Armchair Expert

Armchair Expert is an American interview podcast hosted by actor Dax Shepard, which premiered on February 6, 2018. Shepard co-hosts it with producer Monica Padman, and the conversations are recorded in a studio above his garage in Los Angeles.

Shepard recorded the first episode with his wife, actress Kristen Bell, and released it independently in February 2018. In 2021, Shepard and Padman signed a multi-year licensing deal that made the podcast exclusive to Spotify. In July 2024, they agreed an $80 million deal with Amazon's Wondery, which took over distribution and advertising sales in September 2024. Most interviews last between 90 minutes and two hours.

The talks cover personal struggles, addiction recovery, childhood and research in psychology and anthropology. Interviews with actors and other entertainers alternate with Experts on Expert, a run of episodes with scientists, authors and doctors. Guests have included sleep scientist Matthew Walker, author Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Gates and former President Barack Obama. Each episode ends with a fact-check segment in which Padman and Shepard go through statements made during the interview and correct the errors they found afterward.

The Armchair Expert network added spin-offs such as Armchair Anonymous, built on stories sent in by listeners, Synced, and Flightless Bird, hosted by New Zealand journalist David Farrier. In December 2025, the podcast was nominated in the first Best Podcast category of the Golden Globe Awards, alongside five other shows. Shepard and Padman have also taken the podcast on stage, recording live episodes before theater audiences in Austin, Chicago and Brooklyn.