Landlords Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have waived rent for tenants amid coronavirus quarantine

Caroline Goldstein
·3 min read

We don’t have to remind you that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has wrought virtually every kind of panic upon the world, not the least of which is financial. And with April 1st on the horizon, people are increasingly concerned about paying their monthly rent. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard—actors, responsible self-isolators, owners of several residential buildings in Los Angeles, and overall gifts unto the universe—are quashing that particular concern for their renters.

Bell’s rep, Marcel Pariseau, confirmed to USA Today that Bell and Shepard are waiving April rent for tenants in their buildings. (California is one of 17 states currently under official stay-at-home directives to slow the virus’ spread.)

This is not the first act of kindness that Bell and Shepard have exhibited during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 19th, Bell posted on her Instagram that she and Shepard donated $150,007.96 to No Kid Hungry. The organization is now working to feed children who rely on schools for their meals, and who may be going without due to widespread closures.

And in case you were wondering about that rogue $7.96, Bell explained:

“The reason the number is odd is because when my kids overheard me making the donation, they asked if they could also donate the money from their piggy bank. I couldn’t have been prouder to add that extra, and important 7 dollars and 96 cents.”

View this post on Instagram

NKH has always been there for kids who need them. They work tirelessly to provide food for the hungry bellys all over this country. I encourage anyone with the means to share to donate as well, any amount helps, so we can get through this together. (The reason the number is odd, is because when my kids overheard me making the donation, they asked if they could also donate the money from thier piggy bank. I couldnt have been prouder to add that extra, and important 7 dollars and 96 cents.😍😍😍) #Repost @nokidhungry with @make_repost ・・・ We’re BEYOND grateful to our friend and #HungerHero @kristenanniebell for her gift of $150,007.96! Thank you for helping us send out even more grants to schools and community groups working to feed kids during the #COVID19 outbreak.

A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on Mar 18, 2020 at 2:42pm PDT

Bell’s Instagram is also a trove of information and advice about how we can be supportive during the coronavirus crisis, and consistently urges people to self-quarantine.

As businesses have been forced to close and several states are under shelter-in-place orders, thousands (if not millions) of people have either seen a sharp decrease in their income or lost their jobs entirely. Thousands of others are worried about their job security in an unstable economic environment. In these times, Bell and Shepard’s act can help so many.

Obviously, we can’t all donate $150,007.96 to charities, we don’t all have 13.4 million followers we can influence, nor do we all have the power to institute rent freezes for our neighbors. But we can all be inspired by the Bell-Shepard household’s extraordinary generosity and do the good that’s available to us. That may be supporting local businesses and artists, fostering a shelter animal, checking in on grandparents and other vulnerable friends and family, or staying inside—which is actually the most generous thing you can do for the world right now.

As always, but especially now, even a little bit of kindness goes a long way.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, HelloGiggles is committed to providing accurate and helpful coverage to our readers. As such, some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, we encourage you to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments, and visit our coronavirus hub.