Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Mom's Car: Jackie Tohn

October 7, 2025

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  • The comedy series *Nobody Wants This* has become a massive cultural phenomenon, potentially surpassing *Frozen* in streaming metrics, leading to overwhelming public recognition for Jackie Tohn. 
  • Dax Shepard orchestrated the permanent transfer of his and Kristen Bell's dog, Glenn, to Jackie Tohn under the guise of a weekend loan, using Tohn's perceived commitment issues as leverage. 
  • The conversation touched upon the arbitrary nature of dietary restrictions, highlighted by a moral conundrum about eating a deceased pet dog, and the discomfort surrounding unsolicited sexual comments from professionals like a podiatrist. 
  • Jackie Tohn participated in Celebrity Jeopardy, where she successfully answered a Final Jeopardy question about The Muppets (specifically Gonzo), despite feeling she had gotten 'dumber' since recording it. 
  • Jackie Tohn recounted a childhood story of breaking her nose while practicing pogo sticking for a Sesame Street audition, an injury that was set by a neighbor nicknamed 'Chucky the Love Grenade' but never professionally fixed. 
  • Dax Shepard shared a parallel anecdote about booking a commercial (Carl's Jr.) only to have his nose broken in a fight right before shooting, leading to his immediate replacement on set. 

Segments

Introduction and Sponsor Read
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Jackie Tohn is introduced as a longtime friend, supporting star of Nobody Wants This, and known for her work on Glow.
  • Summary: Jackie Tohn is welcomed to the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard for the ‘Mom’s Car’ segment. She is highlighted as an incredible singer, comedian, and actor, notably recognized for her roles in Glow and Nobody Wants This. The segment includes an initial advertisement read for Allstate car insurance.
Car Performance and EV Hesitation
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(00:01:09)
  • Key Takeaway: Dax Shepard notes that Kristen’s car is surprisingly capable, describing it as a ‘high-performance shitbox,’ while Tohn admits she avoided purchasing an electric vehicle due to fears related to fires and power loss.
  • Summary: The conversation shifts to driving dynamics, where Dax praises the performance of the vehicle they are in. Jackie Tohn reveals she opted for a gas car over an electric vehicle due to anxieties surrounding potential fires and power outages. Tohn cites examples of people being stranded in the Palisades due to limited electric vehicle range during emergencies.
Food Delivery and Odor Comparison
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(00:02:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The group’s food delivery order, which included El Pollo Loco and another item, generated an extremely foul odor described as smelling like ‘someone opened their asshole into my throat,’ possibly due to cooked broccoli.
  • Summary: The process of picking up food delivery is detailed, involving Aaron Weakley quickly retrieving the order while Dax handles the delivery aspect. Tohn immediately reacts strongly to the smell emanating from the food bags. The source of the intense odor is speculated to be cooked broccoli, which Tohn compares to ‘absolute fart hole.’
Car Wash Anecdote and Cash Tips
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(00:04:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Jackie Tohn recounted a bizarre experience finding a hidden car wash in Hollywood where the owner chained the gate shut for security, prompting Tohn to request he only appear locked for her safety.
  • Summary: Tohn shares a story about finding a legitimate car wash listed on Yelp that was initially just an empty, chained parking lot. The owner unlocked the gate, but Tohn, feeling unsafe as a woman alone, asked him to re-chain it to deter others. The discussion then pivots to the difficulty of tipping service workers like valets in a post-cash society, noting the awkwardness of trying to use Zelle or Venmo.
Success of Nobody Wants This
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(00:06:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Nobody Wants This is described as the most streamed television comedy of all time (by times viewed), a phenomenon that surprised even the creators given its Jewish-heavy themes.
  • Summary: Dax Shepard confirms that Nobody Wants This has been a bigger phenomenon than Glow for Jackie Tohn, citing its massive streaming numbers. Tohn describes fans approaching her multiple times while getting her nails done, confirming the show’s widespread impact. The show’s success was unexpected, especially considering the political climate and its very Jewish focus.
Podiatrist Encounter and Toenail Saga
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(00:09:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Both Dax and Jackie Tohn shared experiences with the same ‘chill’ but sexually inappropriate podiatrist who ‘miniaturized’ Dax’s toe, and Tohn later discovered she had a dead toenail that required years of Dremeling.
  • Summary: Tohn recounts being hit on by her podiatrist after a procedure, a man Dax also frequents. Tohn then details her long-term issue with a dead toenail, which she discovered when she realized the polish on that nail hadn’t grown out in a year. After listeners warned her about potential cancer due to blackness under the nail, she visited her internist, who referred her to a specialist, both of whom made comments about Kristen being their ‘shiksa.’
Moral Dumbfounding: Eating Deceased Pet
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(00:20:08)
  • Key Takeaway: The moral conundrum—whether it is acceptable for a family to cook and eat their pet dog that died in an accident to avoid waste—reveals that the participants generally view the taboo as arbitrary, especially if the meat is not wasted.
  • Summary: The first moral dumbfounding question asks if a family eating their deceased pet dog to avoid waste is acceptable, especially if they heard dog meat was delicious. Tohn, a vegetarian, suggests that if one eats other meats, the difference is arbitrary, comparing it to eating roadkill like Richard Christie. Aaron Weakley states he wouldn’t have an issue with it conceptually, though his love for his own dogs prevents him from doing so.
Listener Advice: Intimacy Requirements
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(00:33:20)
  • Key Takeaway: A listener is concerned because her 57-year-old husband only wants sex if she wears a mini skirt, which she suspects stems from intimacy issues or objectification, as he also views suggestive content online.
  • Summary: The advice question details a 37-year-old woman whose 57-year-old husband demands she wear a mini skirt for sex, despite their otherwise healthy sex life. Jackie Tohn suggests the listener needs to communicate her needs and that the husband might be using objectification to manage intimacy or avoid shame. Dax suggests the situation might indicate underlying leverage issues in the relationship due to the age gap.
Dax’s Trailer Nakedness Debate
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(00:45:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Dax Shepard settled a decade-long debate with Kristen Bell by confirming that Jamie Presley (his co-star from My Name Is Earl) would have been ’terrified’ rather than accepting of him being naked in her trailer, contrary to Tohn’s earlier assertion.
  • Summary: Dax recounts filming My Name Is Earl in extreme heat, leading to him seeing his own droopy testicles in Jamie Presley’s trailer and concluding he looked like ‘Taffy.’ He previously used Tohn’s agreement that she wouldn’t mind walking in on him naked as proof for Kristen. However, when asked directly at a party, Presley confirmed she would have been terrified, resolving the long-standing domestic argument.
Jackie’s Jeopardy Performance Review
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(00:48:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Jackie Tohn’s friend, a Jeopardy champion, coached her for her appearance on Celebrity Jeopardy.
  • Summary: Jackie Tohn had a friend who was a Jeopardy champion coach her for her appearance on the show. While watching the recorded episode, she realized she had forgotten answers, such as the one for ‘Pendulum.’ Dax admired her bravery for participating, noting he felt too vain to risk finding out he wasn’t good enough.
True Daily Double Strategy
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(00:50:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Jackie Tohn made a true daily double wager on Celebrity Jeopardy because she felt she wouldn’t win against Neil deGrasse Tyson anyway.
  • Summary: Jackie Tohn declared a true daily double on her Daily Double, stating she would never have the chance to say it again. She reasoned that since her charity was guaranteed $30,000, she had nothing to lose against competitors like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Melissa Peterman. At the time of the double down, she was trailing the leaders by about 4,000 to 5,000 points.
Final Jeopardy Muppets Answer
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(00:50:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Jackie Tohn correctly answered the Final Jeopardy clue about The Muppets by identifying Gonzo.
  • Summary: The Final Jeopardy clue concerned The Muppets, specifically identifying which character was in a box marked ‘whatever.’ Melissa Peterman guessed Animal, and Neil deGrasse Tyson guessed Snuffleupagus. Jackie Tohn correctly provided the answer, Gonzo.
Pogo Stick Audition Injury
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(00:51:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Jackie Tohn broke her nose while learning to pogo stick on a hard floor for a Sesame Street audition when she was 11.
  • Summary: Jackie Tohn confirmed she had auditioned for Sesame Street as a child when her agent secured an audition for a child who could pogo stick. She learned to pogo stick in a few days, but while practicing on what looked like marble (but was actually tile) in her Long Island home, she fell and smashed her nose. A neighbor nicknamed ‘Chucky the Love Grenade’ reset the break by squeezing her nose, and she never saw a doctor for it.
Dax’s Broken Nose Commercial Story
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(00:53:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Dax Shepard also broke his nose right before shooting a Carl’s Jr. commercial, resulting in his immediate replacement.
  • Summary: Dax shared a similar experience where he broke his nose in a fistfight the weekend before shooting a Carl’s Jr. commercial he had finally booked. When he showed up with a swollen, bruised nose, the production team immediately brought in a backup actor who put on his outfit. Dax confirmed the director replaced him instantly.