Dax Shepard 2
It\u2019s been 140 episodes since Dax Shepard last sat down with me, and a lot has changed since\u2014he directed a film (ChiPs),\xa0started\xa0Armchair Expert, which is\xa0one of the best and most popular podcasts of 2018 (after stealing all of my secrets, of course), and learned a lot about what truly makes him happy in the process.\n\nIn fact, his entire podcast is inspired by his fascination with true happiness. \xa0\u201cA lot of us go through life thinking, \u2018I would be happy, if\u2026\u2019 \u2018I would have self-esteem, if\u2026\u2019 \u2018I would know contentment, if\u2026\u2019 But those are illusions that most people don\u2019t get to find out are illusions.\u201d\n\nDax had the dubious honor of learning that lesson first hand. Early in his career, he had all of the status markers and money that he thought would make him happy, but none of that prevented him from reaching one of the lowest points in his life, magnified by his demoralizing addiction to alcohol and drugs. Huddled in an airport bar, sucking down Jack and Cokes, Dax took a moment to evaluate his situation. \u201cMy whole life I thought, \u2018Man, if I had a million dollars\u2026\u2019 Well, I\xa0had\xa0a million dollars, and I couldn\u2019t get on a flight to fly 35 minutes from San Francisco to L.A.\u201d It\u2019s with that wisdom that Dax asks his celebrity guests, \u201cYou\u2019re rich, and you\u2019re famous. Did it cure all of the things you thought it would?\u201d In general, it doesn\u2019t.\n\nDax\u2019s honesty is contagious\u2014he brings it out in his guests and the people around him. It seems like his superpower is curating human vulnerability and talking frankly about the messiness of life, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s one of my favorite people to talk to.\n\nDax joins\xa0Off Camera\xa0to talk about the misnomer that is "rock bottom," the magic osmosis that makes his marriage with Kristen Bell work so well, and why you shouldn\u2019t compare yourself to your neighbor\u2019s seemingly perfect life.