Dax Shepard has opened up about giving his “surrogate daughter” a lap dance.
In an Instagram post from Tuesday 19 September, Shepard’s wife Kristin Bell shared a tribute to friend Hannah Anderson, who recently married her longtime partner, Bradley Mackeson, during a wedding ceremony in Oregon. Both Bell and Shepard attended the wedding along with their two children.
The Frozen star detailed in the caption that the couple has known Anderson since she was 16 years old and they consider themselves to be her “LA parents”. However, one of the videos in Bell’s carousel showed Shepard giving the bride and their “surrogate daughter” a lap dance at her wedding reception.
Many people ultimately commented on Bell’s post questioning whether or not the act was appropriate. “So… she’s your surrogate daughter, who’s surrogate father grinded up on her at her wedding for entertainment?” one commenter wrote.
“Was such a lovely post until the father daughter lapdance. Wt actual f,” another comment read.
While Anderson called the lap dance her “favourite wedding gift” on her Instagram Story, Shepard later addressed the criticism on his podcast, Eff won with DRS. He explained the context behind the dance, saying how a song had started to play that Anderson and her friends knew very well.
“They pull a chair out and then they throw Hannah in the chair. And you kind of immediately realise like: ‘Oh, people are going to give her lap dances,’” he said. “A few different gals are giving her lap dances. I don’t know why I decide this, but I’m like, a girl should have a lap dance from a guy.”
He then jumped in and performed the lap dance, noting that people were “laughing” at the time.
“Then as I walked away all of a sudden I thought: ‘Oh, crap - her dad,’” Shepard recalled. “Right before I walked over to the dance floor, I said: ‘Listen, we love being her surrogate parents!’”
Shepard and Anderson’s relationship dates back to when she was a high school student in Houston, Texas. The actor had found Anderson’s music on YouTube, specifically her cover of the song “Blood” by The Middle East.
“I wept. I listened to it over and over again,” Shepard told Anderson when she appeared on his Armchair Expert podcast in 2018. “Then I came home and I told Kristen: ‘Oh my God, you have to watch this girl sing.’”
“I also wept when I saw it,” Bell replied. “It was so moving and sincere and honest and lovely.”
The trio soon became “Twitter friends”, according to Shepard, and they first met in person when Anderson arrived in California to compete on American Idol. She had sent him a direct message that read: “Hi, I’m here. Do you want to meet me?”
Bell was quick to note that her husband had also developed an online relationship with the then-teenager’s parents.
Five hours later, Shepard received a “sad” update from Anderson, She had already been voted off American Idol and would be going back to Texas. Shepard and Bell insisted that Anderson join them for pizza before heading home.
“So you came over and then you were generous enough to play ‘Blood’ for us in the living room. And again I cried,” Shepard remembered.
“It was so funny and cute. You were beside yourself that she was in our living room, and you kept saying: ‘I manifested this,’” Bell quipped.
