Why Dax Shepard skipped the SAG Actor Awards 2026 despite Kristen Bell hosting

Dax Shepard hinted that he wasn’t at the 2026 SAG Actor Awards to support the evening’s host, his wife Kristen Bell, because he was scheduled for a colonoscopy.

The “Armchair Expert” podcaster revealed that he was having the procedure in an Instagram Story post earlier in the day Sunday — just hours before the star-studded event was set to take place.

Shepard shared a screenshot of a text message exchange with the hashtag, “#colonoscopyprep.”

“Clear liquids today…..until 8am Monday Morning,” the text from someone named Edward read. “Then water only (includes coffee/tea with no additive/no calories) until 10am Monday.

“Then nothing by mouth; arrival 11:15. Copy?”

The “Baby Mama” actor, 51, replied by joking that he was currently “eating a steak smothered in seeds and nuts.”

Despite his absence, Shepard gave Bell, 45, a sweet shout-out ahead of the big night in an Instagram post Sunday morning.

“CAUTION: DO NOT watch if you’re allergic to effortless charm, tasty wit, velvety vocals, world-class mimicry, high-in-tight buns, timeless beauty or Disney-level Adorability,” he captioned a promotional image of Bell for the award show.

“Also it may be ‘too much’ for those with heart conditions,” he continued. “For everyone else, buckle the f–k up!!!”

The “Frozen” voice actress opened the evening with a monologue at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Calif., with a cheeky song poking fun at Hollywood stage names.

Earlier in the evening, the “Nobody Wants This” star made clear that she wouldn’t be making fun of anyone in the audience.

“For me, hosting is not roasting,” she told Netflix on the red carpet just moments before she took the stage. “It’s not for me. If I’m going to roast anyone, it’s going to be me.”

The “Veronica Mars” alum left little to the imagination in a see-through beaded purple gown by Georges Hobeika.

This isn’t the first time she has hosted the award show, delivering monologues in 2018 as well as last year.

Bell previously hinted that she might be singing during the monologue when she announced earlier this year that she would be the host.

“I’ve enjoyed hosting the show every time, so it was an easy decision to come back for a third,” Bell said in a statement in January.

“What I’m most excited for is the fact that I’ll be doing what every actor does best … sing :),” she teased.

While Bell attended purely as a host this year, she was nominated for a trophy at last year’s SAG Awards for her role in her Netflix rom-com.

Bell has been married to Shepard since 2013. They share two daughters: Lincoln, 12, and Delta, 11.

Reps for Bell and Shepard did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.