Actor Dax Shepard became emotional as he recounted his father’s final days. His wife, Kristen Bell, who is seven months pregnant, surprised him by flying to Detroit to offer support. The thoughtful gesture allowed Shepherd’s father to feel his unborn grandson’s belly before he died, a moment treasured by the family.
Dax Shepard, best known for his role on the beloved drama series “Parenthood” and as the host of the popular podcast “Armchair Expert,” has never been one to shy away from vulnerability.
The actor got emotional in a new interview, as he recounted one of the deepest moments of his life. He spoke about the final days of his father, Dave Shepard, and the unexpected gesture from his wife, actress Kristen Bell, which moved the entire audience into applause.Shepard, 51, spoke about his grief, discussing his father Dave Shepard’s long health struggles and addiction journey, which culminated in his 2012 diagnosis of small cell carcinoma.
A moment Dax Shepard will never forget
Speaking to CNN, the actor expressed his gratitude to the many well-wishers during his father’s time on the Alcoholics Anonymous program. He also noted that they “put me in the position of their grief and having to console them.” He has grown to “resent” this feeling as he wrestles with his grief.Shepard walked outside a Detroit-area hospital to call his then-fiancée, Belle, 45, who was seven months pregnant at the time.
What happened next left him speechless.“It’s OK,” Shepard remembers Bell telling him over the phone. “I’m here. Look to the left.”“Note we live in California, and I’m in Detroit,” Shepard continued, crying. “And I looked to my left, and she was standing there, seven months pregnant. She had flown, and she knew I was suffering, and she had flown and not told me and she found out where this hospital was and she was standing next to the car. What a heroine, you know?”
A farewell that the family will always cherish
The couple then introduced Dave to his unborn grandson in the hospital room. “He felt her stomach,” Shepherd said, and a photo of the emotional moment was shared on screen to applause from the audience. “Look how cute she looks with that belly,” he added, laughing.Shepard had previously shared the photo on Instagram in June 2022 on Father’s Day. Dave Shepard died just three months before Shepard and Belle’s daughter, Lincoln, was born.
