Kristen Bell Skips Scheduled ‘Today’ Show Appearance After Anniversary Post Sparks Backlash

Kristen Bell has gone quiet amid her latest controversy.

As Page Six reports, the Nobody Wants This actress, 45, was expected to appear on NBC’s Today show on Wednesday, October 22, alongside her costar Justine Lupe — but Lupe was interviewed alone, with no explanation for Bell’s absence.

The no-show comes just days after Bell’s Instagram anniversary post for husband Dax Shepard, 50, triggered a storm of criticism from fans.

As Star reported, Bell took to social media on Saturday, October 18 to mark 12 years of marriage with Shepard.

“Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once said to me: ‘I would never kill you. A lot of men have killed their wives at a certain point. Even though I’m heavily incentivized to kill you, I never would.’ ❤️,” she captioned the post.

The post, shared during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, quickly drew backlash from followers who called it “tone-deaf” and “disturbing.”

A domestic-violence advocacy group also condemned Bell’s post, telling Page Six that there’s “nothing funny” about jokes that “trivialize trauma and pain.”

For now at least, Bell is laying low amid the backlash. As Star previously reported on October 21, she limited comments on the controversial post.