Overview
- On Oct. 17, Bell marked 12 years of marriage by quoting Dax Shepard in an Instagram caption that included, “I would never kill you… Even though I’m heavily incentivized to kill you, I never would.”
- Many followers condemned the caption as making light of domestic violence, noting October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and saying the wording felt triggering.
- By Monday, outlets observed that Bell had limited comments on the post, which remains live on her Instagram account.
- Some public figures reacted supportively or jokingly, with comments from Mae Whitman, Howie Mandel, Zoey Deutch, Terry Crews and the official Dateline account.
- News organizations report that representatives for Bell and Shepard have not responded to requests for comment, and neither has publicly addressed the criticism.