Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Dax Shepard has reflected on how hard it has been to confront the abuse he endured as a child, and why it took him so long to set it down in writing for his memoir.
The actor and podcast host says he’s preparing to share more about the childhood sexual abuse he experienced, even though speaking about it remains painful.
On his Armchair Expert podcast, Shepard explained that he has referenced the subject over the years, but decided his forthcoming book would be the place where he lays out the full account.
He discussed the memoir during a conversation with Marcus Mumford, who has previously spoken about his own childhood abuse, including through his 2022 track Cannibal.
Shepard said: “I have, for years on here, been acknowledging that I have been molested. And that was its own hurdle to just say that. And I got quite comfortable being able to say that.
That was fine. And now I’m writing a memoir. And last year, really, the whole year was about, ‘Do I have the balls to write down the details of this?’
“The details were always going to be mine. I didn’t want anyone to be envisioning me. It’s weird that that was still some wall between my shame. Like, I can say that happened, but I don’t need you to know anything that actually happened.”
Although he feels more able to be specific now, Shepard acknowledged that getting those memories onto the page came with a heavy emotional cost.
He said he found himself overwhelmed while working on that part of the book, noting it took about four months to complete.
He added: “And when I’m writing it, I cannot help but think of people knowing this about me and how still exposed that feels.
“I was having really weird kind of spikes of emotions and moodiness. And I would forget that’s why I was having that.”
Even so, Shepard said finishing that section brought a sense of relief, as if a burden had finally lifted.
He continued: “I finished it, and something about it existing there feels like a lot of weight is off my shoulders. But for me, there’s still the hurdle of, like, [putting the book out there].”
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via
online.rainn.org