Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Armchair Umbrella
<p>Hi, I’m Dax Shepard, and I love talking to people. I am endlessly fascinated by the messiness of being human, and I find people who are vulnerable and honest about their struggles and shortcomings to be incredibly sexy. I invite you to join me as I explore other people’s stories. We will celebrate, above all, the challenges and setbacks that ultimately lead to growth and betterment. What qualifies me for such an endeavor? More than a decade of sobriety, a degree in Anthropology and four years of improv training. I will attempt to discover human “truths” without any laboratory work, clinical trials or data collection. I will be, in the great tradition of 16th-century scientists, an Armchair Expert.</p>
Recent Episodes
20 episodesArmchair Anonymous: Wild Card XIV
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Olivia Fox Cabane (on the science of charisma)
Olivia Fox Cabane (The Charisma Myth, The Net and the Butterfly) is a bestselling author, speaker, and leading authority on the science of charisma. Olivia joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in Paris without television or movies, receiving an autism diagnosis in her 40s, and decoding the “secret manual” of human interaction. Olivia and Dax talk about translating charisma research into a teachable system, showing founders why body language can outweigh a flawless pitch, and updating her book with cutting-edge research on digital charisma. Olivia explains why focused listening gives introverts an advantage, why genuine warmth cannot be faked, and how too much charisma can leave powerful people dangerously unaccountable.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/Take printer ink off your back to school list with HP Smart Tank | https://hp.com/SmartTank See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jimmy Kimmel & Molly McNearney
Jimmy Kimmel is an Emmy-winning host, comedian, and producer. Molly McNearney is an Emmy-winning writer, producer, and actor. Jimmy and Molly join Armchair Expert to discuss how working together strengthened their marriage, why ten quiet minutes in bed can constitute a date, and raising children who know the president as their family’s antagonist. Jimmy, Molly, and Dax talk about rescuing unprepared talk-show guests, getting fired from radio with less than $20 in the bank, and attempting to evade paparazzi after the show’s suspension. Jimmy and Molly explain why deliberate distortion is worse than disagreement, how to teach privilege without shame, and the importance of building traditions around collective joy.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/Take printer ink off your back to school list with HP Smart Tank | https://hp.com/SmartTank See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Armchair Anonymous: Spas
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy spa story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chris Young (on being sentenced to life in prison)
Chris Young (The Wound Is Where the Light Enters, Coherence Consulting) is an author, consultant, and public speaker. Chris joins Armchair Expert to discuss watching addiction consume his mother, spending two years without electricity or running water, and selling drugs by age 11. Chris and Dax talk about the small choices that hardened into a drug-dealing identity, the courtroom speech that moved his sentencing judge to resign, and the unlikely coalition that won his clemency. Chris explains why family is a verb, hope is a drug worth taking, and freedom begins with imagining beyond your circumstances.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/Take printer ink off your back to school list with HP Smart Tank | https://hp.com/SmartTankSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
David Sedaris #6
David Sedaris (The Land and Its People, Happy-Go-Lucky, Calypso) is a bestselling author, humorist, and celebrated storyteller. David joins Armchair Expert to discuss discovering his name in the Epstein files, crossing state lines after midnight to have a tumor removed, and feeding it to a snapping turtle. David and Dax talk about testing and rewriting his essays onstage, giving relatives veto power over his stories, and evolving from writing about life’s biggest moments to writing about almost nothing. David explains why talking to strangers creates real connection, how treating words as violence distorts actual harm, and why comedy should be as tasteless as possible.Take printer ink off your back to school list with HP Smart Tank | https://hp.com/SmartTank Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Armchair Anonymous: Extreme Weather
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy extreme weather story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Marc Brackett (on emotional intelligence)
Marc Brackett (Dealing with Feeling, Permission to Feel, RULER) is a psychologist, professor, and founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Marc joins Armchair Expert to discuss the childhood trauma that shaped his life's work, the fallout from disclosing it on national television at 12, and the inspiring uncle whose simple compassion finally made him feel safe. Marc and Dax talk about turning ideas into a program reaching 10 million children, being called out by his mother-in-law for failing to regulate during lockdown, and discovering Yale students often mistake envy for stress. Marc explains why avoiding emotion is bad, how precisely naming a feeling changes what you can do with it, and why the best emotional allies listen instead of trying to fix.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/Take printer ink off your back to school list with HP Smart Tank | https://hp.com/SmartTank See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Taron Egerton
Taron Egerton (Apex, Rocketman, Kingsman) is a Golden Globe-winning actor and singer. Taron joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in a Welsh village with a 59-letter name, being raised by a single mother, and finding acting after being bullied as an artistic kid. Taron and Dax talk about Colin Firth mentoring him during Kingsman, expressing himself through Elton John in Rocketman, and transforming himself into a sociopathic villain in Apex. Taron explains embracing his shadow, smashing his idealized self, and believing in a benevolent universe.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/Take printer ink off your back to school list with HP Smart Tank | https://hp.com/SmartTank See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Armchair Anonymous: Hotel II
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy hotel story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Christopher Whitcomb (on the Idaho murders)
Christopher Whitcomb (Broken Plea, Cold Zero, and Black) is a former FBI Hostage Rescue Team sniper, bestselling author, and national security analyst. Christopher joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in rural New Hampshire, the winding path from teacher and speechwriter to the FBI, and the unbelievable twists of fate that shaped his storied life and career. Christopher and Dax talk about serving on the FBI's elite hostage rescue team, being at the center of historic events like Ruby Ridge and Waco, and why he decided to revisit the Idaho murders after the suspect's guilty plea. Christopher explains the psychological mindset of elite operators, how life-or-death decisions are judged long after the fact, and why pursuing the truth matters even when the official case appears closed.Take printer ink off your back to school list with HP Smart Tank | hp.com/SmartTank Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Scott Eastwood
Scott Eastwood (Lucky Strike, Fury, Fast X) is an actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Scott joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hawaii, getting expelled after raiding a pot farm, and bar-backing his way through college. Scott and Dax talk about swearing off war movies before Lucky Strike pulled him back in, nearly coming to blows with Shia LaBeouf on Fury, and defying his agents to star in Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” video. Scott explains why fame is more burden than prize, how film sets can force grief into a holding pattern, and why you should say what you feel before time runs out.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/Take printer ink off your back to school list with HP Smart Tank | hp.com/SmartTank See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Armchair Anonymous: Home Intruder
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy home intruder story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Eva Benefield (on surviving the Black Swan Murder)
Eva Benefield (Ghost Girl: Surviving the Black Swan Murder) is a writer, entrepreneur, and founder of Ghost Cowboy. Eva joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in the Charleston Lowcountry, finding her mother dead at 14, and losing her father in the notorious Black Swan case. Eva and Dax talk about reclaiming her story through darkly funny TikToks, building an apparel company one drawing at a time, and writing a memoir while still living through its aftermath. Eva explains why humor can be a survival mechanism, how creation became her answer to destruction, and why she couldn’t depend on a verdict to give her closure.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Alan Ritchson
Alan Ritchson (War Machine, Reacher, and Motor City) is an actor. Alan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in a military family, the surprising path from ballet to action movies, and unpacking newly diagnosed ADHD and CPTSD. Alan and Dax talk about the exploitation he experienced as a young model, surviving childhood bullying, and learning to separate self-worth from success. Alan explains the power of EMDR therapy, the complicated role resentment plays in his life, and why he believes some people are called to carry the fight for others.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Armchair Anonymous: Wild Card XIII
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee (Tommyland Rides Again, The Dirt, Shout at the Devil) is the co-founder of Mötley Crüe, a legendary drummer, and rock icon. Tommy joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up between Greece and California, finding refuge as an introvert behind a drum kit, and how ballet unexpectedly shaped his future as a performer. Tommy and Dax talk about dropping out of high school after landing a record deal, building Mötley Crüe from the Sunset Strip to worldwide fame, and the band's decision to get sober together before recording Dr. Feelgood. Tommy explains why fame can be profoundly isolating, how bonsai trees became his greatest form of meditation, and why the life people envy isn't always the life they're imagining.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Geena Davis
Geena Davis (The Boroughs, Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own) is an Academy Award-winning actor and advocate. Geena joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up shy and tall in a strict New England household, reinventing herself as an exchange student in Sweden, and going from posing as a department-store mannequin to landing her first role in Tootsie. Geena and Dax talk about winning an Oscar at 32, how Susan Sarandon taught her to stop apologizing for existing on set, and discovering her athleticism while filming A League of Their Own. Geena explains how roles can transform who you are, why the precision of Olympic archery offered relief from the subjectivity of Hollywood, and why lasting cultural change begins with making unconscious bias impossible to ignore.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Armchair Anonymous: Stalking III
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a crazy stalking story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Grant Achatz (award-winning chef)
Grant Achatz (Alinea, Next, The Aviary) is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and culinary innovator. Grant joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in small-town Michigan working in his family's diner, rebuilding a GTO with his father, and discovering the emotional power of food. Grant and Dax talk about training under Charlie Trotter and Thomas Keller, reinventing fine dining at Alinea, and battling stage IV tongue cancer at the height of his career. Grant explains why great meals are really about storytelling, how he sees AI as a beneficial tool in his work, and why pursuing excellence requires constant evolution.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.