Episodes

BONUS EPISODE with Emmanuel Acho is a former NFL player and the author of the New York Times Bestselling book Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. Emmanuel joins the Armchair Expert to discuss that their are huge differences between color and culture, how societally we need to do a better job being proactive instead of reactive, and the communication barriers between the black lives matter and blue lives matter movements. He explains the need to acknowledge opportunity inequality and th...

Scott Kelly is a retired astronaut that set the record for the total accumulated number of days spent in space. Scott joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his path to becoming an astronaut and how seeing earth from space really changes your perspective on humanity. Scott explains his structured approach to dealing with isolation, how he was able to compartmentalize fear, and what it's like living in microgravity. Dax asks Scott some questions about living in space, if he saw any extraterrestrial...

Hillary Clinton is a politician, diplomat, lawyer, writer, and public speaker who served as the 67th US secretary of state, a US senator, and First Lady. Hillary joins the Armchair Expert and the two bond over not being able to properly take a compliment, the feeling of imposter syndrome, and raising daughters. Hillary discusses significant transitions she went through, what its been like getting to know heroes in her life, and the assumptions and projections people put on her as a public figure...

Susan David, Ph.D. is one of the world's leading management thinkers and an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist.Susan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the work she does on emotional agility, what it takes for us to be healthy humans, and the dangerous narrative that success equals happiness. Susan explains that emotions are transient, how we need to face them with compassion and how vital accuracy is when evaluating them. She demonstrates how you go about defining your values a...

Jewel is a Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter who has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Jewel joins the Armchair Expert and talks about growing up in Alaska with no indoor plumbing, singing in bars at a young age, and admits to being a terrible celebrater. She discusses being propositioned in bars & parking lots and how it skewed her idea of men. Jewel reflects on how much of an impact Bob Dylan's mentorship made on her career, what it was like to sell a million copies every month for...

Tristan Harris is a computer scientist, the co-founder & president of the Center for Humane Technology, and co-host of the Your Undivided Attention podcast. Tristan Harris joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the role technology is playing in our lives, how algorithms determine the things we like, and how technology companies need to take on more responsibility. Tristan explains our inability to have trust in a shared information environment, how humans are becoming more unable to choose their o...

Halsey is a Grammy Award-nominated, platinum-selling singer songwriter. Halsey joins the Armchair Expert and the two bond over vaping, ranch-style homes, and both having car salesman fathers. Halsey opens up about being bipolar, the effects of that while being in a relationship with an addict, and the impact Mac Miller's death had on her. Halsey reflects on how she used to use her sexuality and how much more empowered her talents make her feel now. She discusses how writing has turned into a too...

Daniel Ricciardo is an Italian-Australian Formula One racing driver. Daniel joins the Armchair Expert to discuss getting into racing when he was 9 years old, how he stays fit during the race season and rebounding from a poor qualifying round. Dax explains the science behind downforce and g-force, he compliments Daniel on his girthy neck and pitches a race gas scented cologne. Daniel explains how anti-superstitious he is and how it leads to a lack of accountability, how he finds enjoyment before ...

Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant, The Big Bang Theory, 8 Simple Rules) is an actress and producer. Kaley joins the Armchair Expert to discuss her equestrian husband Karl, how he has an Instagram account dedicated to trolling her, and how strong his legs are. Kaley expresses her gratitude for having John Ritter and Katey Sagal as role models early on in her career and how she navigated the success of the Big Bang Theory. The two bond over Dateline and Comedian in Cars Getting Coffee while Dax de...

Yuval Harari (Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century) is a historian who lectures at the Department of History, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specializing in world history. Yuval joins the Armchair Expert again to discuss the positive and negative sides of biometric surveillance and the importance of trusting other scientific institutions. Yuval explains the value of understanding how we got where we are today, that revolutions need to be gradual, and how disruptive technologi...

Adam Brody (CHiPs, The OC, Gilmore Girls) is an actor, writer, and producer. Adam joins the Armchair Expert to discuss Jack Parsons and the book Strange Angel, his OCD tendencies involving his rearview mirror, and getting scooped up by the golden age of teen television. Adam amazes us with his encyclopedic knowledge, he explains how much of an influence Vince Vaughn had on his acting, and talks about his on-screen three-way with Kristen. Dax & Adam realize they both auditioned for Blues Clues an...

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 uph...

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...

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 f...

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 o...

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 ab...

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 diseas...

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 ...

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 rela...

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 J...

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...

Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, The Virgin Suicides) is an Academy Award & Golden Globe Award-winning screenwriter, director, producer, and actress. Sofia chats with the Armchair Expert about spending her childhood on set, how comfortable she always felt there and how she fought becoming a director because it seemed expected. She explains how she never felt oppressed by her father's success in film, her time living in Paris and what it was like trying to track down Bill Mur...

Day 7. Dax gives the Armcherries a personal update. Recorded on September 21, 2020. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Farrier is a New Zealand investigative journalist known for his documentary Tickled and documentary series Dark Tourist. David joins the Armchair Expert to discuss all things conspiracy theories, from QAnon to Wayfairgate to Flat Earthers. The two discuss how these conspiracies happen, what makes people susceptible to them, and how to have constructive discussions with their believers. Dax confesses how sad he is that he can't hang out with David every day. See Privacy Policy at https://ar...