Dax Shepard Admits Flirting With Married Kate Hudson Before Their 2007 Romance

Q: Why is Dax Shepard revealing now that he flirted with Kate Hudson before their brief 2007 romance began?

Dax Shepard appears to be revealing it now because the story came up naturally on a new episode of his own podcast while he was discussing his brief 2007 relationship with Kate Hudson and how it began. There is no indication of a new dispute or scandal; rather, it fits his long-running habit on “Armchair Expert” of candidly revisiting old relationships and personal missteps in public. His account also adds context to a romance both he and Hudson have already spoken about openly. Hudson said in 2019 on the same podcast that their relationship became real after a playful paparazzi stunt outside Nobu. Shepard’s new comments fill in an earlier chapter: that he had been attracted to her before they dated, when she was still married to Chris Robinson, and then reconnected with her after her separation at a Malibu dinner. The timing also reflects that the people involved have long moved on. Shepard is married to Kristen Bell, Hudson is engaged to Danny Fujikawa, and both have spoken about past relationships without bitterness. Reporting around the episode suggests the anecdote was framed less as a confession than as a humorous, retrospective story about a crush, a failed first attempt, and a later brief romance. So the likely reason he is revealing it now is simple: he was recounting his dating history on his podcast, and this was part of that story.

Q: Did a playful paparazzi stunt outside Nobu really turn Kate Hudson and Dax Shepard from a joke into a real couple?

Yes. By both Kate Hudson’s and Dax Shepard’s own accounts, the playful paparazzi moment outside Nobu did help turn them from a joke into a real couple. Hudson said on Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast in 2019 that they walked out of Nobu holding hands as a prank for photographers, and that the bit unexpectedly became real. Shepard agreed, joking that the staged moment “turned into” an actual relationship, while Hudson called it “the perfect move.” That stunt was not the very beginning of their connection, though. Shepard has since said he first met Hudson earlier, while she was still married to Chris Robinson, at Oliver Hudson’s house during a poker night. He said he openly flirted with her then, but nothing happened. After Hudson and Robinson separated, Shepard said they reconnected at a dinner hosted by Steve Brill and quickly began spending time together every day. So the Nobu paparazzi gag appears to have been a catalyst, not the whole origin story. Their own retelling suggests there was already mutual chemistry and a renewed connection after her separation, and the joking hand-holding outside Nobu helped tip that into a brief real-life romance. They dated for a few months in 2007 and later remained on friendly terms.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 31

Shepard said on his "Armchair Expert" podcast that he openly flirted with Kate Hudson when they first met at Oliver Hudson's poker night, even though she was still married to Chris Robinson.
The 51-year-old actor said he was already "obsessed" with Hudson, left believing he had made a strong first impression, and tried again after running into her at a Malibu dinner once she was single.
That reconnection led to the pair seeing each other "every single day" and dating for a few months in 2007; Hudson and Shepard later said a paparazzi joke outside Nobu helped spark the relationship.
Both moved on after the split: Shepard married Kristen Bell in 2013 and has two daughters, while Hudson is now engaged to Danny Fujikawa after earlier relationships with Robinson and Matthew Bellamy.