| Armchair Expert | |
| Genre: | Comedy, Interview |
| Length: | 120 minutes |
| Language: | English |
| Num Episodes: | 381 |
| List Episodes: |
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| Network: | Spotify (2021–present) |
Armchair Expert is a weekly podcast hosted by American actors Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. Each podcast features Shepard and Padman interviewing celebrities, journalists, and academics about "the messiness of being human".[1] The podcast premiered February 14, 2018, with Shepard's wife, actress Kristen Bell, as the first guest. It appeared on Vultures list of 2018's best comedy podcasts and was reviewed by The Irish Times.[2] [3] Shepard and Padman have also taken their podcast on the road, recording episodes in front of live audiences.[4] [5]
Armchair Expert was launched "on a lark" after Shepard had positive experiences as a guest on other podcasts, appreciating the length of time the format allowed compared to the typical brief segment on a talk show.[6] It was the most downloaded new podcast of 2018 on iTunes.[7] 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."[1] Podcasts are recorded in Shepard's guest house attic, and 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.[8]
In 2020, Forbes named Armchair Expert the fourth highest-earning podcast in the United States, estimating its earnings that year at $9 million, with a monthly audience of 20 million people.[9] On May 12, 2021, Armchair Expert announced on Instagram that the podcast would be available exclusively on Spotify beginning July 1, saying they would continue to maintain the same creative control over the show after the move.[10] On June 18, 2021, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Shepard and Padman revealed that former President Barack Obama would be their first guest once the podcast moves to Spotify.
Throughout the years, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard has included several other programs underneath the Armchair Umbrella. Rob Holysz is the co-creator and producer of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard along with all additional Armchair Umbrella shows. Current shows underneath the Armchair Umbrella are Armchair Anonymous with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman, Flightless Bird with New Zealander David Farrier, and Synced with Monica Padman and Liz Plank.