Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon, medical reporter and CNN medical correspondent. He sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss wanting to change his name to Steve as a child, performing surgery in a wartime environment and he breaks the misconception that brain size is the primary factor in intelligence. Dax and Sanjay share a Michigander past and they discuss some of the failing components of our current healthcare system. He talks about recent findings in CTE and leaves us with advice on ways to maximize health and prolong life.

Adam Pally (Happy Endings, The Mindy Project, The Presidents Show) is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. Adam stops by the attic to discuss feeling bitter toward the industry, loving the feeling of losing and his newfound look on Judaism. Dax wants Adam to stop burning bridges and Adam talks about the one takeaway he gained from acting school. The two note the specific placement of movie billboards, they discuss different kinds of recognizability and Adam recalls a piece of advice he learned from Jimmy Kimmel.

Armchair Expert Live from San Antonio at the Majestic Theatre. February 23rd, 2019.

Chelsea Handler (Chelsea Lately, The Chelsea Handler Show, Chelsea Does) is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, producer, activist and bonafide baller. Chelsea sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss her very odorous experience on iowaska, her need to escape her family and her realization that her patterns with men are the result of a childhood trauma. Dax asks about her relationship to substances and Chelsea is hoping to find a skiing buddy. The two talk about the root of her intimidating nature, censorship in comedy and how old men love Chelsea.

John Kim is a licensed therapist, life coach and author. He sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his commitment to redefining masculinity, why he created The Angry Therapist blog and his view on expired relationships. John talks about the deep communication barrier with his parents and Dax wonders if John's marriage was a result of feeling "other" his whole life. The two talk about living in a fatherless nation, they discuss what it means to live a "through me" life and John tells a notable story involving sexual exploration and a stone fruit.

Chris D’Elia (Whitney, Undatable, The Good Doctor) is an American stand up comedian, actor, writer and podcast host. Chris sits down in the attic to discuss his relationship patterns, his young obsession to resemble Luke Perry and his terrible memory. Chris talks about his desire to have a family and Dax wonders why Chris has never done drugs. The two talk about the different ways comedians are perceived, Chris wishes he has been born with the name Damian Monroe and it remains unclear as to whether or not Chris and Kristen (Bell) had sex in college.

Armchair Expert Live from Los Angeles at the Theatre at Ace Hotel. January 17th, 2019. This episode features “Sisyphus” by Andrew Bird off his new album “My Finest Work Yet” and “Oopsies” by Bob Mervak & Kristen Bell.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, Emma, Seven, Iron Man) is an American actress and owner of a natural health company, Goop. Gwyneth sits down with the Armchair Expert in this special crossover episode to talk about her relationship to fear and control, intentional parenting and her profound relationship with her father. Gwyneth promises Dax a BIG birthday present and Dax deems Gwyneth the one person with whom he'd like to trade lives. The two discuss Gwyneth's propensity to trigger peoples insecurities, they talk about the current social climate of seeking fame as a career and in the fact check Dax makes a grave mistake involving Monica and Gwyneth's handbags.

Johann Hari is a Swiss English author and journalist. Johann sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the many factors  that have impacted his research on addiction and mental health, he explains why he is disillusioned by the idea that addiction is purely chemical, and he talks about the importance of community and love in depressive people. Johann talks about his own personal experience with anti-depressants, trauma and familial addiction that led him to his exploration. Dax debates Johann about the importance of tough love and he wonders if models of rehabilitation in other countries can be mapped on to America.  Johann is the author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections: Uncovering the real causes of depression and the unexpected solutions.

Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen, Across the Universe, Mildred Pierce, Westworld) is an American actress, activist, and musician. She sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss her childhood growing up amongst adults, her young foray into the entertainment industry and she shares her experience with domestic abuse. Dax asks about the sustainability of dating when having a child and Evan thinks we’re definitely living in a matrix. The two chat about the benefit of psychedelic drugs, they discuss the nuisance of victimhood and they unpack a past twitter fight between the two them.

Reshma Saujani is an Indian American lawyer, author, politician and founder of the tech organization Girls Who Code. She sits down in the attic to discuss how she spent her childhood trying to assimilate, what it felt like when she reached a lifelong status goal and she talks about her mission to promote bravery. Dax asks Reshma about what she learned from two failed elections and Reshma discusses her relationship with religion. Dax and Reshma debate the roles of biology and culture on gender differences and Dax wants to go back in time and visit Monica’s grandma.

Pete Holmes (Crashing, The Pete Holmes Show, You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes podcast) is an American comedian, actor, writer and podcaster. Pete sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his three-way marriage with comedy, the book that got him sober and how his life resembles the biblical story of Jacob and Esau. Pete decides Dax’s mom would be played by Francis McDormand and Dax predicts fatherhood will rightsize Pete’s problems. Dax and Pete talk about the different tactics men use to appear attractive to women, how modesty is an equally alpha move to being ostentatious and the two have different takes on the fatherly nature of Bob Vila.

John Gottman is an American psychological researcher, an award-winning speaker, author, a professor emeritus in psychology and co-founder of the Gottman Institute. John sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his research on thin slicing and predicting marital success. He notes how having a daughter turned him into an instant feminist and He talks about the different ways men and women view sex. The two talk about a father's crucial role to a child, they delve into the four horsemen of the apocalypse and John urges couples to foster curiosity.

Jake Johnson (New Girl, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Let’s Be Cops) is an American actor and comedian. Jake sits down in the attic to discuss his early misconception of school, he pinpoints a career moment where he felt humbled and talks about his process mending a parental relationship. Jake describes the discomfort of being a public person and Dax admits that books he used to worship have lost a lot of societal value over time. Jake and Dax discuss choosing family over work, they delve into addiction and Jake tells the story of how he got stuck at Natalie Portman’s house.

Armchair Expert Live from Chicago at the Chicago Theatre. December 1st, 2018.