Mark Duplass and his wife Katie Aselton have faced criticism for describing their marriage as 'codependent.' The couple, married for nearly two decades, discussed their relationship in a controversial New York Times interview published on May 27.
Controversial Interview Details
In the interview, Duplass, 49, and Aselton, 47, explained that they self-identify as codependent and aim to 'rebrand' the term, speaking in a 'non-clinical' manner. They also revealed they share the same therapist, a disclosure that raised ethical concerns.
According to Mental Health America, co-dependency is a learned behavior that can be passed down through generations, affecting an individual's ability to maintain healthy, mutually satisfying relationships.
Couple's Perspective
Duplass, known for his role in The Morning Show, said: 'We're throwing around this term as if we actually know what it means, but I think a therapist is going to listen to this and they're going to be like, "That's not codependency!"'
Aselton added: 'Yeah, but I think we know it in the way that the general public knows codependency, and so there's a part of us that's on this campaign to rebrand codependency, like kale. Kale had such a great publicist. We are that for codependency.'
The couple, who wed in August 2006 and share daughters Ora and Molly, cited their shared therapist as an example of their codependency. Duplass said: 'I love having the same therapist because they have the other side of the story. They know all the context. You can't possibly truly vilify someone that you want to talk about because they know them. It's so much better.'
Public Backlash
Many readers condemned the couple and The New York Times in comments on the interview promotion. One commenter said: 'This is NOT codependency, and presenting it as such is very irresponsible. Codependency is highly dysfunctional and nothing to be celebrated.'
Another asked: 'Is it codependency or do they just actually both like and love each other?' A third complained: 'This is not codependency. Incredibly misleading.' Another added: 'This is not codependency. Words have meaning.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Duplass and Aselton for comment. The New York Times declined to comment.
