Tragic Details About Dax Shepard
Trigger Warning: The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Dax Shepard is a multi-talented actor, comedian, and director who got his start on the hit MTV show "Punk'd." According to IMDb, the actor has over an impressive 50 credits to his name. But what Shepard has been most notable for in recent years is his lucrative "Armchair Expert" podcast, where he interviews celebrities, journalists, and politicians with his co-host Monica Padman. In 2019, it was ranked as the fourth most-listened-to podcast, and to this day it is still growing strong. But things weren't always so successful for Shepard.
The Detroit native, who grew up in "the worst apartment building in our area" due to financial troubles (via "Armchair Expert"), had to fight tooth and nail in order to achieve his dreams in the entertainment industry. And although he had accomplished his childhood dreams by becoming a recognizable face in Hollywood, he has opened up on several occasions about his struggles with addiction, as well as facing the childhood demons that still affect him to this day.
His life has been far from easy, but fortunately, the actor is willing to use his platform to be vulnerable so he can help others who might be struggling with the same issues. So without further ado, let's dive into Shepard's tragic past that made him into the strong individual we all know him as today.
If you or anyone you know is struggling 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).
He grew up in a terrible neighborhood
During a special episode of Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast in which his mother Laura Labo is a guest star, the two emphasize how terrible the neighborhood was in which Shepard grew up in. According to Shepard, the area was so bad that one of the tenants in their apartment was always trying to kill his brother. "I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say it was the worst apartment building in our area," he said on his "Armchair Expert" podcast. "It was pretty rough."
Fortunately though, Shepard's past struggles help him realize how blessed he is now to raise two children in a financially stable household. As he reveals in an interview with Fatherly, Shepard is still struggling to adjust to the drastic shift when it comes to his financial situation. "I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder, a class warfare chip from growing up modestly," he admitted to the magazine. "I was raised by a single mom. Three kids. Working full time. And then we had an unlimited budget when we had our babies," he says, referring to his current situation with his wife Kristen Bell. "My wife was so meticulous about what we put on our kids. I thought it was unfair that my friends in Michigan didn't have that option."
He witnessed domestic abuse at home
In a heartbreaking episode of "Armchair Expert" with Dax Shepard's mother Laura Labo, the two recount the trauma they both experienced from Labo's abusive ex-husband. Throughout her second marriage, Labo's husband at the time had allegedly beaten her up on several occasions, with Shepard bearing witness to the physical violence against his mother. While discussing the subject of domestic abuse, Shepard admits he would question why his mother would stay in such a dangerous situation which so often left her unsure if she'd make it out alive.
As he discovered, a lot of it had to do with being ashamed of the fact that she had already been divorced once before. Labo, who was raised in a devoutly religious household, expressed on the podcast how frowned-upon divorce was. "I was brought up super-duper catholic," Shepard's mother said. "And being divorced from your dad ... to say 'sinful' ... would be an extreme understatement," she added, referring to her split with Shepard's biological father. "And I felt a lot of shame about that. And here I am married less than a year, it's a very bad situation, I've been kicked around the kitchen, bounced off floor." His mother thought to herself at the time, "I need to get away, and yet I cannot admit defeat."
Fortunately, Labo was able to get herself out of that situation and is now in a much better place. According to IMDb, she is even acting in some of her son's films, including "Hit and Run" and "Brother's Justice."
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
His mother almost died when he was a kid
To add to the tragedy of the situation, Dax Shepard's mother, Laura Labo, tried to die by suicide during his childhood. Due to the string of abusive relationships she had found herself in along with the shame of the divorces she had gone through, Labo felt as though she was in a hopeless situation.
To make matters worse, she could barely afford to provide for her children financially. On "Armchair Expert," Shepard's mother detailed her struggle. During the attempt, she realized the severity of the situation and was able to get herself out of it immediately. She said to herself, "No. I've gotta fix this. You can't just run away from everything," she told herself. "You have to fix this."
The "Armchair Expert" host has always used his platform to advocate for mental health, and he is keen on being vulnerable about his own struggles along the way. Not only has he committed himself to therapy, but he has also participated in 12 step programs to improve his well-being. According to his wife Kristen Bell in an interview with Self, "He's proven to me that he is committed to evolving and he loves personal growth."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
He had an incredibly traumatic experience when he was seven
Dax Shepard has opened up to the public about a life-altering tragedy from his youth. As he recalls on Sirius XM's "The Jason Ellis Show," when he was seven years old, he was molested by his 18-year-old neighbor. The experience profoundly affected his life well into adulthood, and Shepard even pinpoints the tragic experience as one of the main culprits of his lifetime struggle with addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Shepard told Ellis that it took him over a decade to finally speak out about the sexual abuse he endured from his neighbor, stating that beforehand, he was too ashamed of the situation to speak up. What's even more heartbreaking is that he wound up blaming himself for the situation.
"All that time, I was like, a) 'It's my fault,' as generic as that is," the actor admitted to Ellis. "'And I'm gay. I must have manifested this because I'm secretly gay.' I had all these insane thoughts for 11 years or 12 years." It took Shepard over a decade to finally open up to "anyone" about his childhood trauma.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Why the star was 'humiliated' by his learning disability as a child
Many comedians use humor as a way to cope. Whether they are coping with inner demons, childhood traumas, or their deepest insecurities, humor can be an excellent way to laugh off situations that are desperate for levity. And for Dax Shepard, one of the things he was most ashamed about during his childhood was his language-based learning disability, dyslexia. According to the "Parenthood" actor, not being able to read like the rest of his peers made him feel inadequate as though there was something wrong with him.
"I had dyslexia very bad as a child, and I got taken to the special-ed room every day, which was very humiliating," he admitted during a press tour with Television Critics Association (via Entertainment Tonight). "I thought, 'Well, I'm going to have to get to the joke before you get to the joke. My pride demands it.' And I think that's where this probably comes from."
The "Parenthood" actor is far from the only one who has struggled with a learning disability. In fact, a whopping 20% of Americans require additional help in school, per the Learning Disabilities Association of America, making it perfectly normal and nothing to be ashamed of.
Dax Shepard has struggled with addiction
One of the biggest causes that Dax Shepard advocates for is addiction awareness. In an effort to eliminate the stigma surrounding addiction, he uses his podcast "Armchair Expert" to talk about his personal experiences where he felt dependent on drugs, alcohol, and sex. He took the steps necessary in order to recover by attending 12 step programs and receiving personal therapy. But unfortunately, after 12 years of being sober, the actor had relapsed in 2019. He opened up about the unfortunate turn of events while on Sam Jones's "Off Camera with Sam Jones." In the enlightening interview, Shepard said that when it comes to people who struggle with addiction, there usually isn't one particular moment where they "hit a [rock] bottom" and decide to give up their vices forever. Instead, he explains, addicts have "many bottoms."
As it turns out, a big cause of his addiction came from being molested as a child. As he reveals on Sirius XM's "The Jason Ellis Show," his mother was actually the one to discover a staggering statistic that indicates how likely victims of sexual abuse are to become addicts later in life.
"If you've been molested, you only have a 20 percent chance of not being an addict," he revealed on the radio show. "And I was like, 'Hm, interesting,' because in my mind I just like to have a f***ing great time." He continued, adding, "But when you hear a statistic like that, I'm like, 'Oh no, I was going to be an addict, period.”
If you or anyone you know is struggling 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).
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
The moment he realized he was 'broken'
It's easy for people to blame the state of their mental health on situational factors. For example, if someone is struggling financially and they also happen to be dealing with mental health problems, it can be easy to blame the financial situation on their suffering. But from what Shepard has discovered, you can have everything that you've ever wanted and still realize that you are in deep pain. And for the actor, it took having everything he had ever aspired for to realize that it was his unresolved trauma that was making him deeply unhappy as opposed to any current external factor.
He explained this concept on "Off Camera With Sam Jones," saying, "I am about to star in this movie, 'Zathura,' they're paying me a ton of money; people recognize me at the airport. I'm doing everything I had dreamt of doing for 30 years. It all came true, and I'm the least happy I've ever been in my life. I'm closest to not wanting to be alive as I've ever been, and I had every single thing on paper that I'd wanted ... I feel grateful for this because I was able to say, 'Something much more profound is broken.'"
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
His relationship with Kristen Bell has been 'toxic' at times
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are one of the most admired couples in the entertainment industry. Those who worship pop culture news as much as we at Nicki Swift do, know that celebrity relationships don't tend to last all that long. Because of this, when a marriage in Hollywood does end up lasting for more than a decade, it's hard not to celebrate the pair for defeating all the odds stacked against them. According to People, Shepard and Bell have been making it work since 2007! But just because they have been together for so long doesn't mean their relationship has always been rainbows and butterflies. In fact, according to the talented duo, they can both admit to the fact that in the past, their relationship was straight-up "toxic."
"When we first met, we fell madly in love and I loved the dramatic exit," Bell confessed on the show "Harry." "There is nothing I craved more. The first year you are working out your kinks."
Referring to the fighting, the "Frozen" star confessed, "I loved it. We'd get in a fight because we would fight a lot, and I'd yell something then slam the bedroom door, then I'd slam the front door, then I'd get in my car, and then I'd skid out the driveway and I would sit around the corner in my car and it felt so good. I realized how incredibly toxic it was only after he pointed it out."
Dax Shepard's tragic romantic past
Dax Shepard is now in one of the most longstanding relationships in Hollywood. The "Baby Mama" actor has been in a relationship with the "Frozen" star Kristen Bell since 2007 — quite the feat in Tinseltown. And although things haven't always been easy for the couple, they are ultimately a great team with two amazing children to look after.
Yet before he found success with Bell, Shepard had a series of bad relationships that ended in heartbreak for everyone involved. According to Shepard, he had a very difficult time maintaining feelings for anyone who loved him in return. This was mainly due to his sense of self-worth being so low, that he would consider anyone who actually liked him to be just as flawed. "I was endlessly trying to get people who I categorized as out of my league," he said on his "Armchair Expert" podcast with guest Amy Schumer. "And then I would get them. And instead of them boosting my self-esteem, I would quickly decide, 'Oh, you're a piece of sh**'... They're a piece of sh** because they like me."
The actor has found himself in relationships with several big names in Hollywood, including Ashley Olson and Kate Hudson, per Armchair Expert. Ultimately, the "Punk'd" actor has stated that his own insecurities within his career path at the time are what led to his downfall.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
He had a 'painful' relationship with his father
Dax Shepard is a proud father of two with his wife, Kristen Bell (per People). And despite his love for fatherhood, he admits that his own relationship with his old man wasn't always easy. The actor has opened up on "Off Camera with Sam Jones" about the messy relationship he had with his father, who was never a part of his childhood. Fortunately, Shepard was able to repair his relationship with the man who was almost entirely absent from his tumultuous upbringing. Unfortunately, some of their deepest interactions didn't occur until Shepard's father was diagnosed with cancer.
"For years I was really, really resentful of him for missing," Shepard tells the talk show host. "About eight months into having our daughter ... I was like, 'I don't feel bad for me at all. I feel terrible for him that he missed this. It's much more powerful on this side."
The star continued, saying that he isn't one to judge strangers for "the sum of their mistakes." Yet when it comes to his own father, as the actor explained, it's a lot more challenging to let certain mistakes go. "It's so hard not to look at parents like they're the sum of their mistakes, and I just thought, 'I'm not granting him any of the forgiveness that I would [grant] a stranger during a meeting, you know?" Because of this, the "Parenthood" actor was able to repair his relationship with his father before he passed on.
If you or anyone you know is struggling 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).