Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Armchair Umbrella
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 3, 2026 • 52min
Armchair Anonymous: Spring Break
Steven, a Boston caller who escaped a risky Dominican Republic condo; an unnamed listener calling from Bahrain who teaches abroad and recalls a brutal Appalachian Trail hike; Katie, a teacher who got hilariously stuck in a cruise water slide; and Mary, who survived being struck by an Uber in Fort Lauderdale. They trade tense escapes, travel misadventures, weathering wild hikes, and awkward public mishaps.
98 snips
Apr 1, 2026 • 2h 10min
Michael Pollan Returns (on consciousness)
Michael Pollan, science and environmental journalist and bestselling author, returns to explore consciousness and why surrender matters. He discusses the hard problem of subjective experience. Conversations cover sentience in plants, the gut’s role in disgust, qualia and novels, limits of reductionism, and whether AI can truly feel.
Mar 30, 2026 • 1h 56min
Ike Barinholtz #4
Ike Barinholtz, actor, writer, and comedian known for The Mindy Project and Blockers, returns with candid stories. They riff on colonoscopy prep and post-procedure cravings. He shares how awards changed him, why he skipped standup, his love of trivia and Jeopardy-style question writing, cooking and potato obsessions, and an adorable capybara fascination.
8 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 50min
Armchair Anonymous: Wild Card XII
Featuring Michelle, a North Carolina teen who survived a traumatic ATV/boat-tube accident; Rob’s newlywed spouse, who navigated an awkward Alexa broadcast to family; Lauren, who battled a blister-turned-sepsis and survived emergency surgery; and Brooke, who was arrested for lighting books on campus before graduation and later became a youth librarian. Short, wild, and oddly human stories unfold in rapid, surprising turns.
19 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 1h 52min
David Sussillo (on foster care and neuroscience)
David Sussillo, technologist and computational neuroscientist at Stanford and author of Emergence, shares his journey from foster homes and childhood instability to Carnegie Mellon and AI research. He discusses how video games offered refuge, life inside group homes, the role of education as protection, and the switch from tech startup life to studying brains and neural networks.
20 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 1h 57min
Nate Bargatze
Nate Bargatze, stand-up comedian and actor known for clean observational specials like The Tennessee Kid, shares stories from touring life, growing up with a preacher-magician father, and why he chose clean comedy. He talks about road anecdotes, making family-friendly films like The Breadwinner, and plans for a wholesome comedy brand.
Mar 20, 2026 • 46min
Armchair Anonymous: Funny Pregnancy
Heidi: caller who delivered a baby partially in her sweatpants during a hallway rush. Emmy: caller from Kentucky who had a long-lost nose ring unexpectedly expelled during late-pregnancy symptoms and brings her child on the line. Mackenzie: caller who discovered lactating extra nipple-like bumps in her armpits and navigated medical visits. They trade hilarious, surreal pregnancy mishaps and family moments.
21 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 2h 12min
Kathryn Paige Harden (behavioral geneticist)
Kathryn Paige Harden, behavioral geneticist and author who studies how genes shape behavior. She explores why we do things we regret. Short takes on original sin, genetic predictors of misdemeanor versus felony behavior, prenatal roots of risk, and how societies can balance accountability with compassion.
23 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 2h 9min
Zach Braff Returns
Zach Braff, actor-writer-director known for Scrubs and Garden State, shares career stories and creative challenges. He talks inventing camera rigs for Ted Lasso and directing big stars. He explores returning to Scrubs after 25 years, dramatic turns like Bad Monkey, changing confidence with age, and a year without beer.
Mar 13, 2026 • 45min
Armchair Anonymous: Remodeling Disaster
Jessica, a listener who recounts a DIY floor-refinish that led to a garage fire and lost belongings. Megan, a listener who hired painters only to find drug paraphernalia and months of harassment. Elise, a listener who bought a fixer-upper that suffered floods, sewage backups, and a $40,000 pipe replacement. Short, wild renovation stories filled with unexpected danger and chaos.
