Dax Shepard has revealed the “sweet” way an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting honored Eric Dane following the actor’s death last month.
“So, we had a very, very, very sweet meeting last night,” Shepard, 51, said during the Monday, March 2, episode of his “Armchair Expert” podcast. Though Shepard didn’t mention Dane by name, his cohost, Monica Padman, added, “Oh, about Eric.”
“Kind of in memory of our friend,” Shepard continued.
The Parenthood star noted that although his AA meetings are typically a group of entirely men, an “awesome” woman joined that particular night.
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“She goes, ‘I don’t know how all of you got through your shares without crying, but I’m going to be crying through my entire share, and I’m gonna cry for all of you,’” he recalled. “And we were like, ‘Well, thank you. Someone needs to.’ That was really great.”
Shepard and Dane, who died at age 53 on February 19 following a battle with ALS, became close friends after they nearly came to blows at an AA meeting years ago.
“Eric Dane, who I now f***ing love, I have such a sweetness for him, we all had a mini group. He was hosting. But when we first were around each other, it was not good,” Shepard recalled on his podcast in June 2025, adding that Dane “threatened a dude” at the meeting.
“In the middle of the meeting, he goes, ‘If you hit that timer again, I’m gonna f***ing throw you in that candle,’” he continued. “I go, ‘That’s it, motherf***er, let’s go. Stand up, let’s go outside.’ I’m gonna beat the f*** out of him in Tom’s driveway. At an AA meeting, where we’re coming for healing and understanding.”
Dane previously told the story from his perspective on the podcast in June 2024.
“Somebody I brought … who probably shouldn’t have been at the meeting … did not stop, was droning on. Dax’s friend … kept resetting this timer every time the guy would go over. The timer went off, like, seven times,” the Grey’s Anatomy star said at the time.
Dane added that his and Shepard’s shared sponsor ultimately stopped their argument from escalating. After that incident, the pair bonded over their shared love of cars and the fact that they carry “the exact same bag of bulls***.”
Dane went public with his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. Nearly one year later, his family confirmed his death in a statement to Us Weekly.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” the statement read. “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world.”
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The statement continued, “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”
During Shepard’s February 23 podcast episode, which was seemingly recorded prior to Dane’s death, the Zathura actor appeared to reference Dane’s battle with ALS.
“I’ve got a friend right now that’s going down really fast and hard with ALS,” Shepard told guest Sterling K. Brown, whose mother suffers from the same disease. “I go over there and it’s like I can f***ing monologue. [I] can let it rip. Tell about 25 stories, and I see some smiling and some laughing.”
That same day, the “Armchair Expert” podcast paid tribute to Dane via Instagram by sharing a link to the Euphoria actor’s episode.
“Remembering the talented and inspiring Eric Dane this week,” the post read.
