Kristen Bell is back on the 2026 TV schedule thanks to Netflix's Nobody Wants This, but lately, her marriage to Dax Shepard seems to be generating just as many headlines as her career. The couple has never been particularly shy about sharing the stranger details of their relationship. We've heard about naked yoga, some rather disgusting behind-the-scenes favors and a number of other personal anecdotes. But Shepard has apparently had enough of strangers picking apart their marriage, especially when those conversations turn into accusations about how he treats his wife.During the Nov. 9 "Fact Check" portion of his Armchair Expert podcast, which followed an interview with Rhea Seehorn, the Parenthood actor addressed renewed speculation about his marriage. He generally ignores criticism, but recent headlines reached Bell:Another round of me being a terrible person was in the media, and like I avoided that, but then it hit Kristen’s doorstep really hard, and then I got to find out everything people were saying about me, and I think I was just at that moment where I was at like, ‘The level of injustice it feels to me, my behavior vs this weird narrative that is surrounding me, like I’m controlling, abusive, and I’m now flirting with people in public which I don't do…The latest controversy started with something Bell said during an October appearance on her husband's podcast. The Nobody Wants This star explained that she enjoys watching Shepard compliment strangers, including restaurant servers. She said that was his way of flirting with her.That description spread online, with some commenters interpreting it as Shepard openly flirting with others. Another group of people connected it to previous stories the couple had shared and alleged that he behaved that way at home. Shepard denied those accusations and clarified that he was often complimenting men, not pursuing waitresses.Interestingly, Bell previously said Bruce Willis inspired Shepard's habit of generously tipping service workers. She even described his generosity as one of her favorite things about him. So, this whole business about complimenting waiters isn't exactly coming out of nowhere.I can see why the original anecdote raised eyebrows, but that's a pretty dramatic journey from complimenting somebody's eyelashes to passing judgment on a couple's entire marriage. Shepard was especially frustrated that the discussion had spilled over from internet speculation into what he called mainstream coverage. He continued: Pretty big, normal publications, running this … for me, growing up around certain men who behaved a certain way, and then literally dedicating my whole life to being the opposite of all that… I don’t ever yell at my children, I don’t swear at them, I don’t yell at my wife… to have given it my all to be the opposite of what now, some group of people are saying I am, is, its hard…. I don’t love it. And I find it deeply insulting to my wife, additionally.Those are serious allegations, and Shepard's comments are his account of his behavior, of course. But it's also understandable that he'd want to address them, especially given what he says about growing up around men whose behavior he never wanted to repeat. He went further, arguing that the accusations make a pretty unflattering assumption about Bell herself:Like what, she’s sitting in her house with her two daughters and modeling some abusive relationship? It's very offensive to her.Of course, this is hardly the first time the couple has found themselves at the center of an internet argument. Earlier this year, Bell's Nobody Wants This co-star and others defended the couple. Their marriage also received criticism over Bell's controversial anniversary joke involving domestic violence.And while I can understand people having opinions about things celebrities choose to share publicly, I don't think we can know everything happening in someone's marriage from a podcast anecdote. Shepard also discussed growing up around abusive men and said he'd spent much of his life trying to avoid repeating their behavior. Hearing himself described that way was understandably difficult, according to the actor.Bell and Shepard have been married since 2013, and they've previously discussed what they appreciate about their relationship. I imagine they'll continue sharing their sometimes wonderfully bizarre stories. But judging by Shepard's latest comments, he's getting pretty tired of people treating every new anecdote as an invitation to investigate his marriage.Personally, I don't need every celebrity couple to share their dinner-table conversations with me. But I also don't think a single podcast story gives strangers enough information to diagnose a marriage. If anything, Shepard clearly wishes this particular one had stayed a story about a compliment.