Advertisement

Dax Shepard says this quality in wife Kristen Bell completely 'changed my worldview'

Dax Shepard welcomed a VIP guest back to Armchair Expert: his wife, Kristen Bell

The actress appeared on Monday's podcast to discuss their new game show, Family Game Fight!, as well as other things, including — adorably — their favorite quality in one another.

Shepard's co-host Monica Padman, who's they affectionately refer to as the third-wheel in their marriage, prompted them to answer the question. After making a joke about sex, Shepard said his was "hard to articulate" but said it centered around her positivity.

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 25:  Actors Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell visit the SiriusXM Studios on February 25, 2019 in New York City.  (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard reveal their favorite quality in one another (Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

"I am a cynic to the core and you were so positive that even I couldn't punch a hole in it," he said. "And I witnessed the crazy ... benefits of it — or rewards of it. I was able to learn I was wrong by watching you. That's a crazy gift to give somebody. It changed my worldview. I don't know what quality that is, but that is it."

Bell asked, "Impenetrable optimism?"

He answered, "Yeah, or benefit of the doubt. But really it's just kindness. You give everyone the benefit of kindness — and I do not."

While he said the kindness she shows everyone "annoys" him sometimes, "as you know," because not everyone deserves it, but she always shows "the benefit of kindness."

When it was Bell's turn, she said it was Shepard's "fierce moral inventory."

"It's a little bit more than that," she continued. "Your ability to self-assess and pivot. But it's also an addiction to evolving" and "getting better."

She said Shepard "is very hell-bent on opinions you have, but it's not a stake in the ground that can't change with new information," due to his introspection.

Bell said also what's been "very attractive" to her about her husband of seven years is that "as of recently" he's allowed that "introspection to be pointed at other people in our lives." She said it's helped him to be able to give good advice to his friends by sharing his own relatable experiences.

The parents of two have long used therapy as a tool in their lives and for their relationship. Bell recently said that the pandemic put them at each other's throats, leading their couples therapist to start separate sessions with each one in order to "talk sh** about each other. And we did! And it's been great!"

An additional hurdle was Shepard's drug relapse during the pandemic, which he came clean about in September. He said when she was a guest on his podcast in December that her understanding response "saved my life." Bell praised him for his honesty "even at [his] most shameful moments."