By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-04 17:02:05 | Updated at 2026-06-06 18:59:51
2 days ago
Mark Duplass and his wife Katie Aselton have been dragged for describing their marriage as 'codependent.'
The couple, who have been married for almost two decades, laid bare their relationship in a controversial New York Times interview published on May 27.
In the interview, Duplass, 49, and Aselton, 47, explained that they self-identify as codependent and want to 'rebrand' what the term means while talking in a 'non-clinical' way.
They also revealed they have the same therapist, a declaration that raised eyebrows over ethics.
According to Mental Health America, co-dependency is a learned behavior that can be passed down from one generation to another.
It is an emotional and behavioral condition that affects an individual's ability to have a healthy, mutually satisfying relationship.
Speaking to the publication, The Morning Show star Duplass 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.
Mark Duplass and wife Katie have been blasted for describing their marriage as 'codependent'
The couple's New York Times interview has come under fire by outraged readers who have claimed the term has been misused
'Kale had such a great publicist. We are that for codependency.'
Giving an example of their codependency, the couple, who wed in August 2006 and share daughters Ora and Molly, said they go to the same therapist.
'I love having the same therapist because they have the other side of the story,' Duplass said.
'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.'
In the interview, New York Times journalist Anna Martin pointed out that perhaps the word 'codependency' was being misused.
As a result, Duplass then used the word 'englobulation' to describe his relationship with his wife 'because it is confusing where I begin and where Katie ends to a certain point'.
Sharing her view, Aselton added: 'I think couples are like trees that grow in a forest.
'Sometimes, trees grow completely parallel, and they're super healthy and it is amazing.
Duplass and Aselton celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this August
Duplass and daughter Molly Duplass attend the LA special screening of Backrooms on May 7
'Sometimes, trees grow together and they wind around each other and they help bring each other to the sun, or one strangles the other one. Sometimes, two trees grow in two separate directions and fall over. That is how I look at it.'
Many readers slammed both the couple and The New York Times in the comments underneath the publication's promotion for the interview on Instagram.
'This is NOT codependency, and presenting it as such is very irresponsible,' one said. 'Codependency is highly dysfunctional and nothing to be celebrated.'
'Is it codependency or do they just actually both like and love each other?' asked another.
A third complained: 'This is not codependency. Incredibly misleading.'
'This is not codependency,' another continued. 'Words have meaning.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Duplass and Aselton. NYT declined to comment.
