Jared Cohen is an American businessman. He is currently serving as the CEO of Jigsaw and an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He has also served as a member of the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff and as an advisor to Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton and he is the author of Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America. Jared sits down with the armchair expert to discuss his obsession with history, the impact of social media on world crises and he teaches us how to win the week. Dax asks about his collection of presidential hair and Jared talks about how he learned to transfer his visible ticks to invisible ones. The two debate the importance of presidential fidelity and the narrowing center in American politics.

Claire Danes (Homeland, Romeo and Juliet, Temple Grandin, My So Called Life) is an American actress. Claire sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in an artistic environment, her feelings surrounding the final season of Homeland and her only one-night stand. Dax wonders if Claire was scared to play Temple Grandin and Claire talks about the choice to pass on Titanic. She discusses an absence of socialization as a kid, the awkwardness of returning to acting after college and an absurd experience at the Met Ball.

Armchair Expert Live from Nashville at Andrew Jackson Hall. November 1st, 2019.

Drew Carey (The Drew Carey Show, The Price is Right) is an American comedian, actor, voice actor, sports executive, and game show host. Drew sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his experience with meditation, his interest in gambling and being able to see his childhood with clarity as an adult. Dax asks about the phenomenon of The Price is Right and Drew invites the AE team to Disneyland. The two talk about overcoming less than ideal circumstances, their relationship to money and Drew shares his secret to show business.

Sam Harris is an American author, neuroscientist, philosopher, and podcast host. In Sam’s return to Armchair Expert, he discusses what it means to live an examined life. He touches on the concepts of being deliberate with one’s attention, consciousness as experience and the value of meditation. Dax believes Sam holds paradoxical interests and Sam admits he is increasingly leaning away from controversy. The two start the episode with an interesting thought experiment and they discuss the complexity of gurus.

January Jones (Mad Men, Last Man on Earth, Anger Management) is an American actress and model. January joins the Armchair Expert to discuss her obsession with reality TV, moving to Los Angeles with Ashton Kutcher in her early 20s and noting people don’t expect her to be smart. Dax is excited they are both named after fictional characters and January gives her opinion on why Mad Men was so successful. The two talk about social anxiety, January talks about her fear of fear and she discusses her experience as a single mother raising a young boy.

Ronan Farrow is an American journalist. Ronan sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his childhood growing up among 10 siblings, the discomfort of having a public family and his commitment to uncovering the truth. Dax is obsessed with Ronan’s wunderkind status and Ronan corrects Dax on calling him the “vanguard of the me too movement.” The two talk about universal insecurities, Ronan gives a piece of advice to celebrity parents and Dax and Monica beg him to be their best friend.

Rainn Wilson (The Office, Six Feet Under, The Rocker) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, businessman and producer. Rainn joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his feelings about The Office, his experience with the Baha’i faith and his familial connection to acting. Dax commends Rainn’s approach to comedy and Rainn talks about using the position of celebrity for good. The two talk about overcoming the need for global approval, Monica admits a big confession and Rainn explains that we will all meet again and on the next spiritual plane.

In our final episode of 2019, we send out the year by inviting friends and family to sing, laugh and be merry. Please enjoy our 2019 holiday spectacular with Kristen Bell, Sean Hayes and Scotty Icenogle. Music performed by David Schuler and routine shenanigans brought to you by Dax Shepard, Monica Padman and Rob Holysz.

On this special episode, we revisit some of our favorite moments from 2019.

Keri Russell (Felicity, Mission: Impossible III, The Americans) is an American actress and dancer. Keri visits the attic to discuss her time on the all new Mickey Mouse club, meeting Dax’s mom and sacrificing a normal childhood for work. She talks about being an introvert and Dax is thrilled about a childhood connection he has to her. The two discuss the need to privately re-charge at public events, the story of why Keri cut her hair on Felicity and they dissect the themes of loyalty and marriage in The Americans.

Armchair Expert Live from San Antonio at the Dad 2.0 Conference.

Malcolm Gladwell is a Canadian journalist, author, speaker and podcast host. Malcolm joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the value of gleaning information from other cultures, growing up in a college library and our inability as humans to read others. Dax claims that Malcolm is our most referenced person on the podcast and Malcolm shames Dax for using the derogatory term of “jogger”. The two geek out over cars, they talk about how media shapes public perception and they give credit to people they met early in life who affected the trajectory of their lives.

T.I. is an American rapper and actor. He sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his foray into entrepreneurship as a child, narcissistic patterns and developing desensitization. Dax asks Tip to acknowledge his trauma and T.I. refuses to accept that Dax is a hillbilly. The two talk about imprisonment in the African American community, gearing education to kids' strengths and growing up in a single-parent home.

Adam Grant is an American psychologist and author who is currently a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania specializing in organizational psychology and the host of the TED podcast WorkLife with Adam Grant. Adam visits the armchair expert to discuss overcoming introversion, being a super taster and the difference between givers and takers. Dax debates Adam on his latest Atlantic article and Adam talks about the importance of criticism. The two talk about growing up in Michigan, the necessity of tenure and how genius is often a result of quantity not quality.

Sam Elliott (Mask, The Big Lebowski, Road House, A Star is Born, The Ranch) is an American actor. Sam sits down with the Armchair Expert to talk about fighting fires in Malibu, having a crush on his now wife and his introduction into the business. Dax reveals that his mom is in love with Sam and Sam discusses the evolution of A Star Is Born. The two talk about Sam's mixed messages persona, his draw to Westerns and the changes in the industry.

Laura Beil is a journalist and podcast host. Laura sits down with the Armchair Expert on this Thanksgiving day episode to talk about having to work on your feet as a journalist, her specific draw to the medical field and how she stumbled into podcasting. Dax theorizes on Laura’s Dr. Death podcast and Laura claims a story is never done, it is only due. The two talk about her new podcast, Bad Batch, that focuses on the stem cell industry, they eat Taco Bell together and Monica and Dax thank Laura for serving the best podcast of 2018.

Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Toy Story 4, Veep) is an American comedian and actor. Tony joins the attic to discuss his tools for combating anxiety, his relationship to religion and being present with his daughter. Dax wonders if Tony ever felt career insecurity and Tony ponders why he doesn’t have memories before 5th grade. The two talk about achieving their dreams and the subsequent lack of fulfillment. They discuss relating to others as a survival mechanism and their shared inability to remember people’s names.

Armchair Expert Live from Nashville at Andrew Jackson Hall. November 1st, 2019.

Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Me Before You, Terminator Genisys) is an English actress. She sits down with the Armchair Expert to talk about her Hogwarts-esque boarding school, learning Dothraki and her experience having two brain hemorrhages. Dax describes his love of male physiques and Emilia appreciates a Boston accent. The two discuss round features, struggling with imposter syndrome and Emilia weighs in on the difference between British and American sexual escalation.

Jonathan Safran Foer is an American novelist. He is known for his novels Everything Is Illuminated, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Eating Animals and We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast. Jonathan sits down with the armchair expert to discuss his struggle to eat vegetarian, his first book getting rejected by every publisher and he walks us through a traumatic childhood event he experienced. Dax wonders if Jonathan was nervous to write a second book following the success of his first and Jonathan talks about the efficacy of moderate changes. The two talk about climate change, hypnosis and there is a special visitor in the fact check.

Judd Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, The 40 Year old Virgin, Knocked Up, This is 40, Trainwreck) is an American filmmaker, producer, actor and comedian. Judd sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss interviewing comedians as a teenager, what he’s learned from his marriage and the experience of delving into Gary Shandling’s life posthumously. Dax wonders if Judd feels a loss when his projects end and Judd talks about growing up in a spiritual void. The two talk about being children of divorce and Judd talks about his commitment to personal growth.

Richard Dawkins is an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was the University of Oxford's Professor for Public Understanding of Science until 2008. Richard joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his draw to science, his theory on evolution and the lack of language diversity in English cultures. Dax admits he has been a fan of Richard since college and Richard declares what shows he’s watching on Netflix. The two talk about atheism, the evolutionary cause of death and the distortion of objectivity due to human filters.

Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days) and Oliver Hudson (Nashville, Splitting Up Together) are American actor/producer siblings. The two sit down with the Armchair Expert to discuss their new podcast, they talk about their relationship to their father and how sibling perspectives differ. Kate tells a story of when she went to Valentino’s house and Oliver discusses unearthing old trauma. Kate and Dax talk about their past relationship and what they learned, stifling children’s aspirations and watching the OJ chase.

Liz Plank is an author, journalist and political correspondent at Vox. Liz sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss how to include men in the conversation on masculinity, her observation on American race relations and her solution to Twitter negativity. Dax praises Liz for changing Olympic guidelines and Liz delineates the components to a female orgasm. The two debate gender in sports, responsibility of the media and Dax experiences an unexpected mishap while taking a picture with Liz.