Episodes

Megan Phelps-Roper (The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling, Unfollow) is a journalist, author, and podcaster. Megan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss what it was like to leave the Westboro Baptist Church community, her views on organizations who use shame to control people, and what power people can have in asking questions. Megan and Dax talk about why having compassion for people who are different from you is important, being taught to question everything no matter the cost, and why freedom of sp...

Natalie Portman (Angel City, Black Swan, Thor) is an Academy Award-winning actress, director, and co-founder of Angel City FC. Natalie returns to the Armchair Expert to discuss what she's currently consuming, the broadening access of content, and to hear about Monica's Paris masseuse story. Natalie and Dax talk about the starkness of the pay discrepancy in sports between men and women, the socialized gender differences in sports, and the importance of having female athletes to idolize. Natalie e...

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us their craziest nurse stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lee Hood (world-renowned biologist) and Nathan Price (professor) are the authors of The Age of Scientific Wellness: Why the Future of Medicine Is Personalized, Predictive, Data-Rich, and in Your Hands. Lee and Nathan join the Armchair Expert to discuss how artificial intelligence is changing the medical industry, how infectious disease has impacted our world, and the effectiveness of prescriptions. Lee, Nathan, and Dax talk about the ways treating chronic disease has become a business, what syst...

Lizzy Caplan (Fatal Attraction, Masters of Sex, Party Down) is an actor and producer. Lizzy joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how hard it is to hang out with friends in LA, how she started dating her husband, and what she thinks about matchmaking. Lizzy and Dax talk about how they dealt with their parents getting cancer, how she views modern parenting culture, and how scary doing comedy can be. Lizzy explains what her favorite sex scenes are, how she feels about reboots, and how much she love...

James Comey (Central Park West) is a former FBI director, lawyer, and author. James joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how he got into a law enforcement career, his experience investigating mafia families, and what he learned working in the private sector of law. James and Dax talk about how much mafia families are influenced by Hollywood, what the typical stereotype of an FBI agent is, and how he handled the politics of the role as director. James explains what changes he tried to bring to th...

Charlie Day (The Super Mario Bros, Always Sunny, Fool's Paradise) is an actor, producer, and podcaster. Charlie returns to the Armchair Expert to discuss what his early dating experiences were, what doing live podcast shows has been like, and what movies influence his own directing projects. Charlie and Dax talk about the last comedies they saw in the theaters, how actors doing commercials has changed, and what happens when you give commencement speeches. Charlie explains his approach to voicing...

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us their craziest stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael Waldman (The Supermajority, The Fight to Vote, The Second Amendment) is an attorney, presidential speechwriter, and author. Michael joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how the U.S. Supreme Court is involved in modern policymaking, what the concept of originalism is, and how extremism is influencing judges rulings on cases. Michael and Dax talk about the changes Congress can make to how justices are appointed, how public hearings have become spectacles for entertainment, and what role th...

The Jonas Brothers (The Album, Happiness Begins, A Little Bit Longer) are a pop rock band. The Jonas Brothers join the Armchair Expert to discuss how faith and spirituality has shaped their lives, what they learned from their musical theater experiences, and how the family dynamic played a role in their career decisions. The Jonas Brothers and Dax talk about their most embarrassing performance moments, what the concept of "the call of the void" is, and how the metrics for measuring successful mu...

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about an emergency public evacuation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tim Ferriss (The 4-Hour Workweek, Tribe of Mentors, The Tim Ferriss Show) is an author, entrepreneur, and podcaster. Tim joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his perspective on stoicism, why he thinks psychedelic treatment progress has been slow, and how he analyzes taking risks. Tim and Dax talk about how fear plays a role in people's anxiety, how having conversations about trauma has become normalized, and why they love to learn about different subcultures. Tim explains the cost of inaction, w...

Jane Fonda (Book Club: The Next Chapter, Grace and Frankie, 80 for Brady) is an actor, activist, and producer. Jane joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why she got involved in activism, how she approaches her romantic relationships, and why she believes friendships are important to mental health. Jane and Dax talk about their experiences with step-parents, how technology has changed how people interact with one another, and why being in a state of laughter is so vulnerable. Jane explains what h...

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us their worst TSA stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gretchen Rubin (Life in Five Senses, The Happiness Project) is an author and podcaster. Gretchen joins the Armchair Expert to discuss what led her to the happiness space, how important relationships to other people are, and the individualistic nature of happiness. Gretchen and Dax talk about the ways physical activities make your emotions respond, how your sense of smell forces you to stay present, and her prescription for creativity through sight. Gretchen explains how slow time can move when y...

Nicholas Braun (Succession, Zola, Minutemen) is an actor. Nicholas joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how he got into show business, doing Meisner acting exercises with his dad, and his car that he named the "Daxi Taxi." Nicholas & Dax talk about packing a lip, the comedic trajectory of Succession, and their love for Friday Night Lights. Nicholas explains how uncomfortable talking about his love life is, how he feels about this being the last season of Succession, and shooting his shot with Ki...

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about their craziest movie-going experience. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Bridgerton, Scandal) is a producer, writer, and showrunner. Shonda joins the Armchair Expert to discuss what her experience has been working for a streaming service versus network television, why she loves meeting other showrunners, and her ability to stay unburdened by comparison. Shonda and Dax talk about their relationship with making money, the power of Chicago, and the impact of being interviewed by Oprah. Shonda explains how she is naturally a shy person, how...

Paris Hilton (Paris: The Memoir) is a model, actress, entrepreneur, and New York Times best-selling author. Paris joins the Armchair Expert to discuss playing into stereotypes early in her career, the power of shame, and how therapeutic it was to write her book. Paris and Dax talk about what their early experiences in Hollywood were like, why the bad boy persona is attractive, and how much she relates to Pamela Anderson. Paris opens up about her traumatic reform school experiences, being a new m...

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a well-intentioned gift gone wrong. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jason Katims (Dear Edward, Parenthood, Friday Night Lights) is a producer, writer, and showrunner. Jason joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his ability to embrace the ensemble, the relationship between an actor and writer, and what the responsibility of the creator is to the characters of a story. Jason and Dax talk about how much they loved working together on Parenthood, what their early film experiences were like, and how much they value a great crew on a project. Jason explains what it was...

David Sedaris (Happy-Go-Lucky, A Carnival of Snackery, Calypso) is a comedian and author. David joins the Armchair Expert again to discuss what trendy sayings bother him, how he feels about doing nice things for strangers, and why he likes to make his own postcards. David and Dax talk about what they know how to say in different languages, how drug and food addictions are similar, and how hard it is to accept help from others. David explains why he doesn't share his streaming passwords, the phen...

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about their worst homeshare experience. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nita Farahany (The Battle For Your Brain) is an author, professor, and scholar. Nita joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the effects of implementing brain wave monitoring, what body politics are, and how AI is currently being used to predict human behavior. Nita and Dax talk about the fears they have surrounding neurotechnology, whether transferring a person's consciousness will be possible some day, and how fast surveillance is normalized. Nita explains why the definition of death is being deb...