Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Cas Holman (Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity) is a toy creator, play designer, and author. Cas joins the Armchair Expert to discuss creating modular ecosystems of play in her toys, studying in the rainforest as a Banana Slug, and her gender-bending appearance on Maury Povich. Cas and Dax talk about learning how to both fabricate and tell a story in design school, instilling ideals with her adventure playground, and the twelve different play types for adults and children. Cas explains why the subway is such a safe space to cry, how great innovation comes from play, and that continuing to play is also a powerful form of resistance. 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.

On this week’s episode of Mom’s Car we welcome comedic legend and fellow Groundlings alum Tim Lovestedt. Tim, Dax, and Best Friend Aaron Weakley talk through the dish on Brad, working in wine, Tim getting a DUI at the police department where his dad worked, the namesake of The Worker tall boy, being tuned into the male Midwest supper courtship, Tim and Dax’s Sunday Company mythology, and achieving the most comfortable level of fame. #sponsored by @Allstate. Go to https://bit.ly/momscar to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Follow Mom's Car on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Mom's Car ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/plus now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, Damages, Neighbors) is an Emmy Award-nominated actor. Rose joins the Armchair Expert to discuss being rejected from every drama school she applied to in Australia, not having the confidence to discern between early roles, and whether she identifies as a people pleaser. Rose and Dax talk about playing the straight man in Bridesmaids, getting into a loose comedic rhythm with longtime collaborator Seth Rogan, and her improv baptism by fire making Get Him to the Greek. Rose explains how much she enjoys seeing a comedic actor do a dramatic part, accepting as she gets older that we all need to dance around the apartment more, and throwing herself deeply into her grueling new film If I Had Legs I Would Kick 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.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy military 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.

Stephen Dubner (Freakonomics, When to Rob a Bank, Freakonomics Radio) is an award-winning journalist, author, and radio host. Stephen returns once again to the Armchair Expert to discuss the power and necessity of disgust, the ethics of yelling at AI, and reflecting on the 20th publishing anniversary of Freakonomics. Stephen and Dax talk about being prodded by society into binary thinking, the compulsions in being perpetually online that don’t jibe with human nature, and what he does when presented with a ‘for us or against us’ argument. Stephen explains the concept of the illusion of explanatory depth, why during these times he’s in give-a-stranger-a-hug mode, and being exhausted in a good way about this human world. 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.

On this week’s episode of Mom’s Car, we welcome Dax’s former longtime partner and forever pal Briegh Morrison. Briegh, Dax, and Best Friend Aaron Weakley talk through the harrowing story of her son’s near-drowning, breast cancer being the catalyst for her getting sober, BFAW’s memory of Briegh’s substance-tinged boat cleaning, she and Dax’s couples therapy leading to their amicable breakup, and why one of her greatest gifts is going deep with people. #sponsored by @Allstate. Go to https://bit.ly/momscar to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Follow Mom's Car on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Mom's Car ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/plus now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show, Cook with Clydeo, Friends) is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor. Jennifer joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the hidden messages in children’s literature, why doing podcasts can be like waking up from anesthesia, and the bait and switch of her actor dad deciding to train as a doctor in Greece. Jennifer and Dax talk about her apocryphal encounter with producer Warren Littlefield at a gas station, the cultural significance of why the show would never hurt a Friend, and whether she’s ever disguised herself to be anonymous to the outside world. Jennifer explains her contribution as a dog mother to the kids book universe, the balance she strikes in her character within the world of Morning Show, and why making people laugh becomes the salve that gets us through the world. 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.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a wedding disaster. 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.

Andy Roddick (Served) is a Grand Slam-winning tennis champion. Andy joins the Armchair Expert to discuss when his tennis rankings weren’t as good as his older brother’s until the day it flipped, whether he thinks you’re born or made with the disposition of an elite athlete, and how undervalued a skill it is to get beat and go to work the next day. Andy and Dax talk about the dividends gained from taking 10 years off of tennis, the protectiveness his father showed over his career and finances, and his mom bribing him with tickets to the US Open for a good report card. Andy explains the morning he woke up at 30 and decided to retire, the joy of doing SNL, and being spoiled by greatness in the sport of tennis today. 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.

On this week’s episode of Mom’s Car, we welcome West Coast Best Friend Nate Tuck. Dax, Nate, and East Coast Best Friend Aaron Weakley talk through the deep evolutionary significance of a tribe chief embarrassing himself, Nate’s wasted and naked black ice car crash, BFAW’s handsome, mustachioed dad, woes of a sludgy summer job, a particularly loud Jean-Claude Van Damme delivery encounter, the long road to road rage recovery, Dax’s legendary rumble after a David Allan Coe show, and a physics-related legal write-in question. #sponsored by @Allstate. Go to https://bit.ly/momscar to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Follow Mom's Car on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Mom's Car ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/plus now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sharon Horgan (The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, Bad Sisters, Catastrophe) is an Emmy Award-nominated actor, writer, and producer. Sharon joins the Armchair Expert to discuss being one of three middle children, growing up with a tough publican father that went into the turkey trade, and an early approach by a famous director in a café to audition for one of his films. Sharon and Dax talk about having great recall for lines but basically no other information, the joy-filled buzz of her first time taking something from the page to the screen, and the sometimes tricky transition from set life back to home life. Sharon explains the unexpected rewards that can come from going in a different direction than originally intended, hitting the chemistry lottery and winning a Peabody for Bad Sisters, and the big swings taken in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. 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.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a crazy moving 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.

Toby Stuart (Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World) is an organizational theorist, professor of business administration at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and author. Toby joins the Armchair Expert to discuss attending Harvard Business School before knowing what business school was, the role of sanctioning mechanisms in a social hierarchy, and how circles of status can affect the value of works of art by millions of dollars. Toby and Dax talk about the ‘cool’ experiment he conducted on dating apps, the observation that anything of status plays out in Hollywood or among ten-year-olds, and how the anointing ritual reflects across various social strata. Toby explains why status is unlike most resources in that it can be given away but doesn’t deplete, what distinguishes merit when evaluating a bottle of wine, and implications for those that over-index in the prosperity gospel. 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.

On this week’s episode of Mom’s Car, we welcome longtime pal and Nobody Wants This supporting star Jackie Tohn. Jackie, Dax, and Best Friend Aaron Weakley talk through comparisons between the smells of broccoli and feet, being a part of the most streamed comedy of all time, getting hit on at the podiatrist, the story of how Jackie ended up with Dax and Kristen’s dog, invoking Esther Perel to settle a write-in question about sexual intimacy, and the gang try to out-Andrew Dice Clay each other. #sponsored by @Allstate. Go to https://bit.ly/momscar to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Follow Mom's Car on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Mom's Car ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/plus now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Charlie Sheen (The Book of Sheen, Two and a Half Men, Platoon) is a Golden Globe Award-winning actor. Charlie joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the lore of having not one but two of his cars stolen and pushed into a ravine, a two-decades-delayed apology to Dax, and why hiring a ghostwriter for his memoir was a dealbreaker. Charlie and Dax talk about how much of his story is impacted by being the little brother of Emilio Estevez, the math of time required in the attempt to work sustainably as an addict, and his patented ice cube trick. Charlie explains his fixes for Hollywood to stave off the pitfalls of corruptive fame, how leaning into his documentary made room for him to write The Book of Sheen, and that what’s different now is the commitment to be true to his word. 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.

Matt Friend (Grace Period, The Simpsons, Family Guy) is a stand-up comedian, impressionist, and actor. Matt joins the Armchair Expert to discuss exploring whether he’s enough beyond his voice in a new stand-up hour, his sister’s characterization of him as a glorified parrot, and roasting Trump to his face at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Matt and Dax discuss whether there might be a neurodivergence component to his impression skills, doing celebrities to themselves on the Golden Globes red carpet, and humoring the team by welcoming a few yet-to-be friends of the pod. Matt explains where he believes his compulsion towards mimicry comes from, being one of the first people in the world to be completely cured of food allergies, and the last time he cried. 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.

On this week’s episode of Mom’s Car we welcome actor extraordinaire and Timothy Simons. Tim, Dax, and Best Friend Aaron Weakley talk through the full day of testing he underwent in the 90s to diagnose him with ADHD and how a comorbidity is a heightened sensitivity to injustice. The team hit a two-banger order while Tim discusses seeing behaviors in his kids that are really just reflections of his own, having a contrarian streak in the beginning stages of his career, and finding a backdoor into comedy acting through casting commercials. #sponsored by @Allstate. Go to https://bit.ly/momscar to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Follow Mom's Car on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Mom's Car ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/plus now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kristen Bell & Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This) join the Armchair Expert to discuss the incredibly involved, long-game prank pulled on set, how this season of their show is a love story between her their characters, and why wanting to evolve into a better person is so aligned with wanting to become a better actor. Justine, Kristen, and Dax talk about Justine coming to a place in her life where it feels good to not deliver a counterpoint, having a penchant for justice in accordance with her name, and her harrowing journey to audition for Juilliard. Justine explains feeling a part of the unit of TV which makes it so much less brutal than working in theater, wanting to know the futures of her on-screen relationships to assist in building them but being open to the mystery, and the relevance of imaginary podcast money math. 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.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a crazy valet 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.

Steven Pinker (When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life) is a cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist, and author. Steven returns to the Armchair Expert to discuss how in general things have gotten better, that tracking the data can make one more optimistic than reading headlines, and the differences between private knowledge and common knowledge. Steven and Dax talk about how evolved language generates common knowledge, the role of conventions and ritual in human coordination, and the power of Super Bowl advertisements. Steven explains the counterintuitive fact that announcing one’s philanthropy actually does more good, why we have to expose ourselves to a universe of ideas to find out which ones are good, and why he’s not afraid of AI. 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.