Dax Shepard

Dax Randall Shepard is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and podcast host born on January 2, 1975. He rose to prominence through his performances in comedy feature films and television series, as well as his behind-the-scenes work as a director and writer. Since 2018, he has co-hosted the interview podcast Armchair Expert, engaging with prominent guests across entertainment, journalism, and academia. In addition to his media ventures, he is a co-founder of the baby product company Hello Bello.

Shepard was born at Beyer Hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan. His mother worked at General Motors before establishing a publicity and event business, while his father worked in car sales. Following his parents' divorce when he was three years old, Shepard was raised primarily in Walled Lake, Michigan, alongside other Detroit suburbs. He managed dyslexia during his youth and worked for his mother's traveling event business between the ages of 14 and 18. After graduating from Walled Lake Central High School in 1993, he attended Santa Monica College and West Los Angeles College before graduating magna cum laude with a degree in anthropology from UCLA.

While attending UCLA, Shepard began studying improvisation and sketch comedy at The Groundlings, eventually joining the troupe's Sunday Company. After a decade of unsuccessful auditions, his major break came in 2003 when he was cast in the MTV practical joke series Punk'd. His role on the show helped him obtain talent representation and led to broader television work, including a starring role as Crosby Braverman on the NBC drama series Parenthood from 2010 to 2015. He also appeared in television projects such as The Ranch and Bless This Mess.

Shepard built a steady feature film career throughout the 2000s and 2010s, appearing in comedies including Without a Paddle, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Employee of the Month, Idiocracy, Baby Mama, and When in Rome, as well as the drama The Judge. Expanding into filmmaking, he wrote, directed, and starred in the 2010 low-budget mockumentary Brother's Justice, which received an Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival. He went on to write, direct, and star in the action comedies Hit and Run in 2012 and CHiPs in 2017.

In February 2018, Shepard launched the podcast Armchair Expert with co-host Monica Padman. The show became a major commercial success, earning recognition as the top new iTunes podcast of 2018 and later securing distribution deals with major platforms such as Amazon's Wondery. His host roles extended to television when he joined the revived series Top Gear America. Outside of entertainment, Shepard partnered with his wife, Kristen Bell, to establish the baby care brand Hello Bello.

Shepard met Bell in 2007, and the couple married in October 2013 after California legalized same-sex marriage; they have two daughters. Shepard achieved long-term sobriety in September 2004, though he publicly disclosed a brief relapse following an accident recovery in 2020. An avid automobile and motorcycle enthusiast who races off-road and on tracks, he supports charitable endeavors including the Hollenbeck Youth Center in East Los Angeles and successfully advocated for California legislation designed to protect children from paparazzi.