Kristen Bell Reveals She Told Her Kids About Doing Mushrooms — and It 'Backfired'

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Kristen Bell is opening up to her kids – and Jimmy Kimmel – about experimenting with drugs.

While visiting Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday, the mom of two revealed that she told her kids about trying hallucinogenic mushrooms on her 40th birthday.

The Frozen actress, who shares 9-year-old Lincoln and 7-year-old Delta, with husband Dax Shepard, said that as parents, they're very honest with their children about everything.

"Their dad is in recovery, so he's really honest about what alcohol does to your body, how it makes you feel funny and impairs things," Bell, 42, shared. "What drugs do to your body and why most drugs are illegal and all that."

But her decision to be honest ended up backfiring.

"It backfired a couple of weeks ago because my mom came in town, who is more conservative than I am," Bell, she told the late-night TV host, 55.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ChVlUhduqGa/ kristenanniebell Verified Swan Valley, Idaho, on the Snake River �� Thank you @mmcnearney and @jimmykimmel - you’re the best hosts in the biz. And happy birthday to our Queen @nfscott �� Edited · 37m
https://www.instagram.com/p/ChVlUhduqGa/ kristenanniebell Verified Swan Valley, Idaho, on the Snake River �� Thank you @mmcnearney and @jimmykimmel - you’re the best hosts in the biz. And happy birthday to our Queen @nfscott �� Edited · 37m

kristenanniebell/Instagram Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard, and kids

RELATED: I Find the Best Deals on Amazon for a Living —  Here Are 7 Holiday Gifts I'm Shopping Before Black Friday

"Then I overheard my daughter talking to grandma going, 'I'm actually really glad [my parents] share all this stuff with me. So anyway, my mom really wanted to try mushrooms…"

Bell immediately started to panic.

"I was like, 'Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh," she said with a giggle. "For some reason, I'm more worried about telling my mom that than telling my daughter."

Bell previously opened up about her experience trying mushrooms while on actor Sean Hayes and Dr. Priyanka Wali's new podcast, Hypochondriactor.

RELATED: Kristen Bell Tried Hallucinogenic Mushrooms to Help Manage Her Depression

The actress shared on the podcast that after reading author Michael Pollan's book How to Change Your Mind in 2020, she was inspired to try out a new approach to battle her anxiety — psychedelic drugs.

Bell decided that she was "really interested in doing mushrooms."

"I really wanted to try some psilocybin [the technical term for hallucinogenic mushrooms] and feel what kind of doors open, have a trip that was my own," she explained.

RELATED: Kristen Bell Reveals Hilarious Reason Why Her Daughters Called Her a 'Huge Disappointment'

The Food and Drug Administration is currently conducting trials to study the effects of psilocybin on people with severe depression, and has said that results so far show that it is a "breakthrough therapy."

The mom of two knew that she needed to try them in a safe and comfortable setting, and husband Shepard, a recovering drug addict, wanted to help.

"I am very lucky to be married to an ex-drug addict," she said. "Not only did he know where to get the mushrooms … he got that really nice, quality, organic, set and setting, beautiful mushroom. And then he … babysat me."

RELATED VIDEO: Kristen Bell Shares How Therapy Helps with Anxiety & Depression: 'You Are Not Alone'

Shepard is now sober again after suffering from a relapse in his addiction to painkillers in September.

Bell said that she decided to do it for her birthday last year, with Shepard, 46, by her side.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"I said, 'I really would like to experience this. And I don't want to, I'm not going to party with it, but I want to know what this feels like. And I want to talk while I'm doing it, and I want you to talk to me.' And he took me on a walk around the neighborhood and it was so lovely."

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.