Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

4.7 (71K) · SOCIETY & CULTURE · UPDATED MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEKE

Hi, I'm Dax Shepard and I love talking to people. I find the messiness of being human to be beautiful. I like finding empathy for people whose lives are wildly different from my own. Join me as I explore the stories that shaped us.

1D AGO

Matthew McConaughey Returns: Free Will, Fatherhood, and the Philosophy of Greenlights

McConaughey is back in the armchair for his fourth appearance. This time they go deep on free will vs. determinism, raising teenagers who call you out, and why he thinks every person should write their own version of Greenlights. Plus: Dax finally asks the question he's been too scared to ask.

3D AGO

Brené Brown: The Cruelty Crisis and What We Do Now

Brené Brown returns to discuss what she calls "the cruelty crisis" — the normalization of contempt in public and private life. They discuss her new research on belonging, what's changed about shame in the social media era, and the specific skills that make people genuinely more kind.

SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Synced: Dax & Monica on the Past Six Months — Unedited

Monica and Dax do a full catch-up episode with zero editing — including the two topics they almost cut, the fight they almost had on mic, and the thing Monica said that made Dax cry. This is what the show sounds like when nothing is left on the floor.

7D AGO

Kristen Bell: 20 Years of Marriage (and Counting)

Kristen Bell returns to the armchair for a special episode recorded on their 13th wedding anniversary. They talk openly about the therapy that saved them, the specific fight that nearly ended things in year four, their different parenting philosophies, and what Kristen wishes she'd known at 25.

10D AGO

Pedro Pascal on Loneliness, Chile, and Playing the Internet's Beloved Daddy

Pedro Pascal, everyone's favorite parasocial father figure, talks to Dax about growing up in exile, losing his mother at 24, finding fame at 48, and what it actually feels like to have millions of strangers project their father onto you. A beautiful, surprising conversation.

14D AGO

Dr. Robert Sapolsky: Is Free Will an Illusion? (A Deep Dive)

Stanford neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky, author of Determined, argues that free will is completely illusory — and Dax does not go down without a fight. This is one of the most intellectually rigorous conversations in the show's history. Warning: may alter how you think about everything.

17D AGO

Will Ferrell: From SNL to Soccer Fandom and Everything In Between

Will Ferrell is one of the great interviewees — self-deprecating, hilarious, and surprisingly reflective. They go deep on his SNL years, being an MLS team owner, raising sons in Hollywood, and the one Anchorman line he still can't believe made the cut.

21D AGO

Monica Solo: The Episode Dax Doesn't Know Exists

Monica Padman hosts her own episode — without telling Dax — interviewing four of Dax's closest friends about what he's like when the mic is off. Funny, moving, and occasionally mortifying for everyone involved.

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Hosts & Guests

Dax ShepardHost

Monica PadmanCo-Host & Producer

4.7

out of 5

71K Ratings

The longest conversations, the best conversations

People complain about the length but the length IS the point. You can't get to the real stuff in 45 minutes. Some of the best moments in podcast history have happened in hour three of an Armchair Expert episode. Dax's vulnerability disarms everyone.

ArmchairFan · Mar 6, 2026

Dax's recovery journey makes this show

As someone in recovery myself, Dax's openness about addiction, shame, and the ongoing work of sobriety is life-changing. He normalizes the mess of being human in a way no other podcaster does. The Brené Brown episodes especially are required listening.

InRecovery2019 · Feb 19, 2026

Monica deserves more credit

Everyone talks about Dax but Monica Padman is half the magic of this show. Her research, her callbacks, and her ability to redirect Dax when he goes off on tangents are what makes the long conversations coherent. The Monica solo episode proved it.

TeamMonica · Feb 5, 2026

About

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard is a podcast about the messiness of being human. Dax Shepard — actor, comedian, and recovering addict — sits down with celebrities, scientists, and real people to explore what makes us who we are. Co-hosted by Monica Padman, the show is known for its marathon-length, deeply personal conversations where no subject is off-limits. Dax's own openness about his struggles with addiction, his unconventional marriage to Kristen Bell, and his imperfect journey toward becoming a better person creates a space where guests feel comfortable being genuinely vulnerable. The podcast has produced landmark conversations with everyone from Prince Harry to Brené Brown, from Matthew McConaughey to a neuroscientist studying the brain on love.