Episodes

Stephen Merchant (The Office, Extras, The Ricky Gervais Show) is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian and actor. Stephen sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the pros and cons of being tall and his philosophy on directing. Dax and Stephen reminisce on the pre-internet era when it was impossible to find answers to bizarre questions. They talk about the differences between English and American standards on alcohol consumption and mental health and Stephen talks about the...

Dr. Eric Topol is an American cardiologist, geneticist, digital medicine researcher and the director and founder of Scripps research institute. The good doctor sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the benefits of applying Artificial intelligence to our healthcare system, he talks about the concept of deep leaning and he relays the importance of human to human interaction in medicine. Dax wonders if we are spending too much money on end of life care and Eric debunks the notion that AI wi...

Norah Jones is a Grammy award-winning American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the trajectory of her career, her commitment to music and dealing with public criticism. Norah admits she is attracted to musicians and Dax, in response, declares his rudimentary knowledge of drumming. The two talk about the value of relationships pre and post-fame, they bond over having powerful single mothers and Norah plays music for Dax and Monica making them feel...

Michael Gervais is a high-performance psychologist and co-founder of Compete to Create. In this episode of Experts on Expert, Michael sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss working on the RedBull Stratos project, the nuisance of overcoming mental obstacles and his work with Microsoft employees to maximize work performance. The two talk about the mindfulness revolution, optimal coaching techniques and steps to train your mind. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California ...

Will Forte (SNL, MacGruber, Nebraska, The Last Man on Earth) is an American actor, comedian, writer and producer. Will sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss turning down SNL, living with OCD and the experience of creating his own show. Dax has mastered the Irish goodbye and Will remembers shooting his first scene of an Alexander Payne movie. Will recalls his SNL audition characters, he talks about getting fired from Letterman and Dax thinks MacGruber is a perfect comedy. See Privacy Poli...

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon, medical reporter and CNN medical correspondent. He sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss wanting to change his name to Steve as a child, performing surgery in a wartime environment and he breaks the misconception that brain size is the primary factor in intelligence. Dax and Sanjay share a Michigander past and they discuss some of the failing components of our current healthcare system. He talks about recent findings in CTE and leaves us with...

Adam Pally (Happy Endings, The Mindy Project, The Presidents Show) is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. Adam stops by the attic to discuss feeling bitter toward the industry, loving the feeling of losing and his newfound look on Judaism. Dax wants Adam to stop burning bridges and Adam talks about the one takeaway he gained from acting school. The two note the specific placement of movie billboards, they discuss different kinds of recognizability and Adam recalls a piece of advice...

Armchair Expert Live from San Antonio at the Majestic Theatre. February 23rd, 2019. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chelsea Handler (Chelsea Lately, The Chelsea Handler Show, Chelsea Does) is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, producer, activist and bonafide baller. Chelsea sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss her very odorous experience on iowaska, her need to escape her family and her realization that her patterns with men are the result of a childhood trauma. Dax asks about her relationship to substances and Chelsea is hoping to find a skiing buddy. The two talk about the root...

John Kim is a licensed therapist, life coach and author. He sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his commitment to redefining masculinity, why he created The Angry Therapist blog and his view on expired relationships. John talks about the deep communication barrier with his parents and Dax wonders if John's marriage was a result of feeling "other" his whole life. The two talk about living in a fatherless nation, they discuss what it means to live a "through me" life and John tells a not...

Chris D'Elia (Whitney, Undatable, The Good Doctor) is an American stand up comedian, actor, writer and podcast host. Chris sits down in the attic to discuss his relationship patterns, his young obsession to resemble Luke Perry and his terrible memory. Chris talks about his desire to have a family and Dax wonders why Chris has never done drugs. The two talk about the different ways comedians are perceived, Chris wishes he has been born with the name Damian Monroe and it remains unclear as to whet...

Armchair Expert Live from Los Angeles at the Theatre at Ace Hotel. January 17th, 2019. This episode features "Sisyphus" by Andrew Bird off his new album "My Finest Work Yet" and "Oopsies" by Bob Mervak & Kristen Bell. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, Emma, Seven, Iron Man) is an American actress and owner of a natural health company, Goop. Gwyneth sits down with the Armchair Expert in this special crossover episode to talk about her relationship to fear and control, intentional parenting and her profound relationship with her father. Gwyneth promises Dax a BIG birthday present and Dax deems Gwyneth the one person with whom he'd like to trade lives. The two discuss Gwyneth's propensity to trigger peoples ...

Johann Hari is a Swiss English author and journalist. Johann sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the many factorsthat have impacted his research on addiction and mental health, he explains why he is disillusioned by the idea that addiction is purely chemical, and he talks about the importance of community and love in depressive people. Johann talks about his own personal experience with anti-depressants, trauma and familial addiction that led him to his exploration. Dax debates Johann ...

Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen, Across the Universe, Mildred Pierce, Westworld) is an American actress, activist, and musician. She sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss her childhood growing up amongst adults, her young foray into the entertainment industry and she shares her experience with domestic abuse. Dax asks about the sustainability of dating when having a child and Evan thinks we're definitely living in a matrix. The two chat about the benefit of psychedelic drugs, they discuss the...

Reshma Saujani is an Indian American lawyer, author, politician and founder of the tech organization Girls Who Code. She sits down in the attic to discuss how she spent her childhood trying to assimilate, what it felt like when she reached a lifelong status goal and she talks about her mission to promote bravery. Dax asks Reshma about what she learned from two failed elections and Reshma discusses her relationship with religion. Dax and Reshma debate the roles of biology and culture on gender di...

Pete Holmes (Crashing, The Pete Holmes Show, You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes podcast) is an American comedian, actor, writer and podcaster. Pete sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his three-way marriage with comedy, the book that got him sober and how his life resembles the biblical story of Jacob and Esau. Pete decides Dax's mom would be played by Francis McDormand and Dax predicts fatherhood will rightsize Pete's problems. Dax and Pete talk about the different tactics men use to ...

John Gottman is an American psychological researcher, an award-winning speaker, author, a professor emeritus in psychology and co-founder of the Gottman Institute. John sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss his research on thin slicing and predicting marital success. He notes how having a daughter turned him into an instant feminist and He talks about the different ways men and women view sex. The two talk about a father's crucial role to a child, they delve into the four horsemen of the...

Jake Johnson (New Girl, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Let's Be Cops) is an American actor and comedian. Jake sits down in the attic to discuss his early misconception of school, he pinpoints a career moment where he felt humbled and talks about his process mending a parental relationship. Jake describes the discomfort of being a public person and Dax admits that books he used to worship have lost a lot of societal value over time. Jake and Dax discuss choosing family over work, they delve i...

Armchair Expert Live from Chicago at the Chicago Theatre. December 1st, 2018. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 B...

Happy one year anniversary to us! On this special episode, we revisit some of our favorite moments from our first year in the attic(t). February 14, 2018- February 14, 2019. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jason Mantzoukas (The League, The Dictator, Parks and Recreation, How Did This Get Made Podcast) is an American actor, comedian and improviser. Jason sits down in the attic to talk about Bostonian culture, his early goal of being on The Daily Show and his year abroad studying how cultures use music for medicinal purposes. Dax asks about his deathly food allergy and Jason thinks we are on the brink of a paradigm shift in comedy. Dax wonders if Jason ever feels resentful for his place in the indus...

Dr. Phil McGraw is an American television personality, author, psychologist, and the host of the television show Dr. Phil. Dr. Phil comes to the attic after accidentally going to the wrong house and happily surprising a nice woman. He sits down to discuss growing up around an alcoholic father, he talks about his 10-7-5 theory on life and he reflects on his career before the Dr. Phil show. Dax asks how he handles negative misconceptions about him and Dr.Phil talks about his first meeting with Opr...