Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Zooey Deschanel Returns

December 15, 2025

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  • Zooey Deschanel's family was recently evacuated due to a fire, leading to discussions about the importance of preparedness and the emotional impact of losing a childhood home. 
  • The conversation touched upon the cultural phenomenon of people rewatching *New Girl* as a comfort mechanism, and the differing ways children react to their parents' acting careers, particularly regarding romantic scenes. 
  • The hosts debated the modern trend of self-diagnosing ADHD, contrasting it with formal diagnosis, and explored the concept of 'time blindness' and the habit of mentally replaying embarrassing moments from the past. 
  • Zooey Deschanel discussed her new movie, *Merv*, describing it as a dog movie, a rom-com, and a light Christmas movie where the holiday setting provides context rather than driving the main plot. 
  • The hosts and guest engaged in a lengthy, spontaneous performance of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," emphasizing their shared preference for recording music in a single, unedited take to preserve the performance's emotional through-line, contrasting with the common practice of fixing every line in studio recordings. 
  • The segment concluded with the hosts exchanging elaborate, personalized Christmas gifts, including one for Rob that featured Gwar-themed wrapping paper and a bizarre, multi-penis sculpture, highlighting the deep, often absurd, camaraderie among the podcast team. 
  • The host experienced intense anxiety and a visceral emotional reaction upon learning the podcast received a Golden Globe nomination, despite consciously trying to remain indifferent. 
  • The conversation briefly shifted to the famous Stella Liebeck McDonald's hot coffee case, highlighting the importance of preserving the right to sue large corporations, even if it means tolerating frivolous lawsuits. 
  • The segment concluded with a discussion about the IMDb top 10 Christmas movies list, where the host expressed offense that *The Grinch Who Stole Christmas* was ranked lower than *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer*. 

Segments

Podcast Intro and Guest Welcome
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(00:00:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Zooey Deschanel’s return to Armchair Expert features discussion of her new movie Merv and a promised musical surprise.
  • Summary: Dax Shepard introduces Zooey Deschanel, highlighting her acting roles in New Girl, 500 Days of Summer, and Elf. Her new movie, Merv, is about a couple who breaks up, leaving their dog depressed. The episode promises a special, forced rendition of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ from Deschanel.
Sponsor Reads and Coffee Mugs
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(00:01:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Using an Ember mug can significantly reduce daily coffee intake by eliminating the need to rush consumption before the drink gets cold.
  • Summary: The segment includes advertisements for Audible and Quince. The hosts then discuss Ember mugs, noting that maintaining a consistent, ideal temperature allows for leisurely sipping, which naturally cuts down on the total amount of coffee consumed compared to drinking quickly to avoid temperature loss.
McDonald’s Coffee Lawsuit History
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(00:04:32)
  • Key Takeaway: The infamous McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit involved severe third-degree burns requiring skin grafts, and the large jury award was intended to punish the company for prior complaints, not just cover the initial medical costs.
  • Summary: The hosts recall the widely publicized McDonald’s coffee burn case, noting how the media initially framed the plaintiff as a ‘diva.’ The woman initially only sought payment for skin grafts, but the jury added punitive damages equivalent to one day of McDonald’s coffee sales due to over 100 prior complaints about the coffee being too hot.
Family Fire Evacuation Lessons
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(00:05:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Zooey Deschanel’s parents lost their home in a fire, which highlighted the importance of preserving sentimental items like her mother’s 40-year-old sourdough starter and her father’s digitized photography archive.
  • Summary: The discussion shifts to Deschanel’s parents’ house burning down, emphasizing the loss of sentimental items like a decades-old sourdough starter. Her father, a cinematographer, managed to save his hard drive containing digitized photography, which he had obsessively backed up over time.
Go-Bag Preparedness Failures
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(00:09:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite experiencing a fire evacuation, the hosts admit to failing to maintain their own go-bags because desired items are often removed for daily use.
  • Summary: Dax Shepard admits to learning nothing from the fires regarding his own go-bag, as he removes desired clothing items, rendering the bag incomplete. The evacuation experience was complicated by having three new kittens, limiting where the family could stay temporarily.
Marketing and Gendered Animal Perceptions
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(00:10:59)
  • Key Takeaway: The perception of cats as ’elegant’ and ‘fancy’ in marketing, such as Fancy Feast commercials, may stem from gendering cats as female while dogs are often gendered as male.
  • Summary: The hosts analyze why cats are marketed as elegant, contrasting their graceful movements with the clumsiness of dogs. Deschanel notes her cats are surprisingly affectionate and smart, immediately adapting to a new automatic litter box, which she attributes to their high intelligence.
Partner Tinkering and Home Repair
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(00:14:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Zooey Deschanel’s partner, Jonathan, exhibits a strong, rugged, hands-on nature, constantly fixing things for neighbors and preferring to handle repairs himself rather than calling LA-based services.
  • Summary: Jonathan, who grew up on a ranch in Canada, is described as a consummate tinkerer who enjoys fixing everything, including neighbors’ pool equipment. This contrasts with Dax Shepard’s preference for calling professionals, highlighting different approaches to home maintenance.
Holiday Decorating Extravaganza
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(00:26:56)
  • Key Takeaway: The Deschanel-Shepard household engages in an overwhelming, multi-day Christmas decorating effort, utilizing professional decorators from Glitterville and featuring multiple themed trees, including ones for each child.
  • Summary: The hosts review footage of their elaborate Christmas decorations, which take six days to install. They use large, pre-lit artificial trees, with themes changing yearly (e.g., champagne one year, gingerbread the next), and each child has their own tree.
Parenting and Child Actors
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(00:28:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Both hosts actively shield their children from professional acting careers until they are older and can drive themselves, prioritizing character building and normal adolescent confusion over early fame.
  • Summary: Deschanel and Shepard agree on a rule: children can pursue acting auditions at 16 when they can drive themselves, but parents will not facilitate child acting careers. They aim to protect their children’s ability to experience normal teenage struggles and social dynamics without the pressures of early professional success.
ADHD Explanations vs. Excuses
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(00:37:15)
  • Key Takeaway: While many people self-diagnose ADHD based on relatable symptoms like difficulty with mundane tasks, true ADHD involves an inability to stop focusing on certain things or an overwhelming fear of forgetting thoughts when interrupting.
  • Summary: The discussion addresses the proliferation of ADHD memes and self-diagnosis, which Deschanel finds frustrating unless the person was diagnosed young. She explains that for those with ADHD, interrupting often stems from the fear of losing an important thought, rather than simple rudeness, and she learned coping mechanisms early on.
Self-Criticism and Embarrassing Moments
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(00:44:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Many people experience an ’endless tape’ of embarrassing past moments playing on repeat in their minds, often stemming from moments where they felt inauthentic.
  • Summary: The hosts share the common experience of mentally replaying past mistakes, even those from early childhood, which can feel like a constant, self-inflicted loop of shame. Deschanel recalls an insignificant moment of acting aloof in front of her mother, which she still fixates on decades later.
New Movie Merv Plot Details
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(00:45:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Zooey Deschanel’s movie Merv centers on a recently broken-up couple who must co-parent their dog, who becomes severely depressed by the separation.
  • Summary: The film Merv, co-starring Charlie Cox, features a dog actor named Gus, a terrier mix mutt, who portrays the depressed animal. The dog’s refusal to eat or walk highlights the emotional impact of the human breakup on the pet.
Sloth Obsession Fades
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(00:47:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Children’s intense interests, like a fascination with sloths, can be dampened by overexposure to related merchandise.
  • Summary: The sloth hired for a birthday party turned out to have a successful career, but the child’s interest waned after being inundated with sloth-related items. This mirrors the experience of having a childhood favorite animal constantly gifted, leading to eventual disinterest. Dax notes his children’s animal middle names led to similar saturation effects.
New Movie Merv Details
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(00:48:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Zooey Deschanel’s new movie, Merv, is a dog-centric romantic comedy with Christmas undertones, featuring a plot where a character takes a depressed dog on a beach vacation.
  • Summary: Filming scenes involving numerous dogs on a beach required extensive coordination with dog wranglers, though some dogs proved to be more professional actors than others. Unlike dogs, cats are generally uncooperative in acting because they prioritize their own desires over seeking approval. The movie is described as a blend of romance, dog movie, and light Christmas film.
Christmas Movie Context
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(00:50:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Zooey Deschanel avoided feeling stressed about re-entering the Christmas movie space by viewing her new film’s holiday setting as background context, similar to Die Hard.
  • Summary: The new film’s Christmas setting is not central to the plot, focusing instead on love, making it less of a traditional holiday movie. The context of loved ones being important during the Christmas season is cited as a positive element. The film is described as having a few tear-jerky moments but is primarily funny, with no death scenes.
New Girl Revival Discussion
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(00:52:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Zooey Deschanel expressed willingness to revive New Girl, though she was uncertain about Jake Johnson’s interest, noting the show’s ratings were complicated by early Netflix streaming.
  • Summary: The success of New Girl was difficult to gauge because its episodes were available on Netflix the day after airing, obscuring traditional network ratings. The show faced scheduling interruptions due to baseball contracts, which slowed its traction. The fictional game ‘True American’ from the show was improvised, having no real rules initially.
Forced Christmas Song Performance
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(00:54:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts successfully convinced Zooey Deschanel to perform “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” live, despite her initial hesitation about not having practiced.
  • Summary: The performance was accompanied by a keyboard player secured by the hosts, emphasizing the value of capturing a single, authentic take without excessive fixing. The song’s origin in Meet Me in St. Louis, sung by Judy Garland to comfort her family about moving, adds a layer of poignant nostalgia to the performance. The raw, unedited nature of the performance was praised for its timeless, warm quality.
Christmas Dinner Preferences
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(00:56:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Zooey Deschanel prefers roast chicken and crispy, skin-on roasted potatoes over mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner, and she values having a salad on the table.
  • Summary: She is not averse to other Christmas meats, noting a past history of vegetarianism and pescatarianism, which ended due to allergies to many fake meat proteins. She mentioned being allergic to whey protein (causing cracked fingers) and pea/soy protein, leading her back to eating meat sustainably. Dessert preference leans heavily toward cookies, and she is part of a ‘cookie group chat’ sharing recommendations.
Holiday Gift Exchange Chaos
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(01:08:20)
  • Key Takeaway: The holiday gift exchange revealed significant shipping failures for Dax, who had items stuck in transit, while Rob’s gifts were elaborate and highly personalized, including a Gwar-themed item.
  • Summary: Dax experienced frustration with FedEx signature requirements causing delays and had several Amazon packages misdirected to Nashville instead of his location. Rob’s gifts included Max and Helen’s hot sauce, items from a Chicago bakery, and a highly detailed, bizarre sculpture referencing Gwar, which was described as a ’tri-penis top.’ Zooey received a large collection of Luevay candles, despite Dax initially planning to buy Diptyque candles based on a friend’s advice.
Golden Globe Nomination Reflection
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(01:36:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard team received a Golden Globe nomination, which Dax attributes equally to the insane vulnerability of their guests and the loyalty of their listeners.
  • Summary: Dax shared the funny anecdote of sticking rigidly to his morning routine on the day the nominations were announced to avoid tempting fate. He emphasized that the show’s success hinges on guests sharing deeply personal information and the audience actively engaging by listening and sharing the content. He expressed deep gratitude to the listeners for keeping the show going for eight years.
Golden Globe Nomination Reaction
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(01:37:32)
  • Key Takeaway: The host maintained a strict, superstitious morning routine despite knowing the Golden Globe nomination announcement was imminent at 5 a.m.
  • Summary: The host described adhering to an ironclad morning routine of coffee, meditation, and journaling before checking the phone for the nomination news. The moment before checking the phone generated significant anxiety, which immediately turned to relief and elation upon seeing numerous congratulatory texts. The host and Zooey Deschanel coordinated with Wondry to create a video reaction shortly after receiving the news.
Stella Liebeck Coffee Lawsuit
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(01:46:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Stella Liebeck, the victim in the famous hot coffee case, initially sought only $20,000 to cover medical costs for her third-degree burns.
  • Summary: Stella Liebeck, who was 79 in 1992 when she suffered severe burns after a coffee lid detached, was awarded $2.7 million, though this was later reduced. The case is used to illustrate that frivolous lawsuits must be tolerated to preserve the civil court system as an individual’s defense against large corporations. McDonald’s changed its policy as a direct result of the case.
Cat vs. Dog Intelligence Debate
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(01:50:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Studies suggest people with higher IQs often prefer cats because their independent nature suits thinkers who value quiet focus.
  • Summary: It is difficult to definitively compare cat and dog intelligence, as dogs possess more cerebral cortex neurons, while cats show persistence in independent problem-solving. One source suggested that people with higher IQs gravitate toward cats because they do not require constant attention, fitting the needs of creatives and deep workers. The discussion also touched upon brain size ratios relative to body mass when assessing intelligence.
Top 10 Christmas Movies List
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(01:52:55)
  • Key Takeaway: According to an IMDb list, It’s a Wonderful Life ranked as the number one Christmas movie, with Home Alone at number two and Elf at number six.
  • Summary: The list placed Gremlins at number 10, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation at number seven, and Die Hard at number three. The host expressed offense that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ranked highly and argued that the original Grinch Who Stole Christmas should be ranked higher than it appeared.
Music Click Track Definition
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(01:54:02)
  • Key Takeaway: A click track in music is an audio metronome providing a rhythmic pulse, often through headphones, to keep musicians synchronized during recording or performance.
  • Summary: The term ‘click’ refers to a click track, which ensures a consistent tempo and can include cues for different song sections. The host noted that hearing this constant rhythmic pulse in one’s ear would be distracting. The segment concluded with holiday well-wishes.