“Dateline” is taking notes.
After Kristen Bell made an “inappropriate” murder joke on Instagram, the account for the true crime show commented beneath the post in question, “Screenshotted.”
The comment received more than 45,000 “likes” and 150 replies, including remarks like, “Dateline for the win!,” “best comment award 🥇,” “you win the internet today” and “Savage.”
Over the weekend, Bell commemorated her and her husband Dax Shepard’s 12th wedding anniversary — which she had initially forgotten — by sharing a sweet photo showing her giving him a big bear hug while the two sat on their bed.
The actress, 45, captioned the snap, “Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once said to me: ‘I would never kill you. A lot of men have killed their wives at a certain point. Even though I’m heavily incentivized to kill you, I never would.’ ❤️.”
The “unbelievably tone-deaf” and “insensitive” sentiments angered many commenters, as several pointed out that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Others reminded Bell that spousal abuse “isn’t a joke” or something to take lightly.
Many called the message “weird” and “disturbing,” and it even left one fan “question[ing Bell] as a person.”
Someone also wondered, “How can any self respecting woman stay with a man who ‘jokes’ like that? I’m not even a very serious person, but that would have me leaving so fast your head would spin.”
However, a handful of supporters defended the star and called her critics “too sensitive.”
Reps for Bell — who has since limited the comments allowed on her post — has not yet addressed the backlash or responded to Page Six’s request for comment.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-7997233 or text BEGIN to 88788.
