Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard

Layne Norton, Ph. D. (BioLayne) is a scientist, professional bodybuilder, and physique coach. Layne joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how he approaches teaching people about exercise, his thoughts on the artificial sweetener debate, and his views on the use of steroids in bodybuilding competitions. Layne and Dax talk about how diet culture can shape people's identities, how eating disorders can be treated as addictions, and how important the power of habit-forming can be to one's health. Layne explains why tracking what you eat is beneficial, why having accountability with empathy is crucial in weight loss, and how detrimental stress can be to the human body. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Constance Wu (Making a Scene, Crazy Rich Asians, Fresh Off the Boat) is an actress. Constance joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why she decided to write a book, the importance of having empathy and curiosity toward someone else's experience, and how she discovered her love for acting. Constance and Dax talk about her experiences working in television versus film, what they think being pessimistic means, and how Asian women are often treated on a production set. Constance explains her relationship with going to therapy, what being pregnant during the pandemic was like, and why she started running marathons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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

Will Bunch (After the Ivory Tower Falls) is an author and journalist. Will joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why he wanted to research the college story in America, why people are so politically divided over the subject of higher education, and why it's so expensive to go to American universities. Will and Dax talk about why it could be argued that college degrees are more about status than knowledge, how the debt relief program could shape the future of many people, and how it's possible for vocational schools to make a comeback. Will explains why some states stopped wanting to fund their public universities, how college is mostly about learning to think critically, and the concept of a credential society. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gwen Stefani is a singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Gwen joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how she got started singing and writing songs, why she started a beauty line of makeup, and where she got her sense of style from. Gwen and Dax talk about their experiences with dyslexia, what growing up in 80's culture was like, and the differences between taxis and Ubers. Gwen explains how she was introduced to Japanese culture, how she got the offer to be on The Voice, and how spirituality has played a large role in her career. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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

Felix Gillette is the enterprise editor for Bloomberg News & John Koblin is a media reporter for The New York Times. Felix and John join the Armchair Expert to discuss how HBO became one of the premiere television networks in America, how their original shows changed the landscape of television, and why they wanted to write a book about it - It's Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and the Future of HBO. Felix, John, Dax, and Monica talk about which HBO shows are their all-time favorites, how streaming services have changed how networks produce content, and what impact HBO has had on American pop culture. Felix and John explain where the HBO tagline came from, how they developed such a great documentary division, and how they think the recent Discovery HBO merger will change the platform. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hasan Minhaj (The King's Jester, Patriot Act, The Daily Show) is a comedian, writer, political commentator, and actor. Hasan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his vulnerability and fear surrounding his new special, how he gauges its success based on the emotional resonance with the audience, and how he sees the beauty in Monica in a unique and specific way. Hasan & Dax rehash the Vanity Fair lie detector test incident, how their Illuminati event brought them closer together, and dealing with certain dreams and moments closing. Hasan explains how everyone needs to try to be more empathetic, how intoxicating public attention is, and Dax tells him that he's only one ingredient away from Eddie Murphy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about the weirdest place they woke up after a night of drinking. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Siddhartha Mukherjee is an author, biologist, and physician. Siddhartha joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how the evolution of cells can advance medical technology, how some body parts can reject cancer cells, and how the view of the opioid epidemic has changed. Siddhartha and Dax talk about where the idea of reclaiming one's identity came from, what it means to be an insider or outsider of a certain group, and the differences between RNA and DNA. Siddhartha explains the different ways to organize a book, why he doesn't own a television, and how cells communicate with each other in the human body. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale, Mad Men, The West Wing) is an actress, director, and producer. Elisabeth joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how seriously she takes her roles, what she has learned about directing other actors, and how she loves getting constructive feedback on performances. Elisabeth and Dax talk about if they are vain people, making shows about misogynistic worlds, and their skincare regiments. Elisabeth explains what ballet taught her about acting, what a "oner" is in filmmaking, and how she feels about attending award shows. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about the craziest thing they've witnessed at a funeral. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reza Aslan is an author and expert on world religions. Reza joins the Armchair Expert to discuss where the idea of Christianity came from, the history of religious conversion in Iran and Persia, and what part religion plays in global conflicts. Reza and Dax talk about whether or not people are born believing in a higher power, who the historical Jesus Christ actually was, and how religion is really a form of emotional language. Reza explains why he converted from Islam to Christianity and then back to Islam, if it's possible to recreate the idea of faith in Artificial Intelligence, and how people often insert their own beliefs into scripture. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Her, Lost In Translation) is an award-winning actress. Scarlett joins the Armchair Expert to discuss her experience working with Bill Murray, what it means to have an "X-Factor," and being sexualized at a young age. Scarlett and Dax talk about why some people poop their pants, working with Spike Jonze, and how difficult it was to shoot a sex scene as an A.I. character. Scarlett explains how profound the feeling of embarrassment is, how she has dealt with skin issues over the years, and her new skincare company: The Outset. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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

Jonathan Abrams (The Come Up) is an author and journalist. Jonathan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why he wanted to write an oral history of hip-hop, how he became a sports writer, and who some of his all-time favorite rap artists are. Jonathan and Dax talk about which artists shaped the hip-hop landscape, what the different geographic pockets of the industry are, and how sampling influenced the progression of the genre. Jonathan explains the east vs west coast wars, why masculinity is so prevalent among some artists, and how hip-hop broke out into the mainstream. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kevin Bacon (They/Them, City on a Hill, Footloose) is an actor. Kevin joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why he thinks Footloose had so much success, what being cool means to him, and why he decided to make the move to television. Kevin and Dax talk about what it's like to do all those interviews to promote movies, why they embraced doing commercials, and how they view playing the role of an unlikeable character. Kevin explains how he views himself in the zeitgeist of American pop culture, what he thinks about being a mentor to young actors, and how working in the horror genre is different than it used to be. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a time they were caught masturbating in an inappropriate place. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Saul Kassin (Duped: Why Innocent People Confess) is a professor and psychologist. Saul joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why some people give false confessions in criminal investigations, what tactics law enforcement use in interrogations, and how the language of memory and inference differ. Saul and Dax talk about why some investigators object to recording the questioning of suspects, why some people offer confessions in high-profile cases, and what the optics of silence often says to the public. Saul explains why the Innocence Project only gets involved with cases with DNA evidence, how the threat of punishment can affect the outcomes of learning, and why some people are afraid to confront authority. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jennette McCurdy (I'm Glad My Mom Died, iCarly) is a writer, director, and actress. Jennette joins the Armchair Expert to discuss what doing Dialectical Behavior Therapy has done for her mental health, how her relationship with her mother motivated the subject matter of her new book, and what being a love addict means. Jennette and Dax talk about why some people develop eating disorders, whether they like to cry or not, and why they seek approval from other people. Jennette explains what it was like growing up in a Mormon household, what she looks for when she is traveling, and how she loved learning about everyone else's jobs on set. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.