Location:
United States
Description:
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. Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
Language:
English
Episodes
Herman Pontzer (on evolutionary anthropology)
4/2/2025
Herman Pontzer (Adaptable: How Your Unique Body Works and Why Our Biology Unites Us) is an evolutionary anthropologist, author, and associate professor at Duke University. Herman joins the Armchair Expert to discuss growing up at the end of a dirt road in a house his dad built, unpacking the dark history of anthropometry, and the ewok chapter of human evolution. Herman and Dax talk about why the brain is the most expensive organ in the body, how the first full human skeleton found being named after a Beatles song, and why people burn more calories being anxious. Herman explains the hockey stick inflection point of intelligence when we began hunting and gathering, why research on early humans debunks the paleo diet, and the story of the guy that accidentally killed the world's oldest living organism.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:01:51:45
Eiza Gonzalez
3/31/2025
Eiza González (Ash, Baby Driver, 3 Body Problem) is an actor and singer. Eiza joins the Armchair Expert to discuss whether there is human DNA in hotdogs, how she wanted braces because all the cool girls had them, and being a patriotic Mexican. Eiza and Dax talk about her father’s priority always being for her to learn as many languages as possible, why her dad passing away suddenly influenced her to pursue acting full time, and experiencing insecurity when she started working in America. Eiza explains why she rides so hard for those who first gave her a shot, seeing her new “Substance-in-space” horror film Ash in theaters, and how she learned the lesson that really horrific things can give way to the most beautiful, life-changing opportunities.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:01:44:06
Armchair Anonymous: Animal Attack II
3/28/2025
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a time they fought a wild animal.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:00:44:55
Seth Rogen Returns Again
3/26/2025
Seth Rogen (The Studio, The Boys, Sausage Party) is an Emmy-nominated writer, actor, and director. Seth returns to the Armchair Expert to discuss Snoop Dogg being the only person that’s ever gotten him too high to function, how he’s a prime target for robbery and embezzlement, and why precision and comedy are hard things to marry. Seth and Dax talk about knowing that he’s drawn in a bad way to the joke he shouldn’t be making, why people want the R-rated version of superheroes on The Boys, and that the dragon he’s actually chasing for his audiences is a feeling of disbelief. Seth explains how he wonders if people are happy or bummed out when he shows up to set now that he’s a producer, how directing The Studio made him feel like a kid, and how the show reflects the critical choice between creating for art or commerce.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:01:41:02
Ike Barinholtz Returns Again
3/24/2025
Ike Barinholtz (The Studio, Running Point, The Mindy Project) is a comedian, actor, and writer. Ike returns to the Armchair Expert to discuss how the Declaration of Independence was really the result of one big goon fest, presenting like a dumbass while he’s actually a smartypants, and being one of one in the category of people Dax doesn’t mind being wrong to. Ike and Dax talk about why their leading man potential has only grown as they’ve reached middle age, lung chugging laughing gas while receiving PRP treatments, and the age criteria for a dickoplasty. Ike explains that Kate Hudson insisted his father kiss her on the lips while filming Running Point, what it was like to act for hours in one-take scenes with Martin Scorsese for The Studio, and relishes the honor of being a member of the Three Episode Club.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:01:43:40
Armchair Anonymous: Children's Party
3/21/2025
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy children's party story.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:00:39:11
Mary Claire Haver (on menopause)
3/19/2025
Mary Claire Haver (The New Menopause, The ‘Pause Life) is a board-certified OBGYN, culinary medicine specialist, and best-selling author. Mary Claire joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how she ended up as one of eight children to restauranteur parents, the reason she became an OBGYN being that delivering babies never gets old, and how she misinterpreted her own menopause as grief amid the death of her brother. Mary Claire and Dax talk about the untenable claims of the study that HRT gives women cancer, her argument that hormone replacement therapy is the longevity drug for women, and a hormonal solution to reverse declining libido as one reaches menopausal age. Mary Claire explains why women can still get pregnant during perimenopause, the woeful lack of information and training received by medical professionals when it comes to women’s health, and the hive of practitioners she helped crowdsource to meet the needs of the menopausal community.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:02:06:19
Andrew Schulz
3/17/2025
Andrew Schulz (Life, Schulz Saves America, Flagrant) is a comedian, actor, and podcaster. Andrew joins the Armchair Expert to discuss loving showing off his cha-cha at his mom’s ballroom dance studio, argue the significance of Alexander the Great being either Greek or Macedonian, and why after having a daughter there isn’t any gymnastics recital he doesn’t want to attend. Andrew and Dax talk about whether his confrontational style of comedy is rooted in his yearning to be liked, the fact that you can call him a lot of things but ignorant is not one of them, and breaking down the Kendrick Lamar beef. Andrew explains why he doesn’t worry whether his nuance is received or not because he knows his heart is good, that he’s learning it’s not worth explaining what you meant when what you said hurt people, and the response he’s gotten from other men after talking about the difficulty of getting pregnant onstage.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:01:48:32
Armchair Anonymous: I Quit
3/14/2025
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy "I Quit" story.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:00:36:29
Jonathan Haidt Returns (on the anxiety generation)
3/12/2025
Jonathan Haidt (The Anxious Generation) is a social psychologist, professor, and best-selling author. Jonathan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why his moral dumbfoundings are such tasty party tricks, if disgust contains wisdom about borders that one shouldn’t cross, and how the overprotectiveness epidemic was borne out of the safest generation yet. Jonathan and Dax talk about the fact that despite public response it’s much more dangerous for kids online than it is in the real world, the cost of gamifiying a child’s education being that their brain becomes desensitized to dopamine release, and that more serious than mental illness issues as a result of excessive screens for kids is actually attention fragmentation. Jonathan explains the four harms of increased access to smart phones and tablets, how the prevalence of a side that silences its dissidents is a reliable predictor of its wrongness, and that the key is give your kids a great and exciting social childhood.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:02:11:26
Lauren Graham Returns
3/10/2025
Lauren Graham (The Z-Suite, Parenthood, Gilmore Girls) is a Golden Globe-nominated actor, producer, and author. Lauren joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the day Lauren drove by Dax and thought he was Brad Pitt, giving up the ghost that she’ll ever be the kind of person that dresses like she has a real job, and having a maternal relationship with her TV mom on Gilmore Girls in the absence of her own mother. Lauren and Dax talk about both hating having their picture taken, how being a tutor for the Princeton Review was actually a racket, and the dichotomy of being a good hang. Lauren explains finding herself able to clinically think about a child the age her mom stopped being around, how being in commercials gave her a purpose as well as the illusion of being productive, and the confusion of originally thinking the title of her new show was “The Disease Suite.”
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:01:54:38
Armchair Anonymous: Wild Card VII
3/7/2025
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy story.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:00:46:15
Suzanne O'Sullivan (on over diagnosis)
3/5/2025
Suzanne O’Sullivan (The Age of Diagnosis: How Our Obsession with Medical Labels Is Making Us Sicker) is a neurologist, clinical neuropsychologist, and award-winning writer. Suzanne joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why epilepsy is a very neglected area of medicine, that we can change the quality of our movements and how our body feels by our scrutiny of them, and how contagious collapse phenomena are a dime a dozen. Suzanne and Dax talk about the scientifically nonsensical myth of the sonic weapon, the psychosomatic wave of TikTok tics, and the real difference between hypochondria and psychosomatic impairment. Suzanne explains the sophisticated miracle of Kazakhstan sleeping sickness, the increased prevalence of masking in conditions like autism, and the argument for the benefit of supporting people without medicalizing them.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:02:06:16
Mindy Kaling
3/3/2025
Mindy Kaling (Running Point, The Mindy Project, Never Have I Ever) is an Emmy-nominated writer, actor, and producer. Mindy joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how she is the only the second person Dax has ever worn a suit for, relate over the sexiness and status marker of a good yard, and ask whether one can be Indian on the west side of LA. Mindy and Dax talk about her parents coming from two different parts of India and their meet cute in Africa, how every show she makes has a slow motion shot of a shirtless man’s torso, and why accidentally breaking her costar’s nose during a play taught her the true meaning of ‘the show must go on.’ Mindy explains how Reese Witherspoon convinced her not to wait to have kids, developing the assumption that she wouldn’t be truly great in anything unless she wrote it herself, and how her relationship with her mother has actually continued since her passing.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:02:09:29
Armchair Anonymous: DIY Disaster
2/28/2025
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about DIY projects gone wrong.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:00:43:43
Blaise Aguirre (on overcoming self-hatred)
2/26/2025
Blaise Aguirre (I Hate Myself: Overcome Self-Loathing and Realize Why You’re Wrong About You) is a child and adolescent psychiatrist specializing in dialectical behavior therapy. Blaise joins the Armchair Expert to discuss becoming an expert on Borderline Personality Disorder and DBT, the correlation between BPD and suicidal ideation, and that it’s not a choice to live with the disregulation of BPD. Blaise and Dax talk about the analogy of a person with a BPD brain being saddled with a very fast car but not the skill to drive it, the fact that when we are disregulated we can’t think properly, and why being too protective of one’s feelings can actually rob them of the ability to confront necessary emotions. Blaise explains the glory he has when a patient leaves therapy, the saying in DBT that you have to go where angels fear to tread to truly help patients, and how liberating it is to realize that our common destiny is stardust.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:01:42:58
Nikki Glaser
2/24/2025
Nikki Glaser (Alive and Unwell, Someday You’ll Die, Not Safe with Nikki Glaser) is a comedian, actor, and television host. Nikki joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why Dax’s name has good joke texture, her plea for people not to have veneers during the apocalypse, and feeling embarrassed that her name had to take up space in Ralph Feinnes’ brain. Nikki and Dax talk about growing up resentful that she wasn’t born as pretty as she could have been, wanting the approval that comes with being extraordinary, and why Dax thinks Nikki is the Taylor Swift of comedy. Nikki explains becoming sober from comments and cigarettes, getting permission for her joke about Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez at the Golden Globes, and addresses her fear that she’s secretly a mean girl.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:01:48:56
Armchair Anonymous: DNA Testing
2/21/2025
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a crazy DNA testing story.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:00:49:31
Wondery Presents: Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky
2/20/2025
You’ve heard her name in headlines, during trivia nights, as a punchline: Monica Lewinsky. She’s been a major reference in pop culture since she was 24 years old when a scandal made her a household name overnight. Since then, she’s fought to redefine her reputation - and now she's ready to use her experience to encourage others to take back their power, too.
On her new podcast "Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky," Monica leads honest and wide-ranging conversations about what it means to write your own narrative. Each week, guests like Olivia Munn and Alan Cumming share how they've rediscovered purpose, rebuilt relationships, and redefined success after their most vulnerable moments.
Watch Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts: Wondery.fm/ReclaimingWithMonicaLewinsky.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:00:07:01
Alison Wood Brooks (on the science of conversation)
2/19/2025
Alison Wood Brooks (Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves) is a behavioral research scientist. Alison joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why growing up as a twin is like watching an alternate version of your own life, how we underestimate the complexity of chin wagging, and the reality that human connection is not just about transactional information exchange. Alison and Dax talk about Kant’s sparkling smart people dinner party rules, how hungry we can be to extract vulnerability from others while being hesitant to share it ourselves, and how asking more questions creates magic in one’s personal life. Alison explains research she’s done into the relationship between humor and power, how asking more questions creates magic in one’s personal life, and why saying “I’m sorry” is more powerful than “I love you.”
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duration:02:08:47
