often uncomfortable work, but it needs doing or we won't stay together."

But while their marriage has been blissful for the most part, the couple has also had their fair share of struggles over the years. In 2018, the Daily Mail published a rumor suggesting that Shepard had cheated on Bell nine years earlier. However, he vehemently denied the claims in a since-deleted post on Instagram (via People), stating that the photos presented as proof by the tabloid had been taken four years earlier than suggested. But hey, not even a cheating rumor could get between them. From an awkward first meeting to starting a business together, here is a complete timeline of Kristen Bell's long-lasting relationship with Dax Shepard.

When Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard first met at a 2007 dinner party hosted by the movie producer, Shauna Robertson, they didn't think much of each other. After speaking to his future wife and her friends, Shepherd was unsure. "I was suspicious of their unbridled happiness," he told Good Housekeeping. "I thought, 'Something stinks here; they're in a cult.'" Meanwhile, Bell similarly told "Today," that she wasn't much impressed, either. "The only thing I remember is that he talked so much," she joked. "... And then I didn't know who he was. I'm like, 'Is that one of the guys from 'Jackass' or something?" They left without a single spark being ignited between them. Somehow, this was still the beginning of a lifelong love story.

Two weeks after their initial meeting, Bell and Shepard crossed paths again. This time, at a hockey game, where they enjoyed some heated flirting. The following day, the actor received a text from Shepard. "Hi, my name is Dax. I violated your privacy and got your number from Shauna. How do you feel about that?" the text allegedly read. The joke officially landed Shepard in Bell's good favor and gave her an instant case of the butterflies. "I was like, 'Excuse me? You sound stimulating,'" she recalled to "Today."

After establishing a romantic connection, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard started dating. But even from the very beginning, these two weathered some storms. A few months into the relationship, Shepard broke up with the "Veronica Mars" star, on the grounds of not wanting a serious relationship. "We were dating for about three months, and I already knew that I was in love with him and he was hesitant," she told Pop Sugar of their earliest days. "... He sat me down and said, 'I can't have this right now. I think you're wonderful, but I am still dating other people."

But even though Bell respected Shepard's honesty, the star was also utterly heartbroken. However, she steeled herself on the idea that breaking up with her was a wrong move — interestingly, it did not take Shepard too long to realize the same. Four days later, he called her, asking to get back together. "He was like, 'I don't know what I was thinking. I was dating someone else but they're just not as interesting as you, and I don't know what I'm doing,' and he came back." Even though this happened long ago, Bell added that she likes to remind her husband of the time that he broke up with her. 

In December 2009, Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell put a ring on it. "Yes, they are engaged. Over the holidays," a rep for the "Bad Moms" star confirmed to People at the time. However, it was not until the 2010 Grammys that the pair confirmed their engagement with Bell showing off her three-carat diamond engagement ring on the red carpet. 

Nine years later she revealed to People that despite their longtime relationship, she was shocked by Shepard's proposal — because he initially did not believe in marriage. "I had surrendered, like, 'OK, well, I'm never going to get any sort of traditional marriage out of this, and that's OK because I trust him,'" she explained. "I really, really trusted him and believed that we were going to go the long haul." Still, Shepard knew how much getting married would mean to Bell and admitted to agreeing to marriage as a sign of his love for the "Bad Moms" star. 

However, as a way of standing with their gay friends, the pair made the decision to hold off their wedding until same-sex marriage was legalized. And so in June 2013 when it was announced that the same-sex bill had been passed, Bell dramatically took to Twitter (via Brides) to submit her own proposal, writing, "[Dax Shepard] will you marry me?" The post was accompanied by hashtags in support of marriage equality. Before getting married though, Bell and Shepard made one more addition to their family.

In December 2012, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard confirmed they were expecting their first child together. "They're so excited — they're both ecstatic. They can't wait to become parents," a source told People. They added that except for some mild morning sickness, the "Heroes" star was doing great. But even though Bell was most excited to welcome her newborn, she was also a tad scared of delivery. "I feel like when I arrive at the hospital, I want a glass of whiskey, I want the epidural in my back," she said during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (via Los Angeles Times). "And I want to get hit in the face with a baseball bat and wake me up when it's over because I've seen the videos and it looks terrifying."

The couple welcomed their daughter, Lincoln, in March 2013, with Shepard tweeting (via Daily News), "She has mom's beauty and dad's obsession with breasts. Hooray!" While the couple has spoken at length about their children and even been criticized for sharing too much information about them publicly, the couple decided early on to keep their kid's faces off social media. Speaking to Romper, Bell revealed that the decision boiled down to choice. "I chose a career in the public eye," she reflected. "... I don't know if they will want that. So I really don't have the right to choose for them." A year after the birth of Lincoln, the couple led a campaign for the safeguarding of children against paparazzi.

A few months after the birth of Lincoln, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard got married in a low-key ceremony at the Beverly Hills courthouse. Speaking to The Knot, Bell revealed that they spent only $147 on the day. "I believe that included the gas in the car and the playlist," she noted. While the "Heroes" actor sported a black jumpsuit and a traditional wedding ring, Shepard opted for a cute tattoo of a small bell on his ring finger. Still, as simple as it was, the couple wouldn't have had it any other way.

Previously, the pair had hinted to People that they weren't exactly looking to celebrate with a huge, lavish ceremony. "We will not have a wedding, we will just quietly get married," Shepard explained. Bell also told the outlet that she did not want too much attention on her big day, stating, "We get more than enough attention in our everyday lives. I also wear more than enough party dresses."

But while the couple remains pleased with how their big day went, their pals were not exactly happy about their absence from the couple's wedding. "Our friends joked a lot about the fact that we invited no one, and later that afternoon, they got us a cake that said 'The World's Worst Wedding,”' Bell told Today.

After exchanging vows, Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell wasted no time in expanding their family. In June 2014, news broke that the couple was excitedly expecting their second child together. But as thrilled as they were about the new addition, coming up with a name was a bit of a task. "[We're] completely stumped," Bell admitted at the time before revealing a few months later that they had made headway. "We've settled on one, thankfully," Bell told People. "It's a lot of pressure, especially because we felt Lincoln was so perfect." 

In December of that year, the couple's excitement was capped off with the arrival of their daughter, Delta. "Delta Bell Shepard is here. She doesn't look like either Kristen or me, but we're gonna keep her anyway," Shepard quipped on Twitter (via People).

While discussing parenting on a 2022 episode of the "Endless Honeymoon" podcast, the "Without a Paddle" actor revealed that he and Bell were initially really content with having just one child. However, they considered that an addition to the brood could provide little Lincoln with a pal — and also prevent their first daughter from getting spoilt. "Our kids are already so privileged beyond belief," he shared. "... We just thought it would be really helpful to make her a better person to have to deal with someone else."

While it may be safe to assume that a seemingly solid couple like Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have it easy, it appears that isn't entirely the case. During a 2015 interview with ET, the "Bad Moms" star revealed that the two had endured their own share of troubles, like any other couple. "Our relationship wasn't perfect," Bell told the outlet. "We had a couple years of fighting and of growing pains and hating each other, then loving each other and going to couples therapy and we worked it out ... We earned each other." 

During an interview with "This Morning," the couple revealed that the first two years of their marriage were difficult — and therapy helped to provide some much-needed outside input on their relationship. "We're both very stubborn people," she explained. "... We figured out how to disagree but still love each other."

Even as they continue in their marital journey, it would appear that the couple has not given up on working through the turbulent times. In 2020, Shepard revealed that he'd relapsed after 16 years of sobriety while misusing painkillers prescribed to treat an injury. Sharing the admission on an episode of "Armchair Expert," he credited his wife as having saved his life with her love and support. As Bell gushed on an episode of "The Ellen Degeneres Show," she was incredibly proud of her husband for asking for help, noting "I will continue to stand by him because he's very, very worth it."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In 2019, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard teamed up to launch Hello Bello — a company aimed at providing quality, yet affordable plant-based and organic baby products. "We know parenting is hard enough as it is," Shepard said in a statement published by Walmart. "Parents shouldn't have to choose between what's good for their baby and good for their budget." Products available from the brand include everything from diapers and vitamins to baby wipes, sunscreen, and laundry detergent. 

Speaking to CNBC Make It in 2021, Bell and Shepard explained that they were inspired to start the business because they believe the rich and famous should not be the only ones with access to premium parenting products that weren't beyond their budget. While acknowledging their parental privilege as rich celebrities, Bell explained about shopping for their own baby products, ″[We] didn't have to look at the receipt. And that wasn't lost on us."

Since launching, Hello Bello has continued to amass success, with a representative predicting in 2021 that the company could make as high as $200 million in gross sales, as reported by CNBC. In a statement published by Cision PR Newswire, Hello Bello president, Erica Buxton, theorized that the company's strength lay in how they'd paid attention to the needs of parents and caregivers, and the way in which they'd responded. "We're proud of the trusted voice we've created in this industry, one that's always transparent, authentic, committed, and supportive," she shared.

Fifteen years after they'd first met, Kristen Bell proved that she was still just in love with her husband as ever. In celebration of his 47th birthday in January 2022, the "Gossip Girl" star took to Instagram where she shared a heartwarming tribute to her husband. "Laughing, snuggling, and growing with you has been more enjoyable than anything I could have ever imagined for my life," she wrote. "Your patience and commitment with our daughters is only bested by your patience and commitment with the hiccups. None of us deserve you. You are singular."

Similarly, Shepard has proved himself to be just as sweet with his numerous Instagram photos featuring Bell and his adorable birthday messages. "Happy Birthday Cowgirl," he quipped in a signature witty post in 2021. "Your beauty is only surpassed by your heart and buns. Here's wishing you another 100 years in the saddle." 

While all is well with this two, not even a breakup could take away all of the wonderful memories Bell and Shepard have created together. "If I ever get divorced, I'm still going to be like, 'Wow, I loved being married to that man," she once told E! News.  But we need not worry about that since the two seem to be very committed to making it work. "I love my husband. I love my marriage. But it is very hard and we work at it," she added.