Kristen Bell says celebrity status offers little protection from the strain of marriage and parenting. “It’s brutal. I cry weekly,” she told Bustle.
The 46-year-old actress shares daughters Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11, with husband Dax Shepard.
The interview with writer Rachael Combe was published October 22, the same day the third season of Nobody Wants This arrived on Netflix. Bell returns as Joanne opposite Adam Brody’s Noah.
Bell and Shepard began dating in 2007 and married in 2013. Their public conversations about family life have included interviews together, social media posts and discussions on his Armchair Expert podcast.
Bell Turns to Parenting Experts During the ‘Cyclone of Puberty’
Bell described adolescence as a “cyclone of puberty,” when a parent can become convinced that nobody else’s child behaves the same way. She wants other parents to recognize that the difficulties they encounter at home are often shared by families they know little about.
For guidance, she turns to Dr. Becky Kennedy and psychologist Lisa Damour. Kennedy is known for her Good Inside parenting work, while Damour writes about the emotional lives of girls and teenagers.
Her Daughters’ Feelings Now Shape What She Shares
Bell described the dilemma through two philosophical approaches, Kantianism and utilitarianism. Sharing a difficult experience might help many people, but doing so can also expose someone whose privacy she is responsible for protecting.
“My main job in life is to protect those two,” she said. When the girls were small, she and Shepard felt comfortable telling cute stories about them. Now they are old enough to encounter coverage and have feelings about what their parents reveal.
Lincoln’s Birthday Tribute Kept Her Face Out of View
For Lincoln’s birthday in March, Bell shared a video montage of family memories, set to Amos Lee’s “Sweet Pea.” It included childhood photographs and clips of the girls dancing in birthday hats, with their faces obscured.
In the caption, Bell described parenting as “both the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done.” She praised Lincoln’s wit, compassion and adventurousness, then thanked the teachers, role models and friends who had helped her and Shepard raise their family.
Bell and Shepard Campaigned Against Unauthorized Photos in 2014
The couple began advocating for children’s privacy while Lincoln was still a baby. Their No Kids Policy campaign urged readers to boycott publications that used photographs of celebrity children without parental consent.
During a March 31, 2014 interview with WBUR’s Here & Now, Bell described photographers crowding playgrounds and an airport arrival where flashbulbs made it difficult to see. Shepard argued that their daughter had not chosen to become a public figure.
“We don’t feel like our child is a public personality that could be considered newsworthy,” he said. By then, outlets including PEOPLE, Access Hollywood, Inside Edition, Today and Us Weekly had pledged not to publish those unauthorized images.
Bell Weighs Every Job Against Time With Her Children
Before accepting a project, Bell asks whether it will keep her away from home too much or interfere with the mother she wants to be. She told the magazine she would give up her career, its recognition and its legacy rather than sacrifice something major in her daughters’ lives.
She is also examining how often she agrees to things because she fears disappointing someone. Bell acknowledged working herself to exhaustion when she cares about a project, while even everyday decisions about plastic bags, candy wrappers and recycling consume mental energy. All 10 episodes of the new season are now streaming. The story follows Joanne and Noah after they move in together.
Shepard Wants Their Daughters to Feel Comfortable Challenging Adults
During the November 3, 2025 episode of Armchair Expert featuring Reese Witherspoon, Shepard recalled a friend questioning the girls’ manners over dinner in Nashville. According to PEOPLE, she was surprised by how freely they talked back to adults.
He acknowledged her criticism but said he was willing to tolerate some embarrassing restaurant behavior. His priority was that, as young women, they would feel able to challenge an inappropriate boss and advocate for themselves, even when he disagreed with them.