Atul Gawande
Atul Gawande is an American surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
Colin Jost
Colin Jost (SNL) is an American comedian, actor and writer. Colin chats with the Armchair Expert about how he got into comedy, his approach to managing and he talks us through some of his favorite sightseeing castles. Dax wonders if his experience at Harvard was like Hogwarts and Colin shares one of his many poop stories. The two talk about Colin’s contribution to the Dave Chappelle Mark Twain Awards ceremony, he speculates on why he’s so private and he talks about how he views the world as an observer rather than a participant.
Bradley Edwards
Brad Edwards is a nationally recognized Board Certified Civil Trial attorney who specializes in providing civil representation for children, victims of sexual abuse, and victims of violent crimes. He is most notable for representing over 50 girls in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Brad joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the details of the Jeffrey Epstein case, the ways in which he manipulated his victims and he recalls the times he spent with Jeffrey one-on-one. Dax asks Brad about his opinion on Epstein’s death and Brad talks about the hurdles of this case. The two talk about the ways income inequality played a role in the power dynamic, Ghislaine Maxwell’s involvement, and his book, Relentless Pursuit: My Fight For The Victims of Jeffrey Epstein.
Dave Franco
Dave Franco (Neighbors, The Disaster Artist, Now You See Me) is an American actor and director. Dave chats with the Armchair Expert about being a first time director, growing up to artistic parents and dealing with his perfectionism. Dax asks if Dave hates talking about his brother and Dave tells his version of the Alison Brie/Dave Franco love story. The two talk about home-sharing, Dave debunks some of Dax’s theories and a special guest joins for the end.
Travis Pastrana
Travis Pastrana an American professional motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won X Games gold medals in supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. Travis chats with the Armchair Expert about how he started riding dirt bikes at age 4, his risk/reward philosophy on life and his goal to make motocross safer and more accessible. Dax asks about addiction in the sport and Travis talks about his harrowing injuries. The two discuss having kids in conjunction with dangerous hobbies and Travis talks about the future of his profession.
Rob Corddry
Rob Corddry (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Children’s Hospital, Hot Tub Time Machine, Ballers) is an American actor and comedian. Rob chats with the Armchair Expert about how he was seduced by Dax many years ago, his experience being bullied in Boston and why he’d “do great in jail”. Dax praises Rob for being a comedian’s comedian and Rob performs a Shakespearean monologue. Rob talks about his commitment to productivity, he shares his inspiration for Children’s Hospital and the two talk about their new show, Top Gear America.
David Sinclair
David Sinclair is an Australian biologist and professor of genetics at Harvard known for his research on aging and longevity mechanisms. David chats with the Armchair Expert on his field of advancing the age of an organism, the stigma around aging research and his existing accomplishment of reversing the age of eyes in mice. Dax asks why humans have evolved to die and David explains the epigenome and it’s part in longevity. The two talk about the ethical questions surrounding this issue and David explains the potential for erasing diseases eventually leading to 300 and 400 year long life spans.
Jud Brewer
Jud Brewer is an American psychiatrist, neuroscientist and author. He studies the neural mechanisms of mindfulness using fMRI technology and has used his findings to treat addictions. Jud chats with the Armchair Expert about contentment vs. excitement, how meditation dissolves the sense of self and the biological reasons humans have cravings. Dax talks about how food scientists flavor foods to lose their taste and Jud gives Dax and Monica a test on openness. The two talk about the neurological reasons we behave the way we do and Monica reveals a big update in the fact check.
Jennifer Eberhardt
BONUS EPISODE with Jennifer Eberhardt (social psychologist who is currently a professor in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University) is the first in a monthly series on dissecting the Black experience in America. Jennifer chats with the Armchair Expert about her work in police reform, her personal experiences with racism and the biological impact of cultural biases. Dax asks if there are any model police departments and Jennifer shares a story of when she got arrested. She talks about having “the talk” with her sons and she shares the details of many psychological experiments she did on race and discrimination.
Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin is an American professional basketball player for the NBA the Detroit Pistons. Blake chats with the armchair expert about growing up playing basketball with his dad and brother, learning to be a leader amongst players who are older than him and he talks through his game-day routine. Dax asks about Blake’s experience with racism and Blake discusses managing money. They talk about balancing egos and Blake shares what he learned after enduring an injury early in his career.
BONUS: Malcolm Gladwell
BONUS EPISODE! Malcolm Gladwell joins the Armchair Expert to talk about the upcoming season of The Revisionist History podcast.
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American hip hop group from New York City. Adam and Mike D sit down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the nascent beginnings of the band, the protective nature of a group dynamic and working with legends early in their careers. Dax makes predictions about Mike and Adam's life and they discuss the conflation of personal identity with band identity. They talk about what it feels like to lose a band member and Adam is the first to introduce Zoom chat to the Armchair Expert recording history.
Heather McGhee
Heather McGhee is an American political commentator, political strategist, currently a distinguished senior fellow and former president of Demos, a non-profit progressive U.S. think tank. Heather sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss race in America - her takeaway from going to a white school but living in a black neighborhood and her theory that racism comes at a cost to all races. Dax asks about the economic impact of systemic racism and Heather talks about her epiphany watching Black Panther. They talk about colorism, the history of police interfacing with the black community and the hope of change.
Jon Meacham
Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer prize winning author, reviewer, and presidential biographer. Jon chats with the Armchair Expert about this early fascination with politics, attending Ronald Reagan's inauguration as a young boy and the importance of delineating historical figures from saints. Jon states his position on confederate statues and Dax asks what factors distinguished his pulitzer prize winning book from the others. The two talk about how age has affected their career outlook and they debate the impact of Christianity in the modern world.
Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Mike and Molly, Spy, Identity Thief) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. Melissa chats with her old pal, the armchair expert, about how she found the Groundlings, tanking her Bridesmaids audition and her hatred of e-mail. Dax commends Melissa for continuing to work with old friends and Melissa talks about her love of renovating homes. The two discuss the dream of Saturday Night Live, the unifying experience of seeing comedies in a theatre and they reminisce on an old comedy show they did together in which one audience member (in a 400 seat theatre) came to see it.
Laurie Santos
Dr. Laurie Santos is a cognitive scientist and Professor of Psychology at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast. Laurie chats with the armchair expert to discuss 5 ways to increase happiness during quarantine, the neuroscience behind deep breaths and why studying animals is better than studying humans. Dax connects Laurie's principals to the principals of AA and Laurie talks about the negative impact of academic grades. The two discuss the scientific effects of giving and the connection between anthropology and psychology.
50 Cent
Curtis Jackson better known as 50 Cent is an American rapper, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. 50 cent chats with the Armchair Expert about towing the line between Curtis and 50 Cent, hustling at age 12 and having to make the distinction between the one who sells and the one who consumes. Dax asks about masculinity and 50 Cent talks about being a lightweight. The two talk about their instinctual guard against people and why it’s important to have a career that evolves over time.
Rajiv Shah
Rajiv Shah is the President of the Rockefeller Foundation. He is a former American government official, physician and health economist who served as the 16th Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development from 2010–2015 under President Obama. He also held many leadership positions at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Raj chats with the Armchair Expert about the economics of the healthcare system, leading the U.S response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the Rockefeller Foundation's commitment to expand Covid-19 testing. Dax asks what he learned from Bill and Melinda Gates and Raj talks about having to address the crisis in Haiti only 6 days into the job. They two talk about America's interest in expanding American values around the globe, vaccinations and the importance of agriculture in humanitarian efforts.
America Ferrera
America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, End Of Watch, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Superstore) is an American actress, voice actress, producer, and director. America chats with the Armchair Expert to discuss her feelings of insecurity when she won her Emmy, growing up being told she wouldn’t make it and her learned skill of molding stereotypes into true representations. Dax wonders if it can feel burdensome to be the voice of a community and America talks about her identity crisis at the conclusion of Ugly Betty. Dax and America discuss raising children in a place of privilege and the newfound proximity amongst women in the industry.
Dan Heath
Dan Heath is an American bestselling author, speaker and fellow at Duke University's CASE center. Dan chats with the Armchair Expert about why certain ideas stick, the emotionality behind urban legends and the benefit of thinking upstream. Dax implores those to think about the financial benefits to upstream social reform and Dan explains that every system is designed for its outcome. The two talk about systemic preventions that have a lasting impact, getting caught in a bad plan loop and they commiserate about being older dads.