Why Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell Changed Their Minds After They Originally “Did Not Want a Second Child”

Dax Shepard revealed why he and wife Kristen Bell rethought their decision to not have a second child after welcoming their first daughter, Lincoln.

By Tamantha Gunn Oct 28, 2022 4:58 PMTags
Watch: Kristen Bell Talks Balancing Parenthood With Dax Shepard

Dax Shepard and wife Kristen Bell originally wanted to keep their family a party of three.

The Armchair Expert podcast host recently shared that he and The Good Place star—who share daughters Lincoln, 9, and Delta, 7—didn't plan to have another child after they welcomed their eldest in 2013.

"We did not want a second child, as I'm sure you guys are feeling right now," Dax said to married hosts Natasha Leggero and Moshe Kasher during an Oct. 25 episode of their Endless Honeymoon podcast. "You must feel so content and so full. You're not wanting for anything so it's a bizarre conversation to start because it's perfect and it's so much easier."

Though the comedian said he and Kristen actress were "so absolutely happy" with just one child, they soon had a change of heart, welcoming Delta just 20 months later.

"We travel a lot. It's not fair to bring this little human everywhere we go and deal with only adults," Dax shared. "We owe it to her to her give to her a playmate that travels with us everywhere. We love her enough to do something we don't really want to do, which is have a second."

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Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard: Romance Rewind

He noted that they also believed that having a second child would keep their first one humble. 

"Our kids are already so privileged beyond belief," he continued. "I needed a force of compromise and sharing and discomfort because I wasn't going to give it to her in the other ways. So, we just thought it would be really helpful to make her a better person to have to deal with someone else."

He jokingly added, "We did not want Delta. We still don't want you, Delta." 

Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Dax noted that while there was some difficulty when Lincoln was 5 years old and Delta was 3 due to their age gap, the two girls have become close

"Not only do they party together, they're united against us, which I love," he shared. "Like, if I'm giving it to one of the girls, the other one comes over, ‘You're not being nice to Lincoln, you didn't listen to what she said.' I'm like, ‘That's right. That's your role. You guys gang up and kill me. It's you two against the world.'"