Dax Shepard Recalls Nearly Coming to Blows With Eric Dane at AA

Dax Shepard and Eric Dane once nearly came to blows at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

Shepard, 50, recalled the time that he and Dane, 52, almost got into a fight at a men’s group during the Monday, June 23, episode of his “Armchair Expert” podcast with guest Brad Pitt.

“Eric Dane, who I now f***ing love, I have such a sweetness for him, we all had a mini group. He was hosting. But when we first were around each other, it was not good,” the Parenthood star explained.

Shepard said that Dane “threatened a dude in the meeting.”

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“In the middle of the meeting, he goes, ‘If you hit that timer again, I’m gonna f***ing throw you in that candle,’” he recalled.

Shepard continued, “I go, ‘That’s it, motherf***er, let’s go. Stand up, let’s go outside.’ I’m gonna beat the f*** out of him in Tom’s driveway. At an AA meeting, where we’re coming for healing and understanding.”

Shepard reassured listeners that although he and Dane had a rocky start, they’re “friends now.”

Shepard and Dane previously told the story of their confrontation on “Armchair Expert” in June 2024.

“Somebody I brought … who probably shouldn’t have been at the meeting … did not stop, was droning on. Dax’s friend … kept resetting this timer every time the guy would go over. The timer went off, like, seven times,” Dane explained.

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The Euphoria actor said that, after he threatened to set the person “ablaze,” he and Shepard went outside to “fight in the driveway.” Thankfully, their sponsor stopped the argument from escalating.

Shepard said he and Dane ultimately bonded over their shared love of cars and the fact that they carry “the exact same bag of bulls***.”

Shepard’s memory of Dane comes two months after the Grey’s Anatomy alum publicly revealed his ALS diagnosis.

“I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter,” Dane, who shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with Rebecca Gayheart, told People in a statement in April.

“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week,” the statement continued. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”

Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart's Relationship Timeline

Dane’s announcement came one month after Gayheart, 53, filed to dismiss her divorce from the actor, whom she married in 2004. Dane has sparked romance rumors with Janell Shirtcliff, but neither he nor Gayheart has confirmed their relationship status.

Dane gushed about Gayheart’s support amid his ALS battle on Good Morning America on June 16.

“I talk to her every day,” he said, becoming emotional. “We have managed to become better friends and better parents, and she is my — probably my biggest champion. My most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”

Dane later said he felt “hopeful” amid his battle with the incurable disease, which affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, during the June 17 episode of GMA.

“I don’t think this is the end of my story. I’m pretty resilient,” he said. “I just don’t feel like in my heart that this is the end of me.”