Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Van Jones is an author, journalist, and lawyer. Van joins the Armchair Expert to discuss choosing activism after graduating from Yale Law School, his perspective on what "having privilege" means, and how he can work with both Democrats and Republicans. Van and Dax talk about how he became friends with Prince, being forced to resign from the Obama Administration, and what it's like to raise black c...

B.J. Novak (The Office, Inglourious Basterds, The Premise) is an actor, producer, and writer. B.J. joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his time on Punk'd, that he regrets not enjoying his time on The Office more, and what it was like to get cast by his hero Quentin Tarantino. B.J. and Dax talk about how they could never be on a celebrity roast, how Pulp Fiction made him want to be a writer, and t...

David Sedaris is an author and comedian. David joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his new book A Carnival of Snackery, why he can get away with saying things other people can't say, and how he takes five mile walks at midnight. David and Dax talk about the things they would get into before sobriety, knowing where every bathroom in New York City is, and how he is just never offended by anything....

Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings, Green Street, No Man of God) is an actor and producer. Elijah joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how New Zealand became his home while shooting Lord of the Rings, the connection he has to other child actors of his generation, and how he learned to form his identity at a young age. Elijah and Dax talk about their shared loved of Austin, quitting smoking after 20 ye...

Steven Pinker is an award-winning experimental cognitive psychologist, best-selling author, and Harvard professor. Steven joins the Armchair Expert to discuss correlation versus causation, why people have certain beliefs in conspiracy theories, and the difference between individual and collective rationality. Steven and Dax talk about free will, the effectiveness of a dictator's messaging, and how...

Drew Barrymore (The Drew Barrymore Show, E.T., Charlie's Angels) is an actor and producer. Drew joins the Armchair Expert to discuss being a child star in Hollywood, going through treatment for addiction at a young age, and how becoming a parent changed her life. Drew and Dax discuss how alcohol makes you feel invincible, that forgiving yourself can be the hardest thing you will ever do, and how h...

Andrew Huberman (Huberman Lab) is a neuroscientist and Stanford professor of Neurobiology. Andrew joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how testosterone treatment affects the development of the brain and body, what it means to have "roid rage" and how he considers anorexia the most dangerous disorder someone can suffer from. Andrew and Dax discuss the connection between blinking and our concept of...

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Green Knight, Blue Bayou) is an Academy Award-winning Swedish actress. Alicia joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how her ballet training translated to her film career, moving to Stockholm at 15 from a small town, and her experience on the set of Ex Machina. Alicia and Dax talk about the difference between Swedish and American cultures, how we overuse the phrase I...

Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz (The Scaffold Effect) is a psychiatrist and founder of the Child Mind Institute. Dr. Koplewicz joins the Armchair Expert to discuss child mental health advocacy, the controversy of medication as treatment for children, and how he deals with parents who don't believe in child psychiatry. Dr. Koplewicz and Dax discuss the problem with calling children normal or abnormal, how...

Amanda Peet (The Chair, Saving Silverman, Brockmire) is an actress, producer, and screenwriter. Amanda joins the Armchair Expert to discuss her early dating life, growing up in New York and London, and showing her kids inappropriate movies. Amanda and Dax talk about being Capricorns, how Amanda thinks Dax sounds like Bill Gates, and how difficult is it to be a showrunner. Amanda explains her paren...

Kate Bowler is a New York Times best-selling author, podcast host, and professor at Duke University. Kate joins the Armchair Expert to discuss growing up around Mennonites, the debate over religious authority, and the Christian crisis of conscious. Kate and Dax talk about the many different American religious denominations, going through cancer treatment while still writing a book, and how some pe...

Awkwafina (Shang-Chi, Nora from Queens, Crazy Rich Asians) is a Golden Globe award-winning actor, comedian, and rapper. Awkwafina joins the Armchair Expert to discuss being self-conscious about her raspy voice, playing the trumpet because everyone wants to play percussions, and traveling to China to learn Mandarin. Awkwafina and Dax talk about hosting SNL, being rejected from college, and recogniz...

Carmelo Anthony (Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised) is a 10x NBA All-Star, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Carmelo joins the Armchair Expert to discuss dealing with depression as a child, his relationship with his blue-collar stepdad, and being recruited to play basketball for a Catholic high school. Carmelo and Dax talk about the similarities in growing up in Baltimore versus Detroit, learning how...

Brie Larson (Room, Captain Marvel, Learning Lots) is an Academy Award-winning actor, producer, and director. Brie joins the Armchair Expert to discuss being home schooled as a child, how she knows her way around set from being an actor for over 20 years, and how she used to be a touring pop singer. Brie and Dax talk about trying to be people pleasers, learning how to accept success and failures, a...

Samantha Bee (Daily Show, Full Frontal, Detour) is an Emmy-nominated writer, comedian and television host. Samantha joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how she never thought her career would pan out, that she used to be very uncomfortable during auditions, and how doing an all-female sketch comedy group helped her confidence. Samantha and Dax talk about her combative interview style, what she lea...

Matthew Rhys (The Americans, Perry Mason) is an Emmy Award-winning actor. Matthew joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his fascination with Ernest Hemingway's overt masculinity, the process of buying and restoring an old boat and wanting to pass on Welsh culture to his kids who are growing up in Brooklyn. Matthew and Dax talk about their newfound love of Formula 1 racing, growing up with a chip on...

Padma Lakshmi is a food expert, author, and television personality. Padma joins the Armchair Expert to discuss moving to America from India at a young age, how she feels people from India have been misrepresented in American pop culture, and that people need to start having more complex nuanced conversations that might be uncomfortable. Padma and Dax talk about how American culture is really a mix...

Cecily Strong (SNL, This Will All Be Over Soon, Schmigadoon!) is an Emmy-nominated actress and comedian. Cecily joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the loyalty of Chicagoans, being expelled from high school for having pot, and doing improv comedy on a cruise ship. Dax and Cecily discuss how much they love the midwest outdoors and how they both want Puerto Rican funerals. Cecily explains why she l...

Maya Shankar is a Behavioral Scientist and former Senior Advisor in the Obama White House. Maya joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the concept of identity foreclosure, how people craft a narrative about themselves in order to connect to other people, and that there is a danger in tying our identities to our opinions and values. Maya and Dax discuss how they each define manifestation, the differe...

Kristen Bell is an actress, singer, and podcaster Dax Shepard's wife. Kristen rejoins the Armchair Expert to discuss her experience shooting Family Game Fight, which animal she thinks is the cutest on the planet, and how she feels we can solve the collective male rage that exists in the world. Kristen, Dax, and Monica reveal what they love most about each other, how women are expected to self-regu...

Daryl Hall is a singer, songwriter and the lead vocalist of Hall & Oates. Daryl joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his relationship over the years with John Oates, learning how to sing from his mother, and being immersed in the R&B music scene in Philadelphia. Daryl and Dax talk about what having perfect pitch means, the amount of #1 hits Daryl has had, and how musicians today have more aven...

Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, Ocean's Eleven, Stillwater) is an Oscar Award-Winning and Golden Globe Award-Winning actor, producer, and screenwriter. Matt joins the Armchair Expert to talk about his experience writing Good Will Hunting with Ben Affleck, what it was like attending the Monaco Grand Prix with Brad Pitt, and how your subjective experience changes when you become famous. Matt explains...

Mark Ronson is a 7x Grammy Award-winning, Oscar Award-winning, record producer and DJ. Mark joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how he was obsessed with music from a very early age and his experience producing artists like Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, and Amy Winehouse. Mark and Dax talk about getting hyped up to perform on stage, growing up around strong women, and what it was like to see Quincy Jones...

Leon Bridges (Gold-Diggers Sound, Coming Home) is a Grammy Award-winning R&B recording artist and songwriter. Leon joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the Fort Worth music scene, developing his aesthetic, and his desire to keep evolving his sound. Leon talks about being bashful and quiet as a kid, tasting fame at his senior year talent show, and how he likes to recharge in solitude. Leon disc...

Tim Grover is a mental and physical performance coach. Tim joins the Armchair Expert to talk about training athletes like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, how his parents really wanted him to be a doctor, and what he's learned over the years about defining what winning means. Tim and Dax discuss the difference between the physical and mental aspects of being a great athlete, his perspective on The...