Dax Shepard Opens Up About Being ‘Terrified’ To Announce Relapse — And Why He Did Despite Major Fears!

Jan 26, 2021

It’s all about perspective.

Dax Shepard has long been a vocal advocate for addicts, using his platforms to speak openly about his 16-year sobriety journey. But in September, the Armchair Expert podcast host broke the successful facade of his story to admit the truth: he had relapsed, and at the time of his vulnerable, tell-all recording, he was only seven days sober.

On Tuesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the actor joined via video call to discuss the big announcement, and why he never wanted to make it in the first place!

When asked about his desire to open up on his relapse during a special episode of his podcast tilted “Day 7,” Kristen Bell’s husband shared:

“I did not want to at all. I had all kinds of bizarre fears, like, I have sponsors on my show, is that something that could cost me money, financially?”

A valid concern, especially coming from a man who’s been honest about his (now somewhat irrational) fears of money problems stemming from a childhood during which his family didn’t have much. Obviously, as a Hollywood A-lister married to a Disney princess these days, he’s got little to worry about in terms of financial instability, but some fears are harder to shake than others!

What was most heartwarming to hear was the Parenthood alum’s larger concern about losing his intimate connection with fellow addicts and fans who may have felt betrayed if he was honest about his past mistakes. The 46-year-old admitted:

“But the number one thing I was afraid to lose was I get so much esteem out of being someone who’s vocally sober and I have people who write me, ‘I’m month one,’ or ‘I’m week two,’ and I love that. That’s my favorite thing about being in public, so I was just terrified I would lose that. I really cherish that.”

So when debating what to do prior to last fall, it took a friend’s distant perspective of the situation to settle the screenwriter’s doubts and show the real potential of his impact. Shepard told Ellen DeGeneres:

“And I have a good friend that said, ‘You know if your real goal is to help people, it’s not very helpful that you’re 16 years sober and married to Kristen Bell. That doesn’t help a ton of people. In fact, it probably makes their life worse.’”

LOLz! They have a point. From the outside, the father of two looks like he’s got everything anyone could ever want. But rather than make Dax feel bad about his privilege, the friend’s advice furthered:

“‘So the fact that you just fell, that’s the actual value. That’s the thing you can do that’s helpful.’ So when it was framed that way to me, it got a lot easier.”

Ultimately, the game show host’s honesty hasn’t slowed his career one bit, as he continues to expand his ever-popular podcast and is currently working on what he considers a dream job — Top Gear America.

Hear Dax gush about the thrills of filming the new series, as well as his wife’s incredible talent of “peeing in virtually anything” during the revealing and hysterical interview (below):

Thoughts on Dax’s decision to be honest about this relapse, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments!

[Image via Dax Shepard/Instagram]

Addiction