Podcast · Comedy
by Armchair Umbrella · English · Comedy
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.
9 Oct 2026 · 51 minNew
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us their craziest nurse stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1111 · 7 Oct 2026 · 2 hr 39 min
Adam Grant (Vibe, Hidden Potential, and Think Again) is an organizational psychologist, Wharton professor, and author. Adam joins Armchair Expert to discuss being pushed out of his childhood friend group, feeling like an impostor at Harvard, and finding his footing on the diving team. Adam and Dax talk about memorizing students’ backgrounds, NASA sending incompatible astronauts into the wilderness, and the party that produced 78 marriages. Adam explains why proximity can beat dating algorithms, what separates pals from companions, and what an AI friend can’t give back.Start your 2 month free…
E10013 · 6 Oct 2026 · 54 min
On this week’s episode of Mom’s Car we welcome Dakota Fanning (The Sun Never Sets, Ripley, Man on Fire) and Jake Johnson (The Sun Never Sets, New Girl, The Dink). Dakota, Jake, Dax, and Best Friend Aaron Weakley talk through Dax and Aaron’s romantic movie night, bringing a rolling backpack to high school with zero shame, a firefighter uncle’s devastating theater review, treating dating apps like a casino, letting ADHD run wild on a hike, being just famous enough to get a restaurant table, and needing someone to confirm that the seven-foot man across the room is Shaq.Check Allstate first for…
E1110 · 5 Oct 2026 · 2 hr 15 min
Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Frankenstein, The Shape of Water) is an Academy Award-winning director, screenwriter, and producer. Guillermo joins Armchair Expert to discuss his dad winning the lottery twice, diagnosing himself from a health encyclopedia, and promising the monsters in his bedroom lifelong friendship. Guillermo and Dax talk about writing The Devil’s Backbone while his father was kidnapped, James Cameron nearly fighting Harvey Weinstein on his behalf, and bringing back Pan’s Labyrinth to finally realize it in 3D. Guillermo explains why monsters are more honest than…
E1109 · 2 Oct 2026 · 54 min
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a crazy dinner party. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1108 · 30 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 55 min
Jared Diamond (Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings, The World Until Yesterday, and Guns, Germs, and Steel) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist, historian, and UCLA professor. Jared joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in the shadow of World War II, his family’s connection to the Holocaust, and his path from physiology to geography. Jared and Dax talk about testing history through natural experiments, measuring the influence of CEOs and coaches, and the six factors that determine a leader’s impact. Jared explains the “Hamlet test” for irreplaceable leaders, why timing can matter…
E1107 · 28 Sep 2026 · 2 hr 20 min
Leanne Morgan (Leanne, You’re Cordially Invited, I’m Every Woman) is a comedian, actor, and author. Leanne joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in a 600-person Tennessee town, leaving her first marriage, and raising three kids while chasing Hollywood. Leanne and Dax talk about developing stand-up while selling jewelry at house parties, spending 20 years as the “$2,500 girl” on the corporate comedy circuit, and finally breaking through with a viral stand-up clip in her 50s. Leanne explains why she never lost faith that Hollywood would happen, how success has reshaped her marriage and…
E1106 · 25 Sep 2026 · 54 min
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about an experience with a bad customer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1105 · 23 Sep 2026 · 2 hr 4 min
Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, serial technology entrepreneur, and pioneer in de-extinction. Ben joins Armchair Expert to discuss being raised by his mom and grandparents in Texas, starting his first company while at Baylor, and why a conversation with geneticist George Church changed the course of his life. Ben and Dax talk about building a team to engineer a mammoth from scratch, creating woolly mice in 30 days, and turning 73,000-year-old DNA into dire wolf puppies. Ben explains why de-extinction is really about developing new technologies, how humans should take…
E1104 · 21 Sep 2026 · 2 hr 9 min
Joey King (Practical Magic 2, The Act, The Kissing Booth) is an Emmy-nominated actor and producer. Joey returns to the Armchair Expert to discuss starting work at nine years old, her dad’s past as a professional arm wrestler, and losing and rediscovering her natural sense of joy. Joey and Dax talk about joining the beloved world of Practical Magic, working alongside Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, and finding fulfillment in difficult performances without taking them home. Joey explains why thinking about yourself less can quiet insecurity, how difficult periods can create useful…
E1103 · 18 Sep 2026 · 47 min
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us their crazy gym stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1102 · 16 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 49 min
Eric Goode (Monsters of God, Chimp Crazy, Tiger King) is a filmmaker, hotelier, and conservationist. Eric joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in an animal-filled home, surviving Northern California’s New Age movement, and befriending Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring in 1980s New York. Eric and Dax talk about creating legendary nightclubs and hotels, directing Nine Inch Nails videos, and stumbling into Tiger King while investigating reptile smugglers. Eric explains why obsession can give life purpose, why conservation requires talking to people you oppose, and why there is rarely…
E1101 · 14 Sep 2026 · 2 hr
Dave Franco (Idiots, The Studio, Together) is an actor, writer, and director. Dave returns to Armchair Expert to discuss growing up as the youngest of three brothers, being a hopeless romantic from childhood, and becoming Hollywood’s sexiest cat dad. Dave and Dax talk about pursuing Idiots for a decade, surviving the exhausting long takes of The Studio, and forging an identity outside his brother’s shadow. Dave explains why vulnerability is worth the risk, why he stays off social media, and why the right relationship gets better with time.Thank you to our presenting partner Lilly. Lilly’s…
E1100 · 11 Sep 2026 · 49 min
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a bad teacher. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1099 · 9 Sep 2026 · 2 hr 2 min
Angela Duckworth (Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best, Grit) is a psychologist, MacArthur Fellow, and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Angela returns to the Armchair Expert to discuss nearly drowning while trying to save her mother, apologizing 15 years later to an author she treated poorly, and how a graduate student’s critique of Grit changed the direction of her work. Angela and Dax talk about why achieving goals rarely delivers happiness, how Leon Marchand changed his environment to break Michael Phelps’s world record, and why the people around us…
E1098 · 7 Sep 2026 · 2 hr 32 min
Lizzo (Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B. Flootin', Cuz I Love You, Special) is a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning musician and performer. Lizzo joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in a Detroit church where her uncle preached and her cousins made up the choir, being mocked in Houston for “talking white” and liking anime, and losing her father at 19 who told her she could become the next great flute player. Lizzo and Dax talk about being in a dozen Minneapolis bands at once, stripping down during the interview that sparked My Skin, and watching “Truth Hurts” become a hit years after she had…
E1097 · 4 Sep 2026 · 50 min
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a summer fling. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1096 · 2 Sep 2026 · 2 hr 26 min
Ray Madoff (The Second Estate, Immortality and the Law, Practical Guide to Estate Planning) is a Boston College law professor, author, and tax-policy expert. Ray joins Armchair Expert to discuss being a proudly mediocre high school student, reluctantly trading philosophy for law school, and becoming a terrible Wall Street tax lawyer who loved teaching. Ray and Dax talk about America’s return to a pre-revolutionary aristocracy, how “salaries are for suckers” among the ultrawealthy, and why $50 trillion in wealth yielded only $28 billion in estate tax. Ray explains why high earners and wealth…
E1095 · 31 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 59 min
Gal Gadot (The Runner, Wonder Woman, Fast & Furious) is an actor, action star, and former pageant winner. Gal joins Armchair Expert to discuss unexpectedly winning a beauty pageant, being thrust onto the front page of the New York Post at 21, and surviving cerebral venous thrombosis after the birth of her fourth child. Gal and Dax talk about being discovered for a Bond audition while studying law, reaching the point where she was ready to quit acting, and going from recovering in bed to training with an Olympic running coach for The Runner. Gal explains why struggle is essential to…
E1094 · 28 Aug 2026 · 41 min
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1093 · 26 Aug 2026 · 2 hr 8 min
Olivia Fox Cabane (The Charisma Myth, The Net and the Butterfly) is a bestselling author, speaker, and leading authority on the science of charisma. Olivia joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in Paris without television or movies, receiving an autism diagnosis in her 40s, and decoding the “secret manual” of human interaction. Olivia and Dax talk about translating charisma research into a teachable system, showing founders why body language can outweigh a flawless pitch, and updating her book with cutting-edge research on digital charisma. Olivia explains why focused listening gives…
E1092 · 24 Aug 2026 · 2 hr 6 min
Jimmy Kimmel is an Emmy-winning host, comedian, and producer. Molly McNearney is an Emmy-winning writer, producer, and actor. Jimmy and Molly join Armchair Expert to discuss how working together strengthened their marriage, why ten quiet minutes in bed can constitute a date, and raising children who know the president as their family’s antagonist. Jimmy, Molly, and Dax talk about rescuing unprepared talk-show guests, getting fired from radio with less than $20 in the bank, and attempting to evade paparazzi after the show’s suspension. Jimmy and Molly explain why deliberate distortion is…
E1091 · 21 Aug 2026 · 44 min
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy spa story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1090 · 19 Aug 2026 · 2 hr 14 min
Chris Young (The Wound Is Where the Light Enters, Coherence Consulting) is an author, consultant, and public speaker. Chris joins Armchair Expert to discuss watching addiction consume his mother, spending two years without electricity or running water, and selling drugs by age 11. Chris and Dax talk about the small choices that hardened into a drug-dealing identity, the courtroom speech that moved his sentencing judge to resign, and the unlikely coalition that won his clemency. Chris explains why family is a verb, hope is a drug worth taking, and freedom begins with imagining beyond your…
E1089 · 17 Aug 2026 · 2 hr 30 min
David Sedaris (The Land and Its People, Happy-Go-Lucky, Calypso) is a bestselling author, humorist, and celebrated storyteller. David joins Armchair Expert to discuss discovering his name in the Epstein files, crossing state lines after midnight to have a tumor removed, and feeding it to a snapping turtle. David and Dax talk about testing and rewriting his essays onstage, giving relatives veto power over his stories, and evolving from writing about life’s biggest moments to writing about almost nothing. David explains why talking to strangers creates real connection, how treating words as…
E1088 · 14 Aug 2026 · 54 min
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy extreme weather story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1087 · 12 Aug 2026 · 2 hr 10 min
Marc Brackett (Dealing with Feeling, Permission to Feel, RULER) is a psychologist, professor, and founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Marc joins Armchair Expert to discuss the childhood trauma that shaped his life's work, the fallout from disclosing it on national television at 12, and the inspiring uncle whose simple compassion finally made him feel safe. Marc and Dax talk about turning ideas into a program reaching 10 million children, being called out by his mother-in-law for failing to regulate during lockdown, and discovering Yale students often mistake envy…
E1086 · 10 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 54 min
Taron Egerton (Apex, Rocketman, Kingsman) is a Golden Globe-winning actor and singer. Taron joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in a Welsh village with a 59-letter name, being raised by a single mother, and finding acting after being bullied as an artistic kid. Taron and Dax talk about Colin Firth mentoring him during Kingsman, expressing himself through Elton John in Rocketman, and transforming himself into a sociopathic villain in Apex. Taron explains embracing his shadow, smashing his idealized self, and believing in a benevolent universe.Check Allstate first for a quote that…
E1085 · 7 Aug 2026 · 48 min
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy hotel story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
E1084 · 5 Aug 2026 · 2 hr 28 min
Christopher Whitcomb (Broken Plea, Cold Zero, and Black) is a former FBI Hostage Rescue Team sniper, bestselling author, and national security analyst. Christopher joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in rural New Hampshire, the winding path from teacher and speechwriter to the FBI, and the unbelievable twists of fate that shaped his storied life and career. Christopher and Dax talk about serving on the FBI's elite hostage rescue team, being at the center of historic events like Ruby Ridge and Waco, and why he decided to revisit the Idaho murders after the suspect's guilty plea.…
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.
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard is a English comedy podcast from Armchair Umbrella. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
