The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band. They sit down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the experience of being in a family band, the balance between touring and home life and the connection between artist and audience. The two talk about how they came to love music and Dax describes the magic of an Avett Brothers’ concert. They discuss the male right of passage, their relationship to religion and the feeling of universal unity.

The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band. They sit down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the experience of being in a family band, the balance between touring and home life and the connection between artist and audience. The two talk about how they came to love music and Dax describes the magic of an Avett Brothers’ concert. They discuss the male right of passage, their relationship to religion and the feeling of universal unity.

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

The Avett Brothers

Sam Elliott (Mask, The Big Lebowski, Road House, A Star is Born, The Ranch) is an American actor. Sam sits down with the Armchair Expert to talk about fighting fires in Malibu, having a crush on his now wife and his introduction into the business. Dax reveals that his mom is in love with Sam and Sam discusses the evolution of A Star Is Born. The two talk about Sam's mixed messages persona, his draw to Westerns and the changes in the industry.

Sam Elliott (Mask, The Big Lebowski, Road House, A Star is Born, The Ranch) is an American actor. Sam sits down with the Armchair Expert to talk about fighting fires in Malibu, having a crush on his now wife and his introduction into the business. Dax reveals that his mom is in love with Sam and Sam discusses the evolution of A Star Is Born. The two talk about Sam's mixed messages persona, his draw to Westerns and the changes in the industry.

Sam Elliott

Pete Carroll is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots, and the USC Trojans of the University of Southern California. Pete joins the Armchair Expert to discuss overcoming his stature as a kid, the importance of being present and his three basic rules. Pete talks about learning from failure and Dax is enamored by Pete's skin. The two discuss the value of being a salesman, learning how to be competitive and the power of self-actualization.

Pete Carroll is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots, and the USC Trojans of the University of Southern California. Pete joins the Armchair Expert to discuss overcoming his stature as a kid, the importance of being present and his three basic rules. Pete talks about learning from failure and Dax is enamored by Pete's skin. The two discuss the value of being a salesman, learning how to be competitive and the power of self-actualization.

EXPERTS ON EXPERT: Pete Carroll

Adam Devine (Workaholics, Pitch Perfect, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and singer. Adam sits down with the Armchair Expert to talk about managing ego, the series of events that led to Workaholics and an early childhood trauma that he credits to his career in comedy. Adam discusses his first experience on Letterman and Dax explains the effects of a certain muscle building diet. Adam confesses that he originally thought Pitch Perfect was a baseball move and the two realize they are both obsessed with the same almond butter packets.

Adam Devine

Microsoft Corp’s co-founder Bill Gates said we’ll be “lucky” if we get an effective vaccine before the end of the year. Gates has spent most of his time and efforts during the pandemic into funding vaccine research and development. Since early February, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed over $350 million to kick-start the development of vaccines and treatments. Bloomberg's Emily Chang speaks to Gates on the latest edition of Studio 1.0.

Microsoft Corp’s co-founder Bill Gates said we’ll be “lucky” if we get an effective vaccine before the end of the year. Gates has spent most of his time and efforts during the pandemic into funding vaccine research and development. Since early February, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed over $350 million to kick-start the development of vaccines and treatments. Bloomberg's Emily Chang speaks to Gates on the latest edition of Studio 1.0.

Studio 1.0

Bill Gates

Spooky episode alert! Joseph Laycock is an associate professor of religious studies at Texas State University. Joseph joins the Armchair Expert to discuss all things exorcism; the overall belief of demonic possession in America, the unholy trinity of films that influenced belief, and how it’s typically a political phenomenon.  Joseph talks about the Salem Witch Trials, the West Memphis Three trial, the McMartin Preschool trial and explains why people tend to tell awful stories during times of upheavals. Dax reminisces on the satanic panic of the 80s and Joseph exclaims that if you’re doing it right, critical thinking should hurt.

Joseph Laycock

Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar, True Detective) is a Golden Globe & Academy Award-Winning actor, author, and producer. Matthew joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the red and yellow lights in his life that he turned into green lights, why he loves delusional optimism so much, and the art of running downhill. Dax and Matthew bond over having to navigate fighting their fathers, how they aren’t who they are without the love of their mothers, and growing up around “by hook or by crook” ethics. Matthew tells the horror story of his year abroad in Australia and Dax confirms that the two do indeed have rhythm.

Matthew McConaughey

Erin Geiger Smith is a freelance reporter for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and author of Thank You for Voting: The Past, Present, and Future of Voting. Erin joins the Armchair Expert to talk about the history of democracy, the rise of the electoral college, and how voting has evolved over time. Erin explains the ways in which voter suppression is still happening today, the systematic issues we face and how democracy works best if everybody shows up.  Dax asks Erin about voter fraud and the voting statistics between different demographics. In the fact check, Dax and Monica have a debate about issues on this year’s ballot.

Erin Geiger Smith

Chelsea Handler (Evolution, Chelsea Lately, The Chelsea Handler Show) is a comedian, actress, writer, television host, producer and activist. Chelsea sits down the Armchair Expert to discuss how standup comedy is evolving, how she can tell by body type what drug a person can handle, and she admits that being known for insulting people puts them at unease when she first meets them. Chelsea discusses her path to realizing she wasn’t a very empathetic person, how people should look at change with open-mindedness instead of fear, and how she wanted to attack the issue of white privilege from her own perspective. Dax admits he doesn’t have as thick of skin as Chelsea while she explains the desire to keep putting herself out there in vulnerable ways.

Chelsea Handler Returns

BONUS EPISODE with Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Isabel joins the Armchair Expert to discuss caste systems in the United States, the patterns of regression in civil rights in this country and giving someone the basic benefit of the doubt. She explains assumptions of competence, how embedded assumptions are and that caste systems aren’t only about race.

Isabel Wilkerson

Eric Lander is a geneticist, molecular biologist, and mathematician. He was a principal leader of the Human Genome Project and is the president and founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Eric joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his work with the Human Genome project, the practical applications they’ve found, and how collaborative biology has become. Eric describes how the Broad Institute came to be, how their data is starting to uncover connections between different diseases, and that we have a lot of challenges ahead that are going to take science to solve. Dax takes a few swings and misses with his 25-year-old biology memory and Eric explains why humility has to be a part of every bit of science.

Eric Lander

Sara Gilbert (The Conners, The Talk, Roseanne) is an Emmy-Award nominated actress, director, and producer. Sara joins the Armchair Expert and discusses how she handled success at 13 years old, the difficulty of balancing her personal and public life at that age, and her time spent at Yale. Sara admits that conflict seems to always find her, the huge crush she had on Corky Nemac, and what inspired her to create The Talk. Dax asks her what made her not give up on the Conners and Sara explains the connection the show has to real life for its’ viewers. Best friend Aaron Weakly returns and helps double fact check Dax.

Sara Gilbert

Bob Woodward is an American investigative journalist that started working for the Washington Post in 1971 and currently holds the title of associate editor. Dax discusses how bipartisan Bob’s reporting has been over the years, his rigorous search of the truth and how Bob has covered 20% of the presidents this country has had. Bob talks about the difference between a good faith f*ck up and a bad faith f*ck up, getting spontaneous calls from the president when he was writing his book, and the relationship that developed out of that process. The two discuss the handling of the virus and the inability to put together a cohesive plan. And most importantly, Dax asks who more accurately captured Bob in film, Robert Redford or Will Ferrell.

Bob Woodward

Jon Bon Jovi is a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, record producer, philanthropist, and actor. Jon joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the sustainability of his music career, the two share in the false sense of confidence they once had, and Jon admits how crazy it is that he’s been making records longer than he hasn’t. Jon tells the story of his mob meeting with Howard Stern and how Bruce Springsteen joined him on stage when he was in high school. Dax praises Jon on all of the work the JBJ Soul Foundation (www.jbjsf.org) is doing and we have the most special fact check ever with special guest, best friend Aaron Weakly.

Jon Bon Jovi

Aly Raisman is a two time American Olympic gymnast. Aly talks to the Armchair Expert about being a survivor of abuse, growing up in a sport where perfection is key and opening up about her mental health journey. The two discuss their experiences with trauma, the aftermath of sharing their stories publicly and staying strong despite potential triggers along the way. They talk about the lack of resources and support available to Olympians post-career and the importance of finding a strong sense of self outside of gymnastics. Aly and Monica also bond over the Magnificent Seven.

Aly Raisman

Dax Shepard, an actor, a successful movie director and now a podcast host. Dax has shown a different side to himself with his exploits as the host of the Armchair Experts. It’s funny, but more importantly, the conversations on this podcast veer toward life-affirming and development. This unique combo is bound to make listeners laugh every minute and nod in agreement the next. Dax explores the realities of humanity together with famous guests like Hasan Minaj, Gwyneth Paltrow, and many more. If there’s a topic under the sun, the Armchair Expert is likely to cover it!

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

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Best Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard Episodes