Kristen Bell Told Her Kids About Doing Mushrooms & It "Backfired

(Image credit: Marie Claire)

published 24 November 2022

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have a clear idea of how they want to parent their children, and it usually works out great for them.

But on one recent occasion, the two actors' honest admissions almost got Bell in trouble with her own mom.

The Good Place actress recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and told a hilarious family anecdote.

Speaking about her husband, she said, "He's very honest with our children, about everything."

The host answered, "Yeah, he is honest about everything. I didn't want to say that, because I figured I'd let you say that, but everything is just out on the table, right?"

Bell confirmed what Kimmel already seemed to know. "Very, very honest," she said. "In fact, it backfired a couple weeks ago, because my mom came in town, who is more conservative than I am, and we have been really, really honest with our kids."

Here's what happened: "I had never really done any drugs, and I wanted to try mushrooms for my 40th birthday, so my husband had gotten them for me, and I tried it," Bell recalled.

"This was a couple years ago. And we told our kids about it, and then I overheard my daughter talking to my mom, to grandma, 'I'm actually really glad they share all this stuff with me. So anyway, Mom really wanted to try mushrooms. So...'

"And I just walked by and I was like, 'Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh.' For some reason I'm more worried about telling my mom that than my daughter."

Kimmel pointed out that Bell and Shepard's children might not have known what kind of mushrooms their parents were referring to, but the actress quickly set the record straight.

She said, "No, they fully know, because their dad is in recovery, so he's really honest about what alcohol does to your body, how it makes you feel funny and impairs things, and what drugs do to your body, and why most drugs are illegal, all that."

The famous spouses share daughters Lincoln, 9, and Delta, 7. Shepard has been extremely open about his struggle with addiction in the past, and his long road to recovery.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.