Dax Shepard Reveals the Dating Advice He Got from Bradley Cooper Before Meeting Kristen Bell

Mar. 15, 2025

Dax Shepard (left) and Kristen Bell in 2023; Bradley Cooper (right) on Feb. 18, 2024.Photo:Peru Williams/Variety via Getty; Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty

Peru Williams/Variety via Getty; Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty

Bradley Cooper offered his friend Dax Shepard dating advice before he married his now-wife Kristen BellThe podcast host opened up about being vulnerable in relationships during a conversation withThe New Yorker’s Tyler Foggatt on Saturday, Oct. 26Shepard also revealed that he recommends people “practice” in relationships they know are overDax Shepardis looking back at the valuable wisdom his friendBradley Coopergave him about relationships before he got into one with his now-wifeKristen Bell.Shepard, 49, recalled Cooper’s advice during an onstage conversation withThe New Yorker’sTyler Foggatton Saturday, Oct. 26, at the 25th annual New Yorker Festival in New York City.The anecdote began when Foggatt asked the actor and podcast host, “What would you say to the male audience that is scared or not sure how to be vulnerable in a relationship the way that you are with your wife?““I would tell them that it’s a humongous leap of faith, and I know the exact moment this happened for me,” Shepard said.He went on to tell the story of how he was once dating someone “who had a lot more status than me and money and everything, and we would get in these fights,” which would lead him to call longtime pal Cooper, 49, as the latter “advised me in the past.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Dax Shepard (left) and Bradley Cooper in 2013.Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty"I would tell him this whole fight, and he would say, ‘Wow, if she had said that to me, I’d feel really less than and I’d be insecure about this,’ " Shepard continued of Cooper. “And I was like, ‘Wow, that’s exactly how I feel. You can’t tell a woman that.’ “Cooper’s response to the latter statement? “He would say, ‘Look, you’re clearly breaking up with this gal. Why don’t you practice on her? Like, go tell her, ‘When you said this, I felt this way.’ “TheCHiPSactor said he did what Cooper advised him to do and told his now-ex the truth about how he felt before breaking things off. He went on to add that how she reacted “was something I could have never, ever imagined.““The reaction was, first of all, shock — like, ‘There’s a man saying he feels really insecure and little and less than and insignificant,’ " Shepard continued. “And then we make it work for one week, and we get another fight.“Bell, he said, is “the beneficiary of that trial relationship that taught me how to lead with” vulnerability. And to this day, he advises people to “practice” in relationships they know are over.“This is a freebie. They’re out of there. So give it a shot,” Shepard said.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!Dax Shepard (left) and Kristen Bell in 2019.Steve Granitz/WireImageAlso during the chat, Shepard joked about his wife’s onscreen sparks withAdam Brodyin their hit Netflix romance seriesNobody Wants This.When asked about the “incredible chemistry” between himself and Bell, 44, Shepard had an unexpected response. “Not as good as her and Brody,” he quipped ofThe O.C.alum, 44.“My friend … we watched that scene together, the kissing scene, which I’d argue is the very best kissing scene ever, ever put on film,” he continued of a smooch shared between his wife and Brody’s characters in the series.“And my best friend, Aaron, from childhood, he goes, ‘Does she ever kiss you like that?’ No, Ididn’t even know she could kiss like that,” Shepard added.

Dax Shepardis looking back at the valuable wisdom his friendBradley Coopergave him about relationships before he got into one with his now-wifeKristen Bell.

Shepard, 49, recalled Cooper’s advice during an onstage conversation withThe New Yorker’sTyler Foggatton Saturday, Oct. 26, at the 25th annual New Yorker Festival in New York City.

The anecdote began when Foggatt asked the actor and podcast host, “What would you say to the male audience that is scared or not sure how to be vulnerable in a relationship the way that you are with your wife?”

“I would tell them that it’s a humongous leap of faith, and I know the exact moment this happened for me,” Shepard said.

He went on to tell the story of how he was once dating someone “who had a lot more status than me and money and everything, and we would get in these fights,” which would lead him to call longtime pal Cooper, 49, as the latter “advised me in the past.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Dax Shepard (left) and Bradley Cooper in 2013.Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty

Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty

“I would tell him this whole fight, and he would say, ‘Wow, if she had said that to me, I’d feel really less than and I’d be insecure about this,’ " Shepard continued of Cooper. “And I was like, ‘Wow, that’s exactly how I feel. You can’t tell a woman that.’ "

Cooper’s response to the latter statement? “He would say, ‘Look, you’re clearly breaking up with this gal. Why don’t you practice on her? Like, go tell her, ‘When you said this, I felt this way.’ "

TheCHiPSactor said he did what Cooper advised him to do and told his now-ex the truth about how he felt before breaking things off. He went on to add that how she reacted “was something I could have never, ever imagined.”

“The reaction was, first of all, shock — like, ‘There’s a man saying he feels really insecure and little and less than and insignificant,’ " Shepard continued. “And then we make it work for one week, and we get another fight.”

Bell, he said, is “the beneficiary of that trial relationship that taught me how to lead with” vulnerability. And to this day, he advises people to “practice” in relationships they know are over.

“This is a freebie. They’re out of there. So give it a shot,” Shepard said.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Dax Shepard (left) and Kristen Bell in 2019.Steve Granitz/WireImage

Steve Granitz/WireImage

Also during the chat, Shepard joked about his wife’s onscreen sparks withAdam Brodyin their hit Netflix romance seriesNobody Wants This.

When asked about the “incredible chemistry” between himself and Bell, 44, Shepard had an unexpected response. “Not as good as her and Brody,” he quipped ofThe O.C.alum, 44.

“My friend … we watched that scene together, the kissing scene, which I’d argue is the very best kissing scene ever, ever put on film,” he continued of a smooch shared between his wife and Brody’s characters in the series.

“And my best friend, Aaron, from childhood, he goes, ‘Does she ever kiss you like that?’ No, Ididn’t even know she could kiss like that,” Shepard added.

source: people.com