Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have never claimed a conventional marriage. The couple, together since 2007, have built a public reputation for being candid about therapy, arguments, and the messier parts of their relationship. Lately, though, attention has shifted to someone else entirely: Monica Padman, the woman who's become a fixture in both their personal and professional lives.
From babysitter to indispensable
Padman moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to pursue acting, taking odd jobs to get by before starting out as an occasional babysitter for Bell and Shepard. After the couple's daughters, Lincoln and Delta, were born in 2013 and 2014, Padman moved into a full-time nanny role, later becoming Bell's personal assistant and even her speechwriter.
She's described that period as feeling like an extension of the family itself, saying she was often there from morning through night and that the arrangement felt more like a village than a job.
How the podcast changed everything
The dynamic shifted when Shepard decided to launch a podcast. Padman offered to help behind the scenes, but Shepard asked her to co-host instead. Armchair Expert launched in 2018 with Bell as its very first guest, and has since grown into a major hit, reportedly reaching around 20 million monthly listeners and landing an $80 million distribution deal with Wondery in 2024.
A running joke that stuck
As the podcast grew, so did Padman's presence in the couple's daily life. She eventually bought a home just a few minutes' walk from Bell and Shepard's own house in Los Feliz, and the closeness became something of a running joke between the three of them publicly.
During a joint appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2021, when Kimmel asked whether Padman was the third wheel in the couple's relationship, she jokingly described the arrangement as a three-way marriage, with Shepard adding that it came with all the responsibilities of having two wives and none of the benefits.
Some friends reportedly have concerns
Behind the public humour, some sources close to Padman have suggested her level of involvement in the couple's lives has worried people around her. According to one insider, Padman's relationship with Shepard is largely professional, while her bond with Bell is closer and more personal, and some feel she's become drawn into the couple's disagreements despite trying to stay neutral.
Bell has reportedly been clear with Padman that she and Shepard need space as a couple, and Padman herself is said to try to avoid taking sides when tension arises.
