Dax Shepard offers to pay 11-year-old daughter to freeze eggs, raises eyebrows

Dax Shepard revealed he offered to pay 11-year-old daughter Delta to freeze her eggs at 18, sparking debate

Dax Shepard recently revealed an eyebrow-raising parenting offer on his Armchair Expert podcast. The actor shared that he proposed to pay for his youngest daughter, 11-year-old Delta, to freeze her eggs when she turns 18, a conversation that has raised questions about appropriateness and timing.

“She said she wants to have a baby,” Shepard said during the Jan. 5 episode. “And I said, ‘If you want to, we’ll freeze your eggs when you’re 18. I’ll pay for you to get your eggs frozen so you don’t have to think about it.’”

While he described the gesture as supportive, his cohost Monica Padman called it “lovely,” some listeners have found it disturbing that such a conversation would even be initiated with a child so young. Delta’s reaction was telling: she dismissed his suggested age range for having kids, saying, “No, that’s crazy! That’s too old.” Shepard jokingly noted that, to an 11-year-old, 35 to 45 might as well be 80.

The conversation also highlights the couple’s broader approach to parenting. Shepard and wife Kristen Bell, who share another child, 12-year-old Lincoln, have vowed to always be honest with their children, even on difficult topics like reproduction. Bell told E! News in 2024 that they explain the mechanics of conception openly, acknowledging that their daughters often find it boring or awkward.

“It requires a lot of brain power,” Bell said. “You have to filter what’s appropriate for their age group, what isn’t going to scare them too much, but just maybe enough.”

While the intention may have been to provide Delta with future reproductive security, the public has raised concerns about whether such a topic is appropriate for an 11-year-old, noting that the discussion veers into territory many consider far too early to involve a child in decisions about her own fertility.