The 20 best episodes of 'Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard,' ranked

Welcome, welcome, welcome to our list of the best episodes of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. For those new to the program, you may know Dax better as an actor who has starred in Parentood, Punk’d, Without A Paddle, Baby Mama and The Ranch and who's married to Princess Anna, aka Kristen Bell. But for the past two years, Shepard has been carving out a niche as an extraordinary podcast host of the massively popular Armchair Expert, which he runs with his "soulmate" Monica Padman, who often adds a necessary perspective to the proceedings and who conducts an interesting and informative fact-check after each episode. If only we could get Monica to follow us around in real life and correct our daily mistakes.

The show, where no topic is off the table and Shepard talks about his sobriety, shortcomings and anxieties with refreshing honesty, is nearing its 200^th episode, which can feel a bit overwhelming if you're not sure where to start. The celebrity names are big, the conversations memorable, and it takes about 10 minutes to fall in love with Shepard and Padman. Get more comfortable than a celeb arriving to a podcasting studio with no door on the bathroom and check out the 20 best episodes of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.

1. Emilia Clarke – November 18, 2019 (Ep. 158)

Khaleesi may have burned down Westeros and murdered thousands of innocent people, but Emilia Clarke is a delight. The Game of Thrones star had no trouble spilling all the tea on Dax and Monica’s favourite show, making this episode a must-listen for GoT fans. The lovely and charming Emilia tops our list for her warmth and captivating stories about attending a pseudo-Hogwarts boarding school, her love for former co-star Jason Momoa, and what it actually feels like to have a brain aneurysm. Twice. Though much of the media coverage of her episode focused on her talking about the nude scenes in GoT, which Shepard and Padman addressed in the fact-check, Clarke was a game guest who charmed from minute one. Breaker of chains, winner of podcast lists.

2. Monica Lewinsky – October 17, 2019 (Ep. 149)

At only 24-years-old, Monica Lewinsky became one of the most famous woman in the world for a sexual act she engaged in with a married U.S. president, who was 49 at the time of the affair. She was subsequently shamed, bullied and ridiculed for two decades. Now Lewinsky is taking back her power as an anti-bullying advocate and shared her remarkable story of resilience with Shepard and Padman. Starting with the trauma she experienced as a teen and later the devastation of being betrayed by her best friend Linda Tripp and the country at large, Lewinsky’s appearance on Armchair Expert is powerful. Shepard and Padman give Lewinsky the credit she deserves for not only surviving but rising above a situation and using her experience to help others while shifting the public narrative around her.

3. Kristen Bell – February 14, 2018 (Ep. 1)

For his first interview on Armchair Expert, Dax Shepard interviewed wife Kristen Bell alone, only joined by Padman at the end of the episode for the series’ first fact-check. Shepard prefaces the interview by admitting he was reluctant to release the episode because of his behaviour throughout the two hours, which frequently includes speaking over his wife. The tense first hour is a rough way to start a new show, but it does provide another glimpse into the private life of one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples. They fight, they annoy one another, and they’re constantly working on their relationship. Often uncomfortable, the interview serves as a reminder of why so many have connected with Bell and Shepard, who are committed to presenting themselves and their relationship without filters and fake smiles. They love one another, but they’re also pretty normal.

4. Ronan Farrow – January 9, 2020 (Ep. 171)

Armchair Expert has amassed an incredible list of guests in three seasons, but investigative reporter and bestselling author Ronan Farrow marks their first wunderkind. The daughter of Mia Farrow and Wood Allen talks about what it was like to start college at age 11, defer law school until age 18, and grow up in a family of 10 siblings. Farrow recounts his time being chased by Russian spies sent by Harvey Weinstein and explains why he doesn’t think he should be credited with helping start the #MeToo movement, even though his work was instrumental in creating a massive retaliation against the abuse of power in Hollywood and beyond.

5. Ashton Kutcher Pt. 2 – February 24, 2020 (Ep. 184)

Ashton Kutcher returned to Armchair Expert in 2020 and in the two years since his first interview with Shepard and Padman, a lot had changed. Shepard now has a La-Z-Boy in his studio and Kutcher is working to solve the Foster Care system in the U.S. and end sex trafficking globally. Like we said, a lot. The subject matter was obviously heavy, but Kutcher was able to break down his two major projects into tangible goals, leaving listeners feeling inspired. Plus, Shepard and Padman still spend ample time discussing just how beautiful Kutcher is, so there were some moments of levity.

6. Danny McBride – August 19, 2019 (Ep. 132)

There’s more than meets the mullet with Danny McBride. The actor and writer shared his interesting backstory with Shepard and Padman, starting first with his upbringing, which was not nearly as Southern as the characters he famously plays on screen, and revealing how his job in film editing helped him to continue working towards creating his own films and shows. McBride talks about the devastating response to his first film The Foot Fist Way, why he can only write for TV, and how karate helped him build confidence as a child.

7. Rainn Wilson – January 6, 2020 (Ep. 170)

At some point, we may listen to enough podcasts with Rainn Wilson to stop being stunned by how different the actor is from Dwight Schrute. The very calm, very meditative, very kind Wilson joined Shepard and Padman for an enlightening two-hour conversation that explored Wilson’s upbringing, which included being raised by a single father, his time spent performing in the theatre community in New York City, his incredible work helping to bring art training to children in developing nations, and his belief system as a Baha’i. Padman also shared a touching story about the time she met Wilson as an intern while working in a small marketing company. Never meet your heroes unless your hero is Rainn Wilson, because he’s the nicest.

8. Ashton Kutcher Pt. 1 – February 14, 2018 (Ep. 3)

Ashton Kutcher was Shepard’s first guest (whom he wasn’t married to) when he launched Armchair Expert back in 2018. The pair’s first interview focused on their time together working on Punk’d, which marked Kutcher’s first major role after leaving That 70’s Show and was Shepard’s breakthrough in Hollywood. Do you remember where you were the first time you saw a weepy Justin Timberlake have his home repossessed and dogs taken away on Punk’d? Shepard does, because he was the fake FBI agent.

9. Ike Barinholtz – September 17, 2018 (Ep. 39)

Ike Barinholtz gives a hilarious and revealing interview in his September 2018 appearance on Armchair Expert. Along with Seth and Josh Meyers, Jason Sudeikis and Kay Cannon, Barinholtz spent the early 2000s working at Boom Chicago, an improv center in Amsterdam. After lots of safe (relatively speaking) drug use, Barinholtz returned to the U.S., booking roles on The Mindy Project and writing the 2016 comedy Central Intelligence, which starred Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson. Ike is the guy you want to stand next to at a party. He can tell a great story and he’s ready to leave by 9 o'clock.

10. Lauren Graham – April 9, 2018 (Ep. 12)

Lauren Graham and Dax Shepard spent years working together on the set of Parenthood, where Shepard was witness to Graham and co-star Peter Krause falling in love. The longtime friends talked about Graham and Krause’s relationship as well as Graham’s unconventional upbringing, which swayed between time spent with her loving and conservative father in Japan and the U.S. and her more free-spirited artist mother in Europe. And of course, this episode is a must-listen for Gilmore Girls fans.

11. Johnny Knoxville – May 28, 2018 (Ep. 19)

No one is more surprised that Johnny Knoxville is still alive than Johnny Knoxville. The actor and writer gives a fascinating look into his unprecedented career, which was created out of a need to make money once he started a family, leading the actor to literally put his life on the line with the hit MTV-series Jackass. Creating one of the most successful TV shows of all time and paving the way for reality TV, Knoxville also reveals when and how he knew it was time to reel in the stunts while shooting his film, Action Point.

12. Seth Green – April 23, 2018 (Ep. 14)

One of the reasons some celebrities make great podcast hosts is because they have a pre-existing relationship with their guest. That’s the case with Shepard and his Without A Paddle co-star Seth Green. The men became close while working together on the 2004 movie and brought their friendship to the Armchair Expert attic. The longtime friends do a deep dive into Seth’s long and impressive Hollywood career, his confusing experience on Punk’d, his time making the deeply personal film Changeland, why he decided to create Robot Chicken, and his involvement in Shepard’s relapse.

13. Lake Bell – July 22, 2019 (Ep. 124)

Dax Shepard loves being married to Mrs. Bell(s). Lake Bell and Dax Shepard play a married couple on the TV series Bless This Mess, but that doesn’t mean they know everything about their fictional partner. In her first appearance on Armchair Expert, Bell shared the harrowing story of how she almost lost her son Ozgood during a terrifying home birth that left the newborn in the NICU for 11 days. Thankfully, mom and baby are doing well, and Bell now has time to discuss why it’s great that many of her previous roles would no longer be greenlit in Hollywood.

14. Kate & Oliver Hudson – November 4, 2019 (Ep. 154)

Having an ex-girlfriend on your super-candid, freewheeling podcast is not for everyone and in the pre-amble to the episode, Dax admitted that he didn't know whether he and former flame Kate Hudson would even go there. Luckily for listeners, her older bro Oliver took care of that, wasting no time getting into her and Dax's dating history, which lead to plenty of laughs, some honest reflection and memorable stories about the Muskokas, an awkward delivery room visit and how their relationship all started with a shirtless paparazzi stunt.

15. Will Arnett – February 3, 2020 (Ep. 178)

Will Arnett has made a career off of his husky and soothing voice, which means his episode on Armchair Expert is essentially one hour and 40 minutes of funny ASMR. Arnett and Shepard reminisce about their time shooting the 2006 film Let’s Go To Prison, how Arnett almost turned down his role in Arrested Development, and the pair’s distancing after Arnett and his ex-wife Amy Poehler separated. The Canadian-born Arnett also talks about his love of the Toronto Maple Leafs and how he tries to maintain a positive attitude in almost every situation.

16. Mila Kunis – July 23, 2018 (Ep. 29)

The notoriously private Mila Kunis opened up with close friend Dax Shepard about her personal life in one of her most unfiltered interviews ever on her first Armchair Expert visit and made clear that she agreed to only if Dax told a very private, hilarious and embarrassing story about Jell-o. You know the one. The actress spoke in depth about the challenges of moving from Russia to the U.S. as a child, a transatlantic relocation that her parents never actually discussed with her. She also reminisced about meeting her now-husband Ashton Kutcher on set of That 70’s Show and her fear around appearing on The Howard Stern Show.

17. Nick Kroll – July 18, 2018 (Ep. 28)

Much of Armchair Expert is spent discussing Dax Shepard’s childhood, so his July 2018 interview with Nick Kroll provided an interesting juxtaposition. Growing up Jewish and wealthy in New York, Kroll and Shepard compared their upbringings, which although very different, ultimately led them to the same profession. Kroll spoke candidly about his career while on Shepard and Padman’s podcast, including the delightful process of working with his childhood best friend on the hilarious and heartfelt animated hit show, Big Mouth.

18. Zach Braff – April 2, 2018 (Ep. 11)

People love telling Dax Shepard how much they appreciated his work in Scrubs. On the flip side, Zach Braff has been complimented for his comedic timing in Punk’d. The Hollywood twins reunited on Armchair Expert and discussed Braff’s upbringing, which included turning out relatively normal even with both parents working as therapists, as well as Braff’s unrelenting work ethic and dating history, which TBH, is pretty darn impressive.

19. Adam Scott – March 5, 2018 (Ep. 7)

Adam Scott appeared on one of the first episodes of Armchair Expert and spoke with Shepard and Padman about his career of juxtapositions. Described by the podcast hosts as being one of the nicest human beings in Hollywood, Scott’s early career was, of course, defined by playing a jerk. A trained dramatic actor, he’s rarely had any roles outside of comedy. A Hollywood A-lister who can live life relatively unrecognized, Adam’s appearance on AE provides a charming and interesting look into the life of an actor we all know but don’t actually know much about. You’ll love him and like him.

20. Jimmy Kimmel – February 19, 2018 (Ep. 5)

Jimmy Kimmel has spent his career asking the questions and for the fifth episode of Armchair Expert, the late-night host returned to his radio roots to chat with Shepard and Padman. The close friends revisit some of Kimmel’s best gifts, Jimmy’s confusing entry into late night, and how Kimmel has continued to get better looking as his career goes on. It’s the beard.