Amid the whirlwind of social media feedback, Kristen Bell has opted out of her scheduled appearance on the Today show.
An Unexpected Absence
Originally slated to join her Nobody Wants This co-star Justine Lupe on NBC’s popular morning show on October 22, Bell was notably a no-show. Lupe, aged 36, ended up discussing the much-anticipated second season of their Netflix series solo, and she shared a playful anecdote from the set involving Bell.
“Kristen’s obsessed with pranks. She will come to set and she’ll just pull up different pranks on her phone and show them to me. So I knew that that was kind of her love language, was pranking,” Lupe said. “And then I also know that Kristen — if you’ve met her, you know she’s obsessed with biohacking. She’s done everything there ever is to do with hacking the bod.”
Justine Lupe
Lupe revealed that Bell’s fascination with biohacking inspired her to orchestrate a prank.“Basically, I was like, I’m going to convince her that I’m drinking my own pee. For two months, I staged different variations of me drinking fake pee, which was actually chamomile tea,” said Lupe, mentioning how Bell was completely taken by the joke and even consulted a doctor about its safety.
Social Media Storm
The day before the show, Bell posted snapshots from their press tour, featuring her and co-star Adam Brody, as well as other cast members. On Instagram, she captioned it, “Lewks and Prezz day 1 & 2 @nobodywantsthisofficial 🛏️ ❤️,” indicating a playful nod to the upcoming October 23 show release.
However, Bell’s earlier posts sparked online criticism when she shared a heartfelt, albeit controversial, message celebrating her 12th wedding anniversary with Dax Shepard. She quoted him saying, “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.”
“Domestic violence isn’t a joke,” a user commented, while another added, “1. Congratulations! 2. I know the caption is supposed to be cute, funny, but worldwide a woman is killed every ten minutes by their partner…#stopviolenceagainstwomen.”
The backlash prompted a response even from the Instagram account for Dateline, which simply weighed in with, “Screenshotted.”
Mixed Reactions
Despite the controversy, many fans defended Bell’s post.
“I was in an abusive marriage for TWENTY THREE YEARS and I love this post. If you don’t want to be triggered, get off the Internet,” wrote one supporter. Another agreed, saying, “I was in an abusive relationship and I got out. This post is meant for her husband not to all of us! Why do people have to take it to the next level??? She is talking to her husband but sharing with us. Not everything has a hidden message!”
In response to the mixed comments, Bell has since restricted who can comment on her posts.
Behind the Scenes
Since tying the knot with Shepard in 2013, the couple has welcomed two daughters, Lincoln and Delta, into their family. Throughout the years, Bell and Shepard have openly discussed the dynamics of their relationship.
In a candid moment this past September, Shepard reflected on their relationship during his
