Dax Shepard addresses rumor that he and wife Kristen Bell are 'swingers': 'We have not crossed that divide with anyone'

Dax Shepard is once again clearing the air surrounding the lingering rumor that he and wife Kristen Bell are “Hollywood swingers." 

The Armchair Expert podcaster shot down the accusation — and revealed the hilarious way the couple’s friends like Jimmy Kimmel poked fun at the suggestion — during the season 5 premiere of The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday. 

“There was the most exciting tabloid story that we were Hollywood swingers and we hosted swing parties, this was in the tabloids,” Shepard explained. “My favorite part of that happening was we got a lot of texts from other friends of ours saying, ‘How could you not have invited me to the swinger party?’”

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He explained that although their friends were “teasing, of course, because they know us and they know we are not hosting swinger parties,” their good humor about the situation was very much appreciated. 

“I just thought that was great to receive a text from Kimmel saying, ‘My feelings are quite hurt that Molly [McNearney, his wife] and I weren’t invited to this swingers party,’” Shepard added. “[It] was very funny.”

When Barrymore asked if there was “anyone that you two do fantasize about getting in bed with,” Shepard wasn’t so certain. “There’s a lot of hot couples out there, but no, we have not crossed that divide with anyone,” he said. “You know who we are most in love with? We’re in love with Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.”

He continued, “Oh my God, they are so dreamy as a couple. You just kind of want to be in their marriage. It’s not so much that Kristen even wants to bring me along or I want to bring her along — you just want to be in their marriage.” 

Shepard and Bell, who married in 2013, have spoken out against the swinging accusations before. Bell previously explained on a 2023 episode of Armchair Expert that she believes the rumor started because Shepard frequently makes “key-party jokes" whenever they have people over.

“We'll have a dinner party or something and, as we're sitting down, you'll say, ‘Everybody leave your keys,’” she said. “Like, you use it as a joke.”

Shepard explained that he’s also delivered the line to multiple podcast guests only to later realize that “we do not have the same sense of humor,” adding, “I was like, ‘Hey, if you guys are ever in L.A. and you wanna swing!’” 

In general, Bell said that “a lot of people don’t get jokes.” She continued, “That’s actually something I have been thinking about lately, because it’s such a bummer that everything you say has to be taken so literally that there’s no room for fun in expression or language anymore when you’re telling a story, because you better have the facts right. It’s just such a lame way to communicate.”