Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
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.
176
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe (Poor Things, Platoon, The Lighthouse) is an actor. Willem joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how he doesn’t have the desire to buy things, how being raised by his siblings affected his perspective, and how his parents encouraged him to be ambitious in life. Willem and Dax talk about how one’s identity can be defined by social conditioning, how he loves collaborating with others on a project, and how he feels about playing big characters. Willem explains how good directors make the film process more enjoyable, how he feels about knowing too much about other actors, and what he thinks about being so recognizable.
123 min
177
Armchair Anonymous: Meet Cute
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a meet cute.
48 min
178
Yearbook - Chapter 4: Local Celebrity
As the Blake basketball team roars through its thrilling season, Chad and his teammates experience local stardom. With his newfound status, Chad gets access to all of the hottest house parties…and ends up in white student’s houses for the first time with their parents out of town. Behold, the high school rager.
33 min
179
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova is a 5x Grand Slam-winning former professional tennis player, investor, and entrepreneur. Maria joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how her priorities changed after retiring from tennis, her experience as a child moving to the US from Russia, and where her strong work ethic came from. Maria and Dax talk about how isolating success can be, what it takes to be critical of yourself, and how they both approach conflict in their relationships. Maria explains how much pressure there is on individual athletes to perform at a high level, why she wants to be a voice for female empowerment, and her superstitions.
111 min
180
Synced: Vorsh!
In this episode of Synced, Monica and Liz debate high school hotness, they role play an important negotiation, and a special guest joins the squad to talk about eating while masturbating & fluid sexuality. They answer listener questions on how to set a boundary with a family member who drinks too much and if one needs to tell their new love interest that they slept with a hometown ex.
75 min
181
Flightless Bird: American Accents
This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier seeks to be better understood by his co-hosts by diving headfirst into the American accent. He meets with dialect coach Joel Goldes, who’s helped coach actors like Viola Davis through her various accent roles. As “The Dialect Coach” (www.thedialectcoach.com), Joel teaches David how to place his tongue to sound more American, and takes Farrier through what he’s been doing wrong. Monica, Rob, and David also take an accent quiz to see how good they are at picking American accents (which you can try at home too: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliafurlan/pahk-the-cah-nomaaaaaah)
57 min
182
Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste (American Symphony) is a musician and composer. Jon joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why some people feel unworthy of others, why it’s important to feel rejection, and how music can connect all types of people together. Jon and Dax talk about why they want to evolve as artists, how priorities can change when a loved one is sick, and what it’s like to have a relationship in the public eye. Jon explains what obligations he feels when fans approach him on the street, how TV shows can affect people’s view of other cultures, and why he can still accept criticism of his work.
129 min
183
Armchair Anonymous: Wild Card III
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us their craziest stories.
60 min
184
Yearbook - Chapter 3: Insecurity
Like every high schooler, Chad wanted to be cool and wanted to be liked. He twisted himself in knots trying to be popular, trying to be an athlete, and trying to be a lady’s man. But some kids never get the luxury of normal teenage angst…
29 min
185
Daniel Markovits (on meritocracy)
Daniel Markovits (The Meritocracy Trap) is a law professor and author. Daniel joins the Armchair Expert to discuss what it was like growing up in different countries, why freedom of speech can sometimes be controversial, and why great art can impact society as much as scientific breakthroughs. Daniel and Dax talk about what it means to study meritocracy, how the landscape of going to college has changed, and how having educated parents affects a child’s development. Daniel explains why there is such a wide gap between the wealthy and the middle class, how some institutions use diversity to exclude people, and how the American marketplace is driven mostly by policy.
141 min
186
Synced: Maxing Out
In this episode of Synced, Liz and Monica discuss an important vacation hack, Monica shares her infamous fetish with Liz, and they debate the validity of a 'twin flame'. The two answer listener questions on giving unsolicited career advice and what to do when you break the trust of a friend.
65 min
187
Flightless Bird: Cereal
This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier investigates America’s extreme love of cereal. He sets out to answer why America needs over 5000 different types of cereal, and why some of the most popular cereals have been discontinued. He meets with YouTube cereal reviewer Thomas Hicks, AKA The Cereal Snob (https://www.youtube.com/c/CerealSnob), to get the lowdown on how much milk should be used in cereal, and what types of cereal are the best. David also discovers that cereal was invented by John Harvey Kellogg in the 1890s, who created the humble cornflake. David finds that Kellogg was trying to create something so bland it would stop people masturbating or having sex!
50 min
188
Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives, Flamin’ Hot) is an actor, producer, and director. Eva joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why she loved having kids later in life, how she views religion versus spirituality, and what growing up on a Texas ranch was like. Eva and Dax talk about what types of people they are attracted to, why acting in soap operas is so much work, and what biohacking techniques they use to improve their health. Eva explains why she wanted to make a film about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, the importance of Latinos seeing themselves reflected on screen, and how she used Desperate Housewives as her film school.
116 min
189
Armchair Anonymous: Piercing & Tattoos
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a crazy piercing or tattooing incident.
59 min
190
Yearbook - Chapter 2: The Driver
Who was driving the car when Chad’s best friend died? What really happened the night when a student was killed in front of Blake High? Chad goes looking for answers to the questions he’s buried for 20 years.
30 min
191
Jedidiah Jenkins (author and memoirist)
Jedidiah Jenkins (Mother, Nature) is an author and memoirist. Jedidiah joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how being Christian affected his identity, what sexuality could be like without social rules, and practicing not getting a boner. Jedidiah and Dax talk about what it means to be a centrist now, how it’s difficult for him to know when someone is flirting with him, and his relationship with his mother and her faith. Jedidiah explains how he learned to find common ground with people who don’t share the same beliefs, embracing the double helix of the narrative and experiential self, and why he wanted to retrace his mother’s walk across America.
157 min
192
Synced: Morning After Slumber Party
In this episode of Synced, the ladies chat about Liz's documentary, Monica gives an update on dating multiple people at once, and they rave about 'Couples Therapy'. They answer listener questions about gossip in the workplace, how to address changes in one's sex life when in a committed relationship, and how to respond when not given a plus one for a wedding.
73 min
193
Flightless Bird: Cars
This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier begins to notice how much America loves cars. Why do 92% of American households have at least one vehicle? That's so many cars! The country's love of cars has transformed it, with not only roads - but with millions and millions of parking spaces. David becomes obsessed with all of America’s parked cars, sitting down with Henry Grabar - a staff writer at Slate who writes about cars and transportation, urban policy, and housing. Grabar has also been thinking a lot about how much of America is taken up by cars. Why in America, on average, are there up to 6 parking spaces for every car? Why does NY make more money off parking tickets than parking fees?
61 min
194
Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa (Khali Sober, Khalifa Kush) is a multi-platinum selling rapper and singer. Wiz joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his life growing up as a military kid, why it was tough to grow up scrawny, and what drove him to start writing at a young age. Wiz explains to Dax the difference between a mixtape and an album, how he and Snoop Dogg became friends, and the importance of putting in the work. Wiz discusses how weed changed his creative process, the cultural differences in talking about other people’s business, and his jail selfie.
133 min
195
Yearbook - Chapter 1: The Perfect School
Chad’s junior year at Blake High School started off like pure magic. Blake was one of those perfect suburban high schools you see on TV and Chad was finally coming into his own. Then a tragedy struck that rocked the school and changed Chad's life forever.
30 min
196
Welcome to Yearbook
In the inaugural episode of Yearbook, Dax and Monica sit down with Chad Sanders and they discuss season 1 of Armchair Umbrella's new anthology series. They talk about the working process, the reason they wanted to make the show, and the discomfort that accompanies quaking what you believe to be a solid foundation of identity. They prep the audience for what is to come in the following 7 episodes including self-exploration, death, sex, love, and redemption.
44 min
197
Dr. Becky Kennedy (psychologist on parenting)
Dr. Becky Kennedy (Good Inside) is a clinical psychologist and author. Becky joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why she wants to help people understand themselves through their kids, why some traditional parenting techniques aren’t effective, and how to set boundaries with your children. Dr. Becky and Dax talk about how much a person’s past shapes who they are now, why she was compelled to share her ideas on social media, and how expectations of parents can sometimes be unfair. Becky explains how repairing a relationship can be difficult, why people fall into the same patterns consistently, and how behavior can be separated from one’s identity.
132 min
198
Synced: T.B.C.
In this episode of Synced, Monica encourages Liz to rethink her relationship to social media to protect her mental health & they discuss Monica's blossoming love life. They answer listener questions on how to disclose an STI to a new partner, asking family to stop using certain language around children, and how to proceed when the love of your life picks out a terrible engagement ring.
46 min
199
Flightless Bird: Pinball
This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand America’s obsession with pinball. He heads to Long Beach California for a meeting of the Long Beach Pinball League, headed by passionate pinball man Tom Walker. His league is part of the International Flipper Pinball Association which is made up of 96,000 players from 45 countries. David then meets Tom Rader, a man who has been obsessively collecting pinball machines for years.
50 min
200
Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah (What Now, The Daily Show) is a comedian, writer, and podcaster. Trevor joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why silence scares him, people’s aversion to being blamed, and how language helps you get to the granularity of meaning. Trevor and Dax discuss the false idea that you have to consume the news all the time, the history of the apartheid system in South Africa, and having patience for people only if they’re engaged in the fight. Trevor explains how hyper-vigilance is a form of safety, that life doesn’t happen in snippets, and how important community and connectedness is to him.
149 min