Nobody Wants This star Tovah Feldshuh is seemingly coming to her costar Kristen Bell’s defense in the wake of her anniversary post controversy.
“With my beloved Kristen Bell, one of the finest human beings I know,” Feldshuh wrote via Instagram on Friday, October 24, sharing a photo of Bell, 45, and Feldshuh, 76, embracing. “Her humanity parallels her beauty and her talent, all of which are embracing and immense.”
Feldshuh stars on the series as Bina, the overprotective, judgmental mother of Adam Brody’s Noah.
Bell came under fire after posting an anniversary message for her husband, Dax Shepherd, on October 17.
Kristen Bell Compares ‘Real-Life’ Marriage to ‘Nobody Wants This’ Couple
“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,❤️’” Bell, 45, wrote via Instagram.
While some fans thought the caption was funny and clearly an inside joke, others didn’t appreciate the type of humor Bell seemed to convey amid the ongoing epidemic of intimate partner violence. (An estimated one in four women will be the victim of domestic violence in their lifetime, and homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women in the United States.)
“There’s nothing funny about domestic violence ‘jokes’ that trivialize the very real fear, trauma and pain that millions of victims and survivors face each day,” a rep for The National Network to End Domestic Violence shared in a statement to Page Six on October 21. “Especially during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we all have a responsibility to support victims and survivors, to invest in proven solutions and to speak about this issue with the seriousness it deserves.”
Fans also weighed in on the actress’ post. “What a wild thing to post during Domestic Violence Awareness month,” one user commented.
In response, Bell limited her comments on Instagram before canceling an October 22 appearance on the Today show to promote the second season of her hit Netflix series. Us Weekly reached out to Today and Bell’s team for comment at the time.
Other longtime fans of Bell and Shepherd rose to the couple’s defense.
“She was trying to be funny. They seem to have a relationship filled with humor which is great,” one fan wrote in Us Weekly’s Facebook comments section. “She just had poor timing not realizing October is domestic violence awareness month. She wasn’t out to hurt anyone.”
The actress did join Brody and Lupe as well as costars Jackie Tohn and Timothy Simons for a screening of the show’s season 2 premiere and a panel discussion at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, however, seemingly unphased by the online backlash.
Dax Shepard Loved Wife Kristen Bell’s ‘Hot’ Rom-Com Kiss With Adam Brody
Bell has not commented directly about the post.
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
