Armchair Expert


Armchair Expert is a weekly podcast hosted by American actor, director, and writer Dax Shepard and Emmy-nominated Monica Padman. Each podcast features Shepard and Padman interviewing celebrities as well as journalists and academics about "the messiness of being human." The podcast premiered February 14, 2018, with Shepard's wife, actress Kristen Bell, as the first guest. It appeared on Vulture's list of 2018's best comedy podcasts and got reviewed by The Irish Times. Shepard and Padman have also taken their podcast on the road, filming episodes in front of live audiences.

History

Armchair Expert was launched "on a lark" after Shepard's experiences as a guest on other podcasts appreciating the length of time the format allowed, compared with the typical brief segment on a talk show. Armchair Expert was the most downloaded new podcast of 2018 on iTunes. Shepard's goal is to give people the "experience of an AA meeting without them having to become a drunk". He states that he is qualified to host a podcast from his "decade of sobriety, degree in Anthropology, and four years of improv training." Podcasts are recorded in Shepard's guest house attic, each being released on Mondays and Thursdays. Shepard is assisted by co-host Monica Padman, who "fact checks" him at the end of each episode from a different perspective. The episodes typically run two hours in length.

Episodes

2018 episodes

2019 episodes

2020 episodes