Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard cover art
Podcast · 296 episodes

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

by Armchair Umbrella · English

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.

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Jared Diamond Returns (on the science of leadership)Jared Diamond (author of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse) discusses his new book Prophets, Coaches, and Kings: When Do Leaders Matter?, arguing that leadership impact depends on multiple…30 Sep 2026 · 1 h 55 min · 50 chapters
Leanne MorganLeanne Morgan’s rise from small-town Tennessee to Netflix stand-up and acting, plus personal history behind her comedy—menopause humor, marriage dynamics, and surviving an abusive first marriage.28 Sep 2026 · 2 h 20 min · 56 chapters
Armchair Anonymous: Bad CustomerBad customers across service jobs, focusing on extreme misconduct and how staff handled it.25 Sep 2026 · 54 min · 22 chapters
Ben Lamm (on de-extinction)Ben Lamm, co-founder/CEO of Colossal Biosciences, discusses de-extinction—especially how Colossal is engineering woolly mammoths, woolly mice, and dire wolves—and the scientific, ethical, and…23 Sep 2026 · 2 h 4 min · 56 chapters
Joey King ReturnsJoey King’s return to Armchair Expert, with the conversation veering from her recent career to personal stories about food, illness, language/idioms, and body-image anxieties.21 Sep 2026 · 2 h 9 min · 66 chapters
Armchair Anonymous: Crazy Gym II“Crazy Gym II” features multiple anonymous gym-related disasters and boundary-crossing roommate fallout, plus a few relationship and injury stories.18 Sep 2026 · 47 min · 27 chapters
Eric Goode (documentary filmmaker)Eric Goode, documentary filmmaker and longtime New York nightlife/hotel entrepreneur, discusses his winding career from art and clubs to directing animal-focused documentaries, culminating in HBO’s…16 Sep 2026 · 1 h 49 min · 46 chapters
Dave Franco ReturnsDave Franco’s return to Armchair Expert in person, plus conversations on charisma, fitness and aging, intimacy/affection styles, relationship insecurity, comedy and “generous laughing,” social media…14 Sep 2026 · 2 h · 62 chapters
Armchair Anonymous: Bad Teacher“Bad Teacher” stories told by Armchair Anonymous hosts and multiple guests, centered on teachers who allegedly lied, behaved inappropriately, or were suspected of serious misconduct.11 Sep 2026 · 49 min · 26 chapters
Angela Duckworth #3 (on bringing out your best)Angela Duckworth discusses her shift from “Grit” to “Situated,” arguing that success depends not just on individual perseverance but on the situations and environments that “bring out your best.” She…9 Sep 2026 · 2 h 2 min · 42 chapters
LizzoThe episode is a wide-ranging conversation with Lizzo (mononym) about her childhood and identity, growing up in Detroit and moving to Houston, church and music formation, and how urban legends and…7 Sep 2026 · 2 h 32 min · 59 chapters
Armchair Anonymous: Summer Fling“Armchair Anonymous: Summer Fling” is a story-driven episode where hosts and guests trade “juicy” summer fling anecdotes, plus audience prompts for future submissions (crazy dinner party stories,…4 Sep 2026 · 50 min · 29 chapters
Ray Madoff (on how billionaires avoid taxes & threaten capitalism)Ray Madoff, a Boston College Law professor, argues that the U.S. tax system has effectively “written out” the wealthiest Americans from taxation, threatening capitalism’s legitimacy.2 Sep 2026 · 2 h 26 min · 53 chapters
Gal GadotGal Gadot’s life and career, from pageants and military service to acting breakthroughs, plus discussion of astrology as an icebreaker, peptides/GLP-1 and hormone therapy, and women’s…31 Aug 2026 · 1 h 59 min · 50 chapters
Armchair Anonymous: Wild Card XIV“Wild Card XIV” on Armchair Anonymous, featuring three chaotic true stories: a Canada Day canoe accident and rescue, a lightning strike at a Northern Ontario summer camp, and a Minnesota…28 Aug 2026 · 41 min · 18 chapters
Olivia Fox Cabane (on the science of charisma)The science of charisma—how it’s teachable, what it is (and isn’t), how to improve it for first impressions and leadership, and the ethical/psychological risks (including “masking” for autistic…26 Aug 2026 · 2 h 8 min · 51 chapters
Jimmy Kimmel & Molly McNearneyJimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney discuss their long relationship and working partnership, plus talk-show craft (storytelling, filling time, handling online backlash), their “hidden talents” and…24 Aug 2026 · 2 h 6 min · 51 chapters
Armchair Anonymous: Spas“Armchair Anonymous: Spas” shares multiple guest “spa” mishaps and awkward/unsafe experiences, ranging from sexual assault during a massage to medical injury during a Brazilian wax, plus a fainting…21 Aug 2026 · 44 min · 26 chapters
Chris Young (on being sentenced to life in prison)Chris Young describes his path from childhood trauma and sickle cell disease to street life, the deaths and arrests around him, and ultimately being sentenced to two life sentences for something he…19 Aug 2026 · 2 h 14 min · 46 chapters
David Sedaris #6David Sedaris discusses “parasocial” intimacy with listeners, his diary-writing process, and how he turns real-life travel mishaps and awkward encounters into humor.17 Aug 2026 · 2 h 30 min · 52 chapters
Armchair Anonymous: Extreme WeatherExtreme weather stories, focusing on how severe wind, tornadoes, and flash flooding affected families in New Jersey, Ontario, and Hawaii.14 Aug 2026 · 54 min · 17 chapters
Marc Brackett (on emotional intelligence)Emotional intelligence—how to recognize, understand, label, and regulate emotions; why “feelings” education (SEL) is resilient, not soft; and how emotional skills help people handle stress, anxiety,…12 Aug 2026 · 2 h 10 min · 46 chapters
Taron EgertonTaron Egerton discusses his life story and acting career, focusing on Welsh identity, growing up with a single mother, insecurity and “shadow work,” and how he landed and survived the pressure of…10 Aug 2026 · 1 h 54 min · 50 chapters
Armchair Anonymous: Hotel IIThree “hotel” stories ranging from a rat scam to a wedding-night shooting and a haunted-hotel suicide, plus a fourth guest’s 2010 San Diego Gaslamp District sexual assault case.7 Aug 2026 · 48 min · 20 chapters