Episodes

Tom Brady is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. Tom joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his journey to healthy dieting, valuing skills that often get undervalued and starting football in high school. Dax asks what it was like to leave the Patriots after such a long career and Tom talks about having a chip on his shoulder. The two discuss Tom's approach to bettering himself and the identity shift he will inevitably experience post-retir...

Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad, Ted) isan American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. Seth chats with the armchair expert about how he first found animation, luck vs. effort and how he handles criticism. Dax brings up a lingering insecurity about Family Guy and Seth talks about the first time he drew a nude in college. The two talk about the future of animation, Seth's involvement in philanthropy and Dax is disappointed they haven't read any of the same...

Lenore Skenazy is the president of Let Grow, a non-profit promoting childhood independence and resilience, and the founder of the Free-Range Kids movement. Lenore discusses the generational differences in growing up, how unrealistic the current standards are for being a good parent, and the importance of play. Dax asks Lenore to dispel the myth of common childhood dangers and Lenore explains the negative notion of the phrase "stranger danger." The two discuss frequency distortion, how resilient ...

Jason Bateman (Ozark, Arrested Development, Silver Spoons) is an American actor, director, producer and returning guest of Armchair Expert. Jason discusses his new podcast Smartless, his fears about coming across as overly opinionated and how much he's willing to divulge on it. Dax owns his own insecurities and asks why they don't hang out more, while Jason admits that he needs to work on his rest face. In the fact check, Dax and Monica go through and answer the Proust character questionnaire. S...

Nadia Bolz-Weber is an author, Lutheran minister and public theologian. Nadia chats with the Armchair Expert to have a discussion on one of life's most challenging topics: religion. Nadia discusses the evolution of her faith, the beauty of grace and unconventional tradition. Dax wonders how she, as a femininst, can reconcile the lack of females in the church and Nadia talks about the danger of promise rings. The two talk about sobriety, community vs. faith and whether Jesus is the son of God. Se...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://ar...

Bill Gates is an American entrepreneur, software developer, investor, and philanthropist. Bill chats with the Armchair Expert about being fascinated by advancements in history, balancing work/marriage/fatherhood and his eternal optimism. Dax wonders if it's possible to be simultaneously sweet and demanding and Bill talks about his love of the movie, Spy Game. The two talk about the critical role of vaccinations, whether tech entrepreneurs deserve to be questioned by the government and their mutu...

Sean Penn (Milk, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, I Am Sam, Into the Wild) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, author and humanitarian. Sean chats with the Armchair Expert about recognizing limitations, the freedom he finds in writing books and the impact of cancel culture. Dax wonders what drove Sean toward humanitarian work and Sean talks about the human desire for wanderlust. The two talk about the point at which assets become embarrassments, their mutual love of Bukowski and...

BONUS EPISODE with Michael Tubbs (the 79th and current mayor of Stockton, CA) is the second installment in a monthly series on dissecting the Black experience in America. Michael chats with the Armchair Expert about becoming the youngest mayor in Stockton's history and the programs he developed to reduce gun violence and homicides in Stockton. He discusses the impact of his father's imprisonment on his life and his realization that while people have the freedom to make choices, those choices are...

Atul Gawande is an American surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dax and Atul discuss the personalities of surgeons and the use of checklists to remedy the complexity of their responsibilities. Dax tells a scary hospice story and the two discuss how you determine your priorities as you reach the later stages of life. In the fact check, Monica & Dax discuss training crows to do complex t...

Colin Jost (SNL) is an American comedian, actor and writer. Colin chats with the Armchair Expert about how he got into comedy, his approach to managing and he talks us through some of his favorite sightseeing castles. Dax wonders if his experience at Harvard was like Hogwarts and Colin shares one of his many poop stories. The two talk about Colin's contribution to the Dave Chappelle Mark Twain Awards ceremony, he speculates on why he's so private and he talks about how he views the world as an o...

Brad Edwardsis a nationally recognized Board Certified Civil Trial attorney who specializes in providing civil representation for children, victims of sexual abuse, and victims of violent crimes. He is most notable for representing over 50 girls in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Brad joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the details of the Jeffrey Epstein case, the ways in which he manipulated his victims and he recalls the times he spent with Jeffrey one-on-one. Dax asks Brad about his opinion on Eps...

Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, Smash, Central Park) is an American Broadway, TV, Film actor and singer. Leslie chats with the Armchair Expert about his acting approach in Hamilton, achieving his singular goal of being in RENT on Broadway and struggling with the concept of being the "token". Dax asks about the unique dynamic of being married to a fellow actress and Leslie confesses about his time as a grocery store employee. The two talk about cancel culture, Leslie talks about his commitment to sala...

Angela Duckworth is an American academic, psychologist, MacArthur Genius grant winner and the co-host of the podcast No Stupid Questions. She is the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studies grit and self-control. Angela chats with the Armchair Expert about the components of grit, her inclination to study achievement and the amorphous quality to intelligence. Dax talks about fulfillment vs. success and Angela talks about the imperative...

Dave Franco (Neighbors, The Disaster Artist, Now You See Me) is an American actor and director. Dave chats with the Armchair Expert about being a first time director, growing up to artistic parents and dealing with his perfectionism. Dax asks if Dave hates talking about his brother and Dave tells his version of the Alison Brie/Dave Franco love story. The two talk about home-sharing, Dave debunks some of Dax's theories and a special guest joins for the end. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com...

Travis Pastrana an American professional motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won X Games gold medals in supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. Travis chats with the Armchair Expert about how he started riding dirt bikes at age 4, his risk/reward philosophy on life and his goal to make motocross safer and more accessible. Dax asks about addiction in the sport and Travis talks about his harrowing injuries. The two discuss having kids in conjunction with danger...

Rob Corddry (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Children's Hospital, Hot Tub Time Machine, Ballers) is an American actor and comedian. Rob chats with the Armchair Expert about how he was seduced by Dax many years ago, his experience being bullied in Boston and why he'd "do great in jail". Dax praises Rob for being a comedian's comedian and Rob performs a Shakespearean monologue. Rob talks about his commitment to productivity, he shares his inspiration for Children's Hospital and the two talk about...

David Sinclair is an Australian biologist and professor of genetics at Harvard known for his research on aging and longevity mechanisms. David chats with the Armchair Expert on his field of advancing the age of an organism, the stigma around aging research and his existing accomplishment of reversing the age of eyes in mice. Dax asks why humans have evolved to die and David explains the epigenome and it's part in longevity. The two talk about the ethical questions surrounding this issue and Davi...

John Legend is an American singer, songwriter, producer, actor, and philanthropist. John chats with the armchair expert about skipping multiple grades as a kid and how music saved him. He talks about his claim to fame working on Lauryn Hill's record in college and he explains why his hair still looks so groomed in quarantine. Dax wonders if having kids has changed John's career and John talks about why he participated in the R Kelly documentary. Dax and John talk about their histories of cheatin...

Jud Breweris an American psychiatrist, neuroscientist and author. He studies the neural mechanisms of mindfulness using fMRI technology and has used his findings to treat addictions. Jud chats with the Armchair Expert about contentment vs. excitement, how meditation dissolves the sense of self and the biological reasons humans have cravings. Dax talks about how food scientists flavor foods to lose their taste and Jud gives Dax and Monica a test on openness. The two talk about the neurological re...

Emily Mortimer (Lars and the Real Girl, Shutter Island, The Newsroom) is an English actress and screenwriter. Emily chats with the Armchair Expert about her newfound realization of her social anxiety, her mother's patronization and overcoming a lazy eye in her first big movie. Dax wonders what it's like working for Aaron Sorkin and Emily Is forced to define many British words. The two talk about the power of delivering a message via horror movie and Emily talks about her early nepotistic start i...

BONUS EPISODE with Jennifer Eberhardt (social psychologist who is currently a professor in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University) is the first in a monthly series on dissecting the Black experience in America. Jennifer chats with the Armchair Expert about her work in police reform, her personal experiences with racism and the biological impact of cultural biases. Dax asks if there are any model police departments and Jennifer shares a story of when she got arrested. She talks about...

Nina Vasan is a professor at Stanford University and the Founder and Executive Director ofBrainstorm: The Stanford Lab for Mental Health Innovation. She is the Chief Medical Officer ofReal, a new women's mental health company and a psychiatrist atSilicon 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...

Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers, Old School, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) is an American actress. Juliette chats with the Armchair Expert about wanting to be seen as her current self rather than her past self, she talks about her early struggle with fame and how acting course corrected her wayward path. Dax asks what's it's like to be a part of an evergreen holiday movie and Juliette talks about the distraction of beauty in acting. The two discuss the ...