Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy, Old School, Catch Me If You Can) is an American actress, director, and producer. Ellen chats with the Armchair Expert about growing up in blue collar Boston, her relationship with women and proving her worth. Dax asks about the impact of losing her mother at age 4 and Ellen talks about a few iconic movies she was cut out of. The two talk about Ellen's public salary negotiations and the pros and cons of being on a show for 17 seasons.

Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, That 70’s Show, Friends with Benefits) is an American actress, producer and self-proclaimed armcherry. She sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss her immigration to America at the age of seven, her commitment to exploring various roles and her personal evolution to knowing her worth. Mila talks about her decision to openly embrace her flaws and Dax is shocked by Mila’s startlingly high level of adjustment. The two discuss Mila’s relationship with her family, they share tools on how to avoid conflict and per Mila’s request, Dax shares a very intimate story involving Jello and an STD clinic. 

Shawn Mendes is Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum singer and songwriter. Shawn joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the results of finding success at such an early age, where the main source of his fears and anxieties stem from, and how lockdown has forced him to figure out his own identity. The two explore the ways society is conditioning people to want more and more, how social media has made everything need to be quantified, and the isolation of a musician. Shawn discusses his relationship with Camila and how they both bring humility into one another’s lives, his collaboration with Justin Bieber, and Dax praises him for his manifestation journal. In the fact check, we find out what Hogwarts house Dax belongs to.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock From the Sun, 500 Days of Summer, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) is an American actor, filmmaker, singer, and entrepreneur. Joseph visits the attic to discuss the differences between enjoying science vs. art, his commitment to creativity and the future of privacy in social media. He talks about why he did a Pop Tart commercial as a kid and Dax admits to a social blunder upon first meeting Joseph. The two discuss career fear, Jospeh talks about his grandfather who was blacklisted from the industry and they dissect the perceived idea that Joseph is extra confident.

Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Mike and Molly, Spy, Identity Thief) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. Melissa chats with her old pal, the armchair expert, about how she found the Groundlings, tanking her Bridesmaids audition and her hatred of e-mail. Dax commends Melissa for continuing to work with old friends and Melissa talks about her love of renovating homes. The two discuss the dream of Saturday Night Live, the unifying experience of seeing comedies in a theatre and they reminisce on an old comedy show they did together in which one audience member (in a 400 seat theatre) came to see it.

Nadine Burke Harris is an American pediatrician who is the 1st and current Surgeon General of California. She is known for her work in adverse childhood experiences. Nadine visits the Armchair Expert to discuss the impact childhood trauma has on health and longevity, she talks about her own experience with childhood adversity and she gives tools to buffer those who have many ACEs. Nadine talks about the screening process she pioneered and Dax wonders if parents will ever be truthful in admitting their contribution to childhood trauma. The two talk about the study that first led to ACE research, they discuss how awareness leads to shame reduction and Monica and Dax are in awe of Nadine's uniphile status.

Day 7. Dax gives the Armcherries a personal update. Recorded on September 21, 2020.

Ronan Farrow is an American journalist. Ronan sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his childhood growing up among 10 siblings, the discomfort of having a public family and his commitment to uncovering the truth. Dax is obsessed with Ronan’s wunderkind status and Ronan corrects Dax on calling him the “vanguard of the me too movement.” The two talk about universal insecurities, Ronan gives a piece of advice to celebrity parents and Dax and Monica beg him to be their best friend.

Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation, The Sarah Silverman Program) is an American writer, comedian and actress. Chelsea sits down with the armchair expert to discuss her resistance to ambition, the intrigue behind successful siblings and how biology is anti-feminist. Dax admits that he desperately wants Chelsea's approval and he can't discern whether or not she likes him. The two talk about parenting as public figures, she describes feeling very unprepared when she started Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Dax thinks Chelsea is from Long Island.

Sarah Silverman (Saturday Night Live, The Sarah Silverman Program, Wreck-It Ralph, I Smile Back) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, producer, writer and benevolent goddess. Sarah sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the sexual double standard between male and female comics, she talks about her experience as a teenage bed wetter and she touches on her commitment to empathy. Sarah reflects on a moment where she used sexuality to gain power and Dax wonders if her attractiveness was a hindrance in the comedy community. The two have a discussion about the curliness of pubic hair, they dissect Sarah’s misophonia and Dax apologizes for a past interaction that still haunts him.

Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, How I Met Your Mother, Freaks And Geeks) is an actor, comedian, screenwriter, author, and producer. Jason joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his relationship with writing, how anxious he gets about making decisions that will affect his life, and how he’s only comfortable between action and cut. Dax and Jason learn that they are identical twins separated by 5 years, they bond over the “piece of shit at the center of the universe” phenomenon and share the same existential crisis.

She’s BAAAAAACKKKKK!!!!!! Kristen Bell rounds out The Good Place week by sitting down with the Armchair Expert (again) to discuss stereotypes, she gives advice on how to handle aggravating situations and she talks about why season 3 of The Good Place is the best yet. Dax asks Kristen to name the times he’s embarrassed her and Kristen refuses to wear headphones. Kristen and Monica name the reasons they love each other and they detail the layers of their baby/mother/wife relationship.

Ashton Kutcher (The Ranch, Jobs, No Strings Attached, That 70s Show) is an American actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Ashton returns to the attic to discuss new decade resolutions, his goal to eliminate child pornography from the Internet and his interest in improving the foster care system. Dax talks about working with Ashton on The Ranch and Ashton talks about his love of a live audience. The two talk about preparing for the apocalypse, intention versus perception and appreciating counterintuitive data.

Erika Christensen (Traffic, Swimfan, Parenthood) is an American actress and one of Dax's most beloved TV sisters. Erika sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss her journey as a child actor, her emphasis on clarity and recall, and the areas in which Scientology has informed her worldview. Erika details her days as a cyclist and Dax talks about his favorite scene on Parenthood, They discuss some of their earliest memories of one another, the importance of B vitamins and how bystanders could easily have mistaken them for lovers. Dax, also, reveals the location of the best grilled cheese on planet earth.

Nina Vasan is a professor at Stanford University and the Founder and Executive Director of Brainstorm: The Stanford Lab for Mental Health Innovation. She is the Chief Medical Officer of Real, a new women's mental health company and a psychiatrist at Silicon Valley Executive Psychiatry, a boutique concierge clinical for executives, entrepreneurs, and elite performers. Nina chats with the Armchair Expert about her personal experience with anxiety/depression, the continued prevalence of stigma and the loop of actions, thoughts and emotions. Dax asks about the concern of treating addiction with psychiatric drugs and Nina discusses how technology can aid in this problem. They talk about mental health as a three-pronged bio, psycho and social endeavor and they discuss the tenets of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Busy Philipps (Freaks and Geeks, Cougar Town, Vice Principals, Busy Tonight) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. Busy sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss feeling creatively seen on Freaks and Geeks, individualists vs. communalists and her perception that Dax has facial blindness toward her. Busy talks about her catharsis writing her book and Dax asks about her foray into social media. Dax and Busy are excited to learn they both worked at the California Pizza Kitchen and Busy believes everyone deserves to hear “I Love You” before bed.

Armchair Expert Live from Los Angeles at Largo at the Coronet. June 30th, 2018.

John O. Brennan is a former American intelligence officer who served as the Director of the CIA from 2013 to 2017. John joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the distinctions between the CIA and FBI, his professional route through his career, and serving under six different administrations. John explains what it’s like to be confronted with harsh realities where either course of action has implications, the ebbs and flows of the CIA’s power of persuasion, and the need for ethical intelligence. John opens up about the personal weight of his job, the trickle-down effects of supporting smaller nations, and the ways in which climate change will continue to have serious national security implications. In the fact check, we find out if Miniature Mouse is a good fit for the CIA.

Dax and Monica host a conversation with Bill Gates about his new book, How To Avoid A Climate Disaster, for the Chicago Humanities Festival.

Debby Ryan (The Suite Life on Deck, Jessie, Insatiable) is an American actress, singer and the youngest guest thus far on Armchair Expert. Debby sits down in the attic to discuss her childhood in Germany, her struggle with body dysmorphia and her experience as a Disney star. Debby talks about how she uses boxing as an outlet and Dax thinks Millie Bobby Brown looks like Tom Wilkinson. The two wonder if there is an onslaught of victimhood occurring in young people, they discuss Debby's lack of romantic interests and Debby impresses Dax with her first car purchase.