Dax Shepard
Born 1975 · Age 50
American actor, comedian, writer, director and podcaster; co-founder of Hello Bello; host of the Armchair Expert podcast.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Ypsilanti (Beyer Hospital), Michigan
Dax Randall Shepard was born at Beyer Hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan (suburban Detroit).
Sexual abuse in childhood
Shepard was sexually abused at age 7; he later cited this as a major underlying cause of later substance abuse.
Began working for mother's event business
From about age 14 to 18 Shepard worked for his mother's traveling car-show/publicity business at racetracks across the U.S.
Enrolled in The Groundlings school
After high school Shepard enrolled in The Groundlings improv/school (began training in improv/sketch).
High school graduation (Walled Lake Central)
Graduated from Walled Lake Central High School.
Revealed childhood abuse (approx.)
Shepard later said he did not reveal the abuse to anyone until 12 years after it occurred (approx. age 19).
Moved to Santa Barbara, California
Spent approximately one year in Santa Barbara before relocating to Los Angeles.
Moved to Los Angeles
Relocated to Los Angeles to pursue acting and continued at The Groundlings while attending college.
Attended Santa Monica College and West Los Angeles College
Attended community colleges in Los Angeles before transferring to UCLA.
First film credit: Hairshirt (credited as Dax Sheppard)
Small role credited as Dax Sheppard in the film Hairshirt.
Joined The Groundlings Sunday Company (approx.)
After about five years of Groundlings classes Shepard got into the Sunday Company alongside performers like Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer (approximate timing).
Punk'd multi-year involvement
Appeared on Punk'd across multiple years (2003–2012), credited with ~56 episodes total across runs.
Appeared on Punk'd (MTV)
Began appearing on Ashton Kutcher's MTV prank/improv show Punk'd; this was his first paid acting role after long auditioning.
Film crew role: Cheaper by the Dozen
Credited as a camera crew member on Cheaper by the Dozen (small/crew role).
Teen Choice Awards nomination (Punk'd)
Nominated for Choice TV Reality/Variety Star – Male for Punk'd at the 2003 Teen Choice Awards.
Starred in Without a Paddle
Starred alongside Seth Green and Matthew Lillard in the comedy Without a Paddle (feature role).
Achieved sobriety (initial sobriety)
Shepard achieved sobriety after years of substance problems; he cited September 2004 as when he got sober.
Starred in Zathura: A Space Adventure
Played 'The Astronaut' (Adult Walter) in the family sci-fi adventure Zathura.
Appeared in multiple 2006 comedies
Appeared in Employee of the Month, Idiocracy (as Frito), and landed a main character role in Let's Go to Prison.
Main role in Baby Mama
Had a main role in the comedy Baby Mama opposite Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Without a Paddle grossed over $65M worldwide (reported)
As of 2009, Without a Paddle had grossed more than US$65 million worldwide.
Wrote, directed and starred in Brother's Justice
Shepard wrote, directed and starred in the low-budget mockumentary Brother's Justice.
Brother's Justice won Audience Award at Austin Film Festival
The film won an Audience Award at the 2010 Austin Film Festival.
Joined Parenthood main cast
Began portraying Crosby Braverman as part of the main cast of NBC's Parenthood (2010–2015).
Supporting role in When in Rome
Had a supporting role in When in Rome, a romantic comedy also starring Kristen Bell.
Cast half-sister Carly Hatter in Hit and Run
Cast his younger half-sister Carly Hatter in Hit and Run.
Wrote, directed, produced and starred in Hit and Run
Co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in the low-budget action-comedy Hit and Run alongside Kristen Bell and Bradley Cooper.
Birth of daughter Lincoln (first child)
Shepard and Kristen Bell welcomed their first daughter, Lincoln, on March 28, 2013.
DOMA ruling prompts Kristen Bell proposal
After the Supreme Court ruling on section 3 of DOMA, Kristen Bell publicly proposed to Shepard via Twitter; he accepted.
California Senate Bill 606 (no-kids paparazzi) passed
Shepard and Kristen Bell were advocates for SB 606 (limiting commercial photography of children); the bill passed in 2013.
Married Kristen Bell
Shepard and Kristen Bell married at the Beverly Hills County Clerk's Office on October 17, 2013.
Supporting role in The Judge
Had a supporting role in the courtroom drama The Judge (released 2014).
Starred in Samsung Galaxy Tab S commercial with Kristen Bell
Appeared with Kristen Bell in a Samsung Galaxy Tab S commercial released Sept 2014; the ad received over 20 million YouTube views.
Second Samsung holiday ad
Because of the success of the first ad (20M+ views), Shepard and Bell did another Samsung holiday commercial in late 2014.
Birth of daughter Delta (second child)
Shepard and Kristen Bell welcomed their second daughter, Delta, on December 19, 2014.
Parenthood ended
NBC's Parenthood concluded in 2015; Shepard had been a main cast member 2010–2015 and appeared in approximately 90 episodes.
People's Choice Awards nomination (Parenthood)
Nominated for Favorite Dramatic TV Actor at the 2015 People's Choice Awards for Parenthood.
Owns and raced cars / motorcycles; featured Lincoln Continental in Hit and Run
An avid car and motorcycle enthusiast; owns the 1967 Lincoln Continental used in Hit and Run and races off-road and at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.
Released CHiPs (writer/director/star)
Shepard wrote, directed and starred in the film CHiPs, released by Warner Bros. on March 24, 2017; the film received negative reviews.
Armchair Expert: most popular new podcast on iTunes (2018)
Armchair Expert was reported as the most popular new podcast on Apple/iTunes in 2018.
Armchair Expert high-profile guests
Armchair Expert featured high-profile guests including Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Kristen Bell, Ashton Kutcher, Will Ferrell, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (show elevated Shepard's profile).
Launched Armchair Expert podcast
Shepard launched the Armchair Expert podcast with co-host Monica Padman; show features long-form interviews with celebrities, journalists and academics.
Released first 'Experts on Expert' episode
Armchair Expert released its first 'Experts on Expert' episode on June 7, 2018, interviewing field experts (psychologists, authors, etc.).
Co-founded Hello Bello (co-founder with Kristen Bell)
Shepard is a co-founder of Hello Bello, a diaper and baby products company (company affiliation mentioned in sources).
Revealed as host of revived Top Gear America
It was announced on Dec 3, 2019, that Shepard would be a host of the revived Top Gear America (premiered January 2021 on MotorTrend+).
Revealed relapse and renewed sobriety on Armchair Expert
In a special Armchair Expert episode released Sept 25, 2020, Shepard revealed he had relapsed while recovering from an accident and then announced he was sober again (had seven days of sobriety as of Sept 21, 2020 recording).
People's Choice Awards nomination (podcast)
Armchair Expert was nominated for Top Podcast of the Year at the 2020 People's Choice Awards.
Top Gear America premiered with Shepard as host
Top Gear America (revival) premiered on MotorTrend in January 2021 with Shepard as one of the hosts.
Featured voice role: Paw Patrol: The Movie
Provided the voice for Ruben in Paw Patrol: The Movie (2021 release).
Estimated net worth reported (~$40M)
Third-party outlets and profiles (e.g., WealthyGorilla as cited by some outlets) estimated Shepard's net worth around $40M (reported circa 2023).
Appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (guest) – Oct 5, 2023
Listed appearance as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Oct 5, 2023 (per filmography entry).
Continued philanthropy and charity involvement
Ongoing donations of time to Hollenbeck Youth Center, serving as MC for Inner-City Games and Miracle on 1st Street Toy Giveaway (dates spanning 2000s–2020s).
Armchair Expert ranked 8th biggest podcast on Spotify USA (2024)
Armchair Expert was reported as the 8th biggest podcast in the USA on Spotify's platform in 2024.
Armchair Expert first-look/distribution deal with Wondery (Amazon)
Shepard and Armchair Expert secured a first-look deal with Wondery (Amazon unit) after the podcast's success (reported July 11, 2024).
Key Achievement Ages
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