Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Best of Monday 2025

December 22, 2025

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  • Comedian Nikki Glaser experiences post-award show depression due to seeing the facade and desperation among famous people, contrasting with the genuine magic she witnesses in musical performances. 
  • Dax Shepard and Nikki Glaser discuss the ethical difference between roasting someone who has consented (like at a roast) versus making jokes about people who have not, referencing Shepard's past work on shows like *Punked*. 
  • Alexander Skarsgård recounts his surprisingly easy entry into Hollywood by booking his first audition for *Zoolander* but then struggling for years afterward due to naivete about the industry's difficulty. 
  • The conversation touches on the lingering feeling of being an outsider even after achieving success, exemplified by the memory of being denied entry to nightclubs. 
  • Jennifer Aniston shared her difficult experience freezing her eggs and the subsequent peace found in accepting that she may not have biological children, contrasting with the desire for one's own DNA. 
  • Adam Scott discussed processing the grief of his mother's death while filming *Severance*, realizing a significant motivation for his career was her approval, and the difficulty of accepting a parent's non-existence. 

Segments

Grammy Aftermath and Social Anxiety
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(00:02:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Nikki Glaser experiences post-Grammy depression from seeing the facade and desperation of famous peers, contrasting with the genuine talent she admires in performers like Chapel Roan.
  • Summary: Glaser felt small at the Grammys despite a nomination, leading to a post-show depression where she observed the desperation and discomfort hidden beneath the celebrity facade. She realized that going up to admired figures like Taylor Swift would be a gift, but she avoids it, fearing she might take away energy needed for their creative work. This experience highlights the emotional toll of pedestalizing famous individuals and seeing them as ordinary people outside their performance context.
Joke Recycling and Hypocrisy Realization
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(00:05:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Dax Shepard discovered he unintentionally recycled an exact joke about Marc Maron in a monologue written for Kristen Wiig’s SAG Awards hosting gig, which he had previously written years earlier.
  • Summary: Shepard felt panicked when reviewing old material for Wiig’s monologue, only to find an identical joke about Marc Maron that he had no memory of writing previously. This realization led him to acknowledge that he has often engaged in the same behavior he criticizes in others, such as making fun of celebrities on shows like Punked while simultaneously seeking acceptance in Hollywood circles. He developed compassion for both himself and others who engage in hypocritical actions, often driven by the need to be invited to the ‘party.’
Roast Consent and Sensitivity
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(00:08:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Nikki Glaser finds roasts acceptable due to explicit consent, but she is too sensitive to participate in future roasts as she ages, fearing personal attacks on her appearance.
  • Summary: Roasts are deemed acceptable because participants like Tom Brady have consented to the jokes, contrasting with unconsented commentary. Glaser participated in the Tom Brady Roast but plans to decline future ones because, at age 40, she is more sensitive to comments about her face and aging, which necessitates uncomfortable professional fixes. She maintains a strict ‘sober’ policy regarding reading any comments about herself online because the negativity can be destructive.
Gulf War Impact on Kuwaiti Life
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(00:11:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Mo Ammer recalls the shock of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which immediately forced his family to stockpile resources and led to soldiers threatening his parents to secure his father’s telecommunications expertise.
  • Summary: The invasion caused immediate panic, leading the family to hoard essential supplies like food and water, marking the first time Ammer saw his parents lose control. Iraqi soldiers targeted residents working for the Kuwait Oil Company, threatening his father with a grenade to force him to redirect communications infrastructure. Ammer also recalls playing soccer with the soldiers, one of whom later struck him hard, leaving a lasting impression of potential evil amidst the chaos.
Brad Pitt’s Non-Union Faux Pas
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(00:18:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Brad Pitt left college one week before graduation to move to LA, and later, as a non-union extra, he ruined a scene by speaking to a main actor to secure his SAG card.
  • Summary: Pitt left the final week of college classes to pursue acting in LA, attending his graduation ceremony without officially graduating. He worked as an extra for a year and a half, finally getting a speaking role as a waiter in a scene with Charlie Sheen and DB Sweeney, which was his chance to get his SAG card. Pitt broke the cardinal rule by speaking his line, ‘Would you like anything else?’, resulting in the First AD immediately telling him he was done for the night.
Dove Cameron’s Father Relationship
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(00:35:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Dove Cameron struggled to mend her relationship with her depressed father, who exhibited signs of giving up on life by trying to pawn her off on other families and later attempting suicide.
  • Summary: Cameron spent years trying to connect with her father, who was perpetually depressive and often pushed her away, leading her to internalize blame for his distance. She later learned her mother kept secret his public suicide attempt, which was a turning point in understanding the depth of his struggles. Her father’s behavior included giving her cash to leave the house and getting rid of his possessions, indicating a planned detachment from life.
Alexander Skarsgård’s Early Career Start
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(00:45:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Alexander Skarsgård booked his first audition for Zoolander while visiting LA from Sweden, leading to a naive belief that Hollywood was easy before facing years of struggle auditioning for roles he disliked.
  • Summary: Skarsgård booked the role of Meekus in Zoolander on his first-ever audition after his father’s manager sent him out while he was visiting LA. He returned to Stockholm, believing Hollywood was simple, but came back in 2003 and spent years auditioning for roles he felt wrong for while constantly fearing his agency would drop him. He and his Swedish friends would often be rejected from nightclubs, only to be let in later by a kind acquaintance who would then leave immediately.
Swedish Friend’s Nightclub Favors
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(00:51:07)
  • Key Takeaway: A kind Swedish acquaintance would personally intervene with bouncers to grant entry to nightclubs for the speaker and his friends.
  • Summary: A Swedish friend named Helena would come down in sweatpants just to vouch for the speaker and his buddy to get into nightclubs. She would leave immediately after securing entry without staying out. This memory highlights the contrast between past exclusion and current success.
Jennifer Aniston on Freezing Eggs
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(00:53:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Jennifer Aniston froze her eggs twice with poor results and ultimately found peace in accepting that having biological children was ’never’ going to happen.
  • Summary: The speaker froze her eggs twice, which resulted in a very bad outcome, leading her to feel it was ’never’ an option. She expressed respect for those who definitively know they do not want children, unlike her own conflicted feelings. Accepting the situation brought a sense of peace, though moments of wishing for biological children with a partner still arise.
Adam Scott on Grief and Motivation
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(00:58:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Adam Scott realized a primary motivation for his career was for his late mother to witness his success, and processing her loss involved confronting this realization.
  • Summary: Adam Scott experienced the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death while filming a scene related to his wife’s car accident in Severance. He realized his career ambition was largely driven by wanting his mother to see his achievements. He processed grief by accepting it as a constant presence that fluctuates in intensity over time.
Mindy Kaling on Writing Nerdy Women
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(01:08:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Mindy Kaling writes about ambitious, horny women who desire men they are not necessarily interested in, reflecting her own high school experiences.
  • Summary: Mindy Kaling focuses her writing on ambitious women who lust after people they are not romantically interested in, contrasting with shows about women purely seeking sex and success. She noted that trailers for her shows often feature slow-motion shots of attractive male torsos, a trope she acknowledged as true. She also discussed the difficulty of navigating dating as a nerdy woman from a culture where dating was forbidden before college.
Charlie Sheen’s Ice Cube Incident
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(01:15:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Charlie Sheen keistered an ice cube to counteract fatigue while filming a movie after a director noticed him falling asleep on camera.
  • Summary: While filming the movie Free Money, Charlie Sheen was so fatigued that the director warned him he appeared to be falling asleep on camera. To quickly wake up, Sheen inserted an ice cube rectally (keistered it) to shock his system awake. This unusual tactic allowed him to complete the necessary takes for the scene.
Charlie Sheen’s Superhuman Luck
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(01:19:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Charlie Sheen exhibits seemingly superhuman luck, including beating Michael Jordan in a basketball competition shortly after leaving treatment.
  • Summary: Charlie Sheen beat Michael Jordan in a three-part basketball competition, hitting eight consecutive free throws and sinking the winning jumper. Later, shortly after leaving treatment, he hit a home run on his first swing during a casual baseball game. This pattern of easy success leads to speculation about subconscious self-sabotage when things come too easily.