Anthony Anderson

Summary

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard – Episode: Anthony Anderson

Host: Armchair Umbrella (Dax Shepard)
Guest: Anthony Anderson
Release Date: April 28, 2025

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Introduction

In this captivating episode of "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard," host Dax Shepard welcomes Emmy-nominated actor and comedian Anthony Anderson alongside co-host Monica Padman. The trio embarks on an in-depth conversation exploring Anthony's illustrious career, personal triumphs, unique achievements, and the challenges he has overcome throughout his life.

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Career Highlights

Anthony Anderson begins by sharing his diverse acting portfolio, highlighting roles from popular TV shows and blockbuster films. He reminisces about his time on "Black-ish," his appearances on "Law & Order," and memorable roles in "Kangaroo Jack," "Romeo Must Die," and "Scary Movie 3." Anthony expresses pride in his recent project, the action-packed movie "G20," alongside acclaimed actress Viola Davis, currently available on Prime Video.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [00:38]:
"Of course. Black Ish, Kangaroo Jack, Romeo Must Die. Barbershop, Scary Movie 3. He has a new movie on prime video right now with Viola Davis called G20."

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Guinness World Records

A significant portion of the discussion centers around Anthony's impressive Guinness World Records. He proudly recounts setting the record for hitting a golf ball the furthest with the longest usable golf club—a remarkable 106 feet using a 36-foot club. Anthony shares the exhilarating moment when a marching band unexpectedly celebrated his achievement.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [04:13]:
"I hit a golf ball the furthest with the longest usable golf club in the world, 36ft. And one inch was length of the club."

Anthony also discusses his son's record for putting on the most t-shirts in 30 seconds, emphasizing the fun and dedication involved in breaking such unique records.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [05:43]:
"My son Nathan was in the Guinness book of world records for putting on the most T-shirts in 30 seconds. It was almost one a second."

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Personal Stories and Celebrity Interactions

The conversation takes an entertaining turn as Anthony shares anecdotes about his interactions with celebrities. He narrates a memorable encounter with Lionel Richie, where Richie approached him on an airplane, leading to an impromptu conversation that Anthony humorously tries to replay during the podcast.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [14:21]:
"I'm doing a podcast, and I was hoping that you would pick up the phone because we're here talking about you. You mad Dax on a plane with his wife Kristen, and you walked up and said, hi, I'm Lionel Richie."

Another standout story involves Anthony's playful competition with Michael Jordan during the G20 summit. Anthony describes challenging Jordan to a game of dominoes, leading to a lighthearted yet competitive exchange that left a lasting impression.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [58:03]:
"I can say that. And we laugh about it to this day."

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Early Life and Education

Anthony delves into his formative years growing up in Compton, discussing the prevalent gang culture and the influence it had on his life by association. He reflects on attending the LA County High School for the Performing Arts as part of the inaugural class in 1985, detailing the challenges and resilience required to navigate such an environment.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [25:15]:
"I had to walk through all of that. I went to the High School for the Performing Arts."

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Family and Legacy

The episode touches deeply on Anthony's family background. He honors his father's entrepreneurial spirit in the clothing business and shares the heart-wrenching loss of his youngest brother and father due to car accidents. Anthony emphasizes how these personal tragedies fueled his passion for raising diabetes awareness, a condition that ultimately took his father's life.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [39:51]:
"I lost him on Valentine's Day. I was doing the Shield, and I got a call in the middle of the night from his nurse and said, we lost your dad."

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Return to Education

Anthony narrates his inspiring journey of returning to Howard University in 2022 to complete his degree, fulfilling a promise to be the first in his family to graduate college. He speaks fondly of the support from faculty and peers, including classmates like Taraji P. Henson and Phylicia Rashad, making his graduation a truly full-circle moment.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [48:08]:
"So my son gets accepted. His mother and I met at Howard in 1989. Yeah. So you're a double legacy kid. You got to go to Howard."

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Hosting and Industry Insights

Anthony shares his extensive experience hosting on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", holding the record for the most appearances on the show. He discusses his aspirations for his own talk show and reflects on the challenges and rewards of hosting, emphasizing the importance of building strong relationships within the industry.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [35:52]:
"I've never questioned my ability because I know what I can do."

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Memorable Anecdotes

The conversation is peppered with hilarious and memorable stories, including Anthony's encounter with Michael Jordan playing dominoes and inadvertently winning against the basketball legend. These stories not only showcase Anthony's charm and humor but also highlight his ability to connect with some of the most influential figures in the entertainment and sports industries.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [60:53]:
"I whipped Michael Jordan's ass in dominoes."

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Closing Reflections

As the episode draws to a close, Anthony reflects on the balance between professional success and personal growth. He emphasizes the importance of resilience, the impact of personal loss on his life's mission, and his continued dedication to making a positive difference through his advocacy work.

Notable Quote:

Anthony Anderson at [41:30]:
"They over index, right? Yeah, very much so. Because I lost my father to complications of diabetes."

---

Conclusion

This episode of "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" offers a profound and entertaining glimpse into Anthony Anderson's life. From his groundbreaking achievements and heartfelt family stories to his encounters with celebrities and relentless advocacy work, Anthony embodies the resilience and multifaceted spirit that the show seeks to celebrate. Listeners gain not only inspiration from his journey but also a deeper understanding of the person behind the accolades.

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Note: Timestamps correspond to the transcript provided and are approximations to highlight notable moments and quotes within the episode.

Transcript

[Dax Shepard]

Wondry plus subscribers can listen to Armchair Expert early and ad free right now. Join Wondri plus in the Wondry app or on Apple podcasts or you can listen for free wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert. I'm Dan Shepard. I'm joined by Monica Padman.

[Monica Padman]

Hi.

[Dax Shepard]

And Aaron Michael Weekley.

[Anthony Anderson]

Hello.

[Dax Shepard]

Today, our guest, alliteration Monica.

[Monica Padman]

We love alliteration. I do.

[Dax Shepard]

Anthony Anderson with a cute nickname, Ant. Ant is kind of goes by Ant. Emmy nominated actor watching his Law and Order years on the plane ride here on the way here.

[Monica Padman]

Oh my gosh. Ding, ding, ding.

[Dax Shepard]

Of course. Black Ish, Kangaroo Jack, Romeo Must die. Barbershop, Scary Movie 3. He has a new movie on prime video right now with viola Davis called G20.

[Monica Padman]

I love her.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes. Incredible Kiss and Homelander.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Tony Stark. Please enjoy Ant Anderson. We are supported by Macy's. Mother's Day is next month. Devoted armchairs know that I adore and love my mom. My sweet, sweet mother. Her episode's one of our most popular ever and we have to get her back on the show soon. So it's important to make moms feel like the stars they are on Mother's Day. But moms can be so hard to shop for because it can seem like they already have everything they need. Not true. If you're not sure what to get your mom this year, Macy's is a one stop shop to find buying a gift that will make your mom smile. Macy's has a great selection of clothing. No matter your mom's style, they've got tons of options that'll look great on her from brands like Calvin Klein, Levi's and Charter Club. And if your mom's into cooking, Macy's has state of the art kitchen appliances from Cuisinart, All Clad and more that will upgrade the recipes she's been wanting to try. Another favorite, Buy mom something luxe that she might not think to buy herself. Maybe a signature perfume. That's what I love getting my mom. Designer cosmetics or even some new jewelry.

[Monica Padman]

The cooking route this year. I hope she doesn't list. She doesn't listen to this, so that's fine. But they have such good products.

[Dax Shepard]

I love all clad.

[Monica Padman]

Me too.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Shop now@macy's.com or in store. We are supported by Allstate. Some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking Allstate first. Like, you know, to check that you took your allergy pill first before you go to the botanical garden. Like, you know, to make sure that cute Coat you bought is waterproof first, before you wear it outside on a rainy day. Or checking that a potential partner is an armchair. Checking first is smart, so check Allstate first for a quote. That could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate. Savings vary, subject to terms, conditions and availability. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois.

[Anthony Anderson]

He's an armchair. He's an upchurch. No. You didn't do push ups before? Before the charity.

[Dax Shepard]

Charity event, yeah. I try not to be swole at charity events. It's not a good look.

[Anthony Anderson]

Hey, what's up, son?

[Dax Shepard]

Loosen up your rotator cuff.

[Anthony Anderson]

Nathan and I are in the Guinness Book of World Records. I'm in there twice. Twice and you're in there. Well, how many? Just one time, son.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, not anymore, I'm not.

[Anthony Anderson]

You don't even have anymore.

[Dax Shepard]

That's it.

[Anthony Anderson]

You've been removed. I'm sorry. All right. I gotta catch you later, man.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, wow.

[Anthony Anderson]

Wait. What are you doing?

[Dax Shepard]

That's the goodest place as any to start. What world records do you hold?

[Anthony Anderson]

I hit a golf ball the furthest with the longest usable golf club in the world, 36ft. And one inch was length of the club.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, just to put that in perspective, Monica, you know the gray trailer sitting over there?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

It's 26 foot, so 10ft longer than that trailer was the club he was using. What did you have to have something.

[Anthony Anderson]

In the middle was on a podium because you can't stand. The podium wasn't much higher than this table, so I had to stand up on that rotate and you can't fucking. 30 fucking 6ft long. You can't. Ain't none of this shit.

[Dax Shepard]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Anthony Anderson]

It had to be a control shit. And smack the ball. I forget what the record was for distance, but I out drove it. Not that it drove far. It was a couple hundred feet.

[Dax Shepard]

That's pretty good. I was expecting like 40ft.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh, no, no, no much longer than.

[Dax Shepard]

A couple hundred feet.

[Anthony Anderson]

No, no.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Be careful because people could check this.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, it's in the book. So maybe not a couple hundred feet, but it was far.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. How did you find yourself in this position? Is this something you completely orchestrated on your own?

[Anthony Anderson]

No, I was invited to do it Golf. Right now. They played a video on topgolf. It's been playing it for years because I did it out of topgolf in Vegas.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, great.

[Anthony Anderson]

I forget who invited me or how I got involved with it, but they asked me to come down and do it. And I was like, yeah. So I got a couple of practice swings and whacked a motherfucker. And then when I hit it and broke the record, they had a fucking marching band come out.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, you're kidding.

[Anthony Anderson]

That I had no idea was happening. It was like he broke the record in his whole marching band. Like 50 or 60 people with instruments.

[Dax Shepard]

Wow. Now, my question is, so many. Me too. Are people sitting around thinking, like, okay, how about this? Here's a world record 36 foot golf club. Who's imagining this?

[Monica Padman]

Maybe they're going through the book and I could do this.

[Anthony Anderson]

After that, I felt compelled to make a show.

[Dax Shepard]

Once the Martin band came out, after.

[Anthony Anderson]

The record, after I did it, and they did all this shit. And then my son, as you heard, Nathan, was in the Guinness book of world records for putting on the most t shirts in 30 seconds. They had Guinness Book come up to a school, and I don't know what the record was, but my son beat it.

[Dax Shepard]

How many did he put on?

[Anthony Anderson]

What if it was like 27, 30? It was almost one a second.

[Dax Shepard]

And I got to imagine once you're wearing 30T shirts, it's got to be getting up around his face.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

The T shirts would have to be getting progressively larger.

[Anthony Anderson]

Same size. And that's part of the thing because it's getting bigger, but the shirt is still staying the same.

[Dax Shepard]

That's an added length.

[Anthony Anderson]

Getting thicker. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

And then is there a regulation? Like, it has to be Hanes, because what if you get the thinnest material?

[Dax Shepard]

Stretchiest.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, That I don't know. But the thing with Nathan's recording is it wasn't published. Not all Guinness book world records are published. In the book. You get a certificate and it says, say you broke this record. This is your record. So that's what he has. One of my records is published in the book. The golf swing club is published in the Guinness Book of World Records.

[Dax Shepard]

Were they doing that in Compton when you were a kid? Were you just studying?

[Anthony Anderson]

Were they playing golf in Compton?

[Dax Shepard]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Anthony Anderson]

You saw a black dude with a golf club in Compton, you went the other way.

[Dax Shepard]

Sure, sure, sure. No. Were you studying the Guinness Book of world Record? Because in elementary school, I was obsessed with it.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh, no. That was one of the books as a kid. You just went through it one day. I'm going to do this. How can I do this?

[Dax Shepard]

The tallest guy. I want to see the tallest guy like you. And I probably have the same image of the heaviest twins. And they run those Little Honda mopeds together.

[Anthony Anderson]

In the photo, you could barely see the moped. You could barely see that it was all wedged up in between us.

[Dax Shepard]

I implied there was a moped under there.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, I remember that.

[Dax Shepard]

It's such a memorable photo. And then the fingernails. You look up the fingernails. Ooh. So you're in that.

[Monica Padman]

The second one we got to know.

[Anthony Anderson]

Me and Darius Rucker. I was shooting a show and we were doing something and we were attempting two other records. We were trying to break a record of building this sandwich. We didn't get that one. And the other one was most hugs.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, I love that.

[Anthony Anderson]

So we broke the record for most hugs in a minute. It was just some simple stuff. You just had to tap your hand, embrace and release.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

And Darius and I had that record.

[Dax Shepard]

I bet that was crazy.

[Anthony Anderson]

It did. And we did that in the park. We attempted three, but we got the record for most hugs in a minute. That one isn't published in the book.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. Probably homophobia. They want to keep that out.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, you're right.

[Dax Shepard]

They're historically very homophobic.

[Anthony Anderson]

We should have been in the Record anyway for just most hugs completed by two black men.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

Or a black man and a blackish man. You know, take your pick on which one is which. I love this. You guys get to get straight into the interview. I thought we were just having a conversation now.

[Monica Padman]

We're always recording.

[Anthony Anderson]

It was just like, wow, I love it.

[Dax Shepard]

Abr.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Always be recording you. And I have to occasionally, I'm sure, approve bios. Right. Like you're going to go somewhere and then they send you a thing. Here's what we're going to read before you come out.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

The next time you're on Kimmel, what they should say is world record holder Anthony Anderson when you come out. Because that's so much more impressive than an actor or producer or any of that.

[Anthony Anderson]

I think I should do that and.

[Dax Shepard]

Then just let people imagine what it is.

[Anthony Anderson]

Not even get into it. Just be Guinness Book world record holder.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes. And when I describe you to people like, you know my friend Anne, world record holder, he also acts two time.

[Monica Padman]

Can you put two time world record holder.

[Dax Shepard]

World record holder. Shit. By now he might have three or four. This guy's picking them up.

[Anthony Anderson]

I started to tell you I was trying to develop a show. What I wanted to do was take my son. Since we're both Guinness Book, we're record holders, competitors, and try to break as many records as we can. As father's son, I wanted to Enter the book that way. But there's some guys in there, and one father's son, they pull fucking fire trucks.

[Dax Shepard]

Ooh.

[Anthony Anderson]

Me and my son can't do that.

[Dax Shepard]

You're not gonna get that record. Are those guys Scandinavian? Are they like from Iceland or something? Scandinavian, yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

But this father son in the book.

[Dax Shepard]

For multiple records, like Magnus Von Magnus and Frimden Rom Magnus.

[Anthony Anderson]

And so I was like, I want to do that.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, so you and I were recently together, which was really fun.

[Anthony Anderson]

I mean, don't say it like that.

[Dax Shepard]

No, I'm going to leave it just like that. Just like the world record.

[Anthony Anderson]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

We were recently together. Moving on.

[Anthony Anderson]

Great talk.

[Dax Shepard]

No, we, among some other people went to Vegas because Kimmel was being honored. And we were on an airplane together. We were shooting the shit.

[Anthony Anderson]

Not just an airplane. We were on a pj.

[Dax Shepard]

We were on a private show.

[Anthony Anderson]

They need to know we just went flying southwest.

[Dax Shepard]

That's a good look for you. It's not a good look for me.

[Anthony Anderson]

Why is it not a good look for you?

[Dax Shepard]

I'll tell you. And I say this all the time on here. When black people are showing wealth, I'm like, fuck, yeah. It was impossible for you to get it. Let it. Let it rip. I don't mind at all when I see a white kid driving a Lamborghini, I'm like, yeah, come on.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. I mean, but it's a flex that we could all use, man. It's not JetBlue or the other.

[Dax Shepard]

It was. It was a private jet. But would you agree there's a difference? No one's going to be rooting for me to be on a private jet. Nor should they. I root for you because we know each other. And you know, I'm from the fucking bowels of hillbilly country.

[Anthony Anderson]

Michigan.

[Dax Shepard]

Come on, baby.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, so we're on this flight and we're talking about gambling. And I already know that you gamble. Yeah, I'm fixing to gamble. When we're there, we have a little two hour break. And then you're like, all right, let's play together. And I don't know if I was very forthcoming in the moment, but I was starting to get really fearful that we were gonna sit down and you were gonna be playing like 2,000 a hand, and I was gonna be playing like 25.

[Anthony Anderson]

Right, right.

[Dax Shepard]

And feeling emasculated. And you. I'm like, yes, you did jump at.

[Anthony Anderson]

The opportunity to do it.

[Dax Shepard]

But in my mind, I'm like, oh, I'm going to feel like such a clown. No playing next to you. Thank God you decided to take a nap. Yeah, I did, is what happened when we got there.

[Anthony Anderson]

You went to the table.

[Dax Shepard]

I went to the table, and Chris and I just gave it to him straight in the high knee. $225.

[Anthony Anderson]

$25 bucks, man. Anytime you can leave Vegas with their money, that's a win.

[Dax Shepard]

That's a big win.

[Monica Padman]

But were you right? Would it have been a big, massive leap of.

[Anthony Anderson]

No. You know, what would you have been like?

[Dax Shepard]

Not this table.

[Anthony Anderson]

We were just there for fun, so it would have been fun for us. So we would have been paying. We've been paying at the little $10, $25 table. I can't go lower than $25, right. I would sit at the $25 table, and we would have had a great time. When you put in the corner out there every time, you bet. You know, it's like, I got to play this, right?

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

So, yeah, we would have had great time.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, now let's talk about the event itself.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes. Power of love.

[Dax Shepard]

Good memory.

[Anthony Anderson]

I've done it twice before. Once was for Smokey Robinson.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh. He was honored.

[Anthony Anderson]

And honored. Lionel Richie. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Great time.

[Dax Shepard]

I have one really good Lionel Richie story. It's not even really good. It's just I met him, and it was so exciting. We were flying back from Nashville. We had been promoting a movie at Bonnaroo, that music festival. And then Lionel Richie was there performing. And so we get on the airplane, and we're like four rows behind him, and I say to Chris, I'm like, oh, my God, Lionel Richie's over there. And we're, like, peeping him and everything. And then we get distracted. And then life carries on. And then all of a sudden, I look up, and he's standing there, and he goes, hi, I'm Lionel Richie. And I go, oh, my God. I know you're Lionel Richie. We love you. We're chatting, chatting, chatting. And I said, lionel, I know what your best song is. And he said, what is that? And I said, this is your life. And he goes, I think that is my best song. Was he drunk? Some hugs. And then he left. And I'm like, this is so great. He does not think that's his best song that he played along with me.

[Anthony Anderson]

So he just happened to be wandering down the aisle and stopped at you and Chris seats and said, hi, I'm Lionel. Not Lionel.

[Monica Padman]

Hi.

[Dax Shepard]

Lyle. Lionel Ritzy. Lionel Ritzy. Well, I think he probably saw us when we got on, but we assumed he doesn't know who we are.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Dax Shepard]

And then I guess he just decided, fuck if I know, me. But that happened, and that was very exciting. Are you friends with him?

[Anthony Anderson]

I am. Lionel School. So, Lionel, if you're listening to this podcast, which I know you're probably not, but by a chance, if you are, I'm still waiting on my dinner at your house. I've gone through two girlfriends and a marriage of 23 years, and I have yet to be at the dinner at your home that you've invited me and my wife and two of my girlfriends to.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, let's sort that out.

[Anthony Anderson]

Lionel's a great guy.

[Dax Shepard]

I do imagine his house being a very special situation when you bought a house in Bel air in the 80s. It's its own thing.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes. When I play golf at LA Country Club as a guest, not as a member.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Anthony Anderson]

You can see Lionel's house from the fourth hole, fifth hole, or something like that. So every time I go by the house, I hit a ball in the backyard and be like, motherfucker, I want my dinner.

[Dax Shepard]

But.

[Anthony Anderson]

But to see his home. Just see the backyard. It's in layers.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, good for him.

[Anthony Anderson]

It's in at least three different layers, but I want to count four.

[Dax Shepard]

It's terrace.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes, but not just the width of this table. I'm talking about park, like terraces, cascades down. I was like, God damn, Lionel.

[Dax Shepard]

Good for him. This is your life.

[Anthony Anderson]

And I hear that he has. I don't know how true this is. I started talking to him about it one day, but we never finished the conversation. He built a room in his home to replicate the room that he originally wrote to his music in when he was at Tuskegee and all that. The early days of the Commodores, where he wrote the music and old record players and records and shit that was around him in that space when he was being that creative.

[Dax Shepard]

It's a replica.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, I started talking to him about that, and he started to give the answer, and then something happened and we both got distracted. But, you know, I'm gonna call him.

[Monica Padman]

Are we doing a real time call? I love it.

[Anthony Anderson]

Let's call Lionel Richie right now.

[Dax Shepard]

Ask him what his best song is.

[Anthony Anderson]

Okay. If he picks up? He never picks up, but he always responds to a text message. Lionel, please pick up.

[Dax Shepard]

We need you.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh, it's the third ring. He's not picking up.

[Monica Padman]

Your call has been forwarded to voicemail. The person you're trying to reach is not available. When you have finished recording, you may hang up.

[Anthony Anderson]

Hey, Lionel, it's Anthony Anderson. I'm here with Dax Shepard and Monica. I'm doing a podcast, and I was hoping that you would pick up the phone because we're here talking about you. You mad Dax on a plane with his wife Kristen, and you walked up and said, hi, I'm Lionel Richie. Dax said that?

[Dax Shepard]

Very memorable.

[Anthony Anderson]

He knows what your favorite song was, and it was, this is your life. Is this is your life really your favorite song? Or is that what you just told him? And secondly, I was telling him that word on the street is that you have a replica room of when you wrote your greatest hits when you were younger at Tuskegee and all of that. And I told him how we were starting this conversation, and I asked that question, and then we got distracted, so you never answered it. So please call me back and answer it, and I promise to put you on the air and invite our friend in to dinner and the dinner that you promised me and my ex wife, me and my ex girlfriend. And me and my ex ex girlfriend. That's three relationships that I've gone through. Still waiting on dinner, Lionel. Call me back. Bye.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, if he calls back in the.

[Dax Shepard]

Middle of this, oh, make sure your ringer's on.

[Anthony Anderson]

I'm gonna send him a text that says, call me.

[Dax Shepard]

I tell him I've been in a bad accident.

[Monica Padman]

He's gonna think there's a huge emergency.

[Dax Shepard]

No, no.

[Anthony Anderson]

Put the please on your.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, no. I'm scared he's gonna drop every. What is it? I've just left surgery. Did you watch that greatest night in pop doc? It's the documentary about them coming together to. Was it we are the world?

[Monica Padman]

Oh, we are the world.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes, I've seen that.

[Dax Shepard]

Isn't that incredible?

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes.

[Dax Shepard]

Cause Lionel's incredible. Everyone's incredible. Daryl Hall's incredible. And then Michael sings, and you're like, fuck. Among all these people, there' one person's.

[Anthony Anderson]

Actually like, 20% better not to mention any names. If you saw the doc, you really know how horrible some of them sounded.

[Dax Shepard]

Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure, sure. How about when Stevie had to do Bob Dylan in his Bob Dylan voice so Bob knew how to sing?

[Anthony Anderson]

That was the crazy part, man.

[Dax Shepard]

I thought it was Bob singing. Yeah, no, Stevie Wonder. Also genius among geniuses.

[Anthony Anderson]

Okay, so let's talk about this. Stevie Wonder can see.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, this is a big rumor.

[Monica Padman]

Can see. Stevie Wonder can see.

[Anthony Anderson]

Okay, hold on, I'll.

[Monica Padman]

We need to know your point.

[Anthony Anderson]

I need Steve Wonder can see.

[Dax Shepard]

Here's what I've seen. I'm sure you've seen him. I've seen some videos. There are a lot of people that believe he can. And there's a couple moments on stage where, like, a mic stand falls and he catches.

[Monica Padman]

Yes, yes.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, tell me why.

[Anthony Anderson]

I've known Stevie for years. Okay, Stevie. I've hung out with Stevie. We've partied together, just in concerts.

[Dax Shepard]

What if you said play darts together?

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, no, no, this is a little thing that we would always do. Every time we saw each other, Stevie would be talking to you. Next thing you know, he'd grab you and. And slit your throat. Like, how did he know where my throat was? You know what I'm saying? So we take his finger and like, he had a blade and slit your throat and he's. Ah, I got you. I was like, okay, that's cool. You're in close proximity, you're talking to somebody. You get their height, you've been around them a while. That's cool.

[Dax Shepard]

Your ears are echolocating the distance of their mouth.

[Anthony Anderson]

I get all that orientation.

[Dax Shepard]

That's something that's on the up and up.

[Anthony Anderson]

So we are at a jazz festival that I believe Stevie is producing in Trinidad. So we get there. Let me back up just because. Hold on, Let me see if that's Lionel. Oh, that's my mama.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Anthony Anderson]

She can wait.

[Dax Shepard]

Doris too.

[Anthony Anderson]

This is another flex. Stevie says, hey, man, why don't you come over here to this jazz festival I'm doing? I'm like, okay, cool. Meet me at the airport. So we get at the airport, it's Stevie Natalie Cole. Oh, Jennifer Whitney Houston. Come on.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God.

[Anthony Anderson]

Johnny Gill, myself, Gabrielle Union, Derek, Luke, couple of other people. So we're taking off and Stevie says, oh, don't forget, we gotta stop in Atlanta and pick up Chris. Like, all right, so we stop in Atlanta, we pick up Chris Tucker.

[Dax Shepard]

What year is this?

[Anthony Anderson]

This is 15, 20 years ago.

[Dax Shepard]

Ah, okay.

[Anthony Anderson]

And so we land in Trinidad Tobago. This will date it. When did the Police get back together as a band for that last tour? After not being a band for like 20 some odd years or whatever. Whatever year that was.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. I think they've tried it a few times, and I think it never works.

[Anthony Anderson]

This was that last big tour that they had, and this was their first show coming together was going to be.

[Dax Shepard]

At this jazz festival.

[Anthony Anderson]

It was at this jazz festival. So it was just a regular jazz festival with all these other performers. T labelle, Natalie Cole, Johnny, all these performed. And then the night we all went in the audience to watch the Police.

[Dax Shepard]

Come on with Stuart Copeland playing drums.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes, the Police. But before that, all these other people were performing. Johnny Gill is on stage performing. Chris Tucker and I get on stage and we become his background dancers. And the crowd is packed because they're here to see that on top of the Police. So you can just imagine how big this crowd was. Dougie Fresh grabs the mic. He gets the crowd in the frenzy. And all this before somebody else gets on stage. I end up on stage right. Stage left is over here and stage. It's a musical stage with huge bands. So just imagine how large the stage is and all the equipment that's on stage.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

I'm the furthest away from stage left on stage right. And Stevie Wonder, I see out of the corner of my eye, starts walking on stage. Cause Stevie Wonder wants to be a part of what's going on on stage. I was like, oh, shit. Stevie's about to get down. This motherfucker walks from stage left through instruments, through chords, through cables, through foot pedals, everything.

[Dax Shepard]

Walks to me now. 150ft.

[Anthony Anderson]

He looks me in my eye and says, anthony, get me to a piano. I'm like, what the fuck?

[Dax Shepard]

Hold on. How could he not find the piano?

[Anthony Anderson]

But he goes, he walked past the piano. Dougie Fresh is beatboxing. Chris Tucker is dancing. Johnny Gill is singing. There's a party going on stage. The fucking stage hands and grips. Stevie walks through the maze of everything and walks directly to me and looks me dead in my eyes this close.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, he's wearing sunglasses though now.

[Anthony Anderson]

He says, yes, he is, and says, anthony, get me to a piano.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, my goodness. This is a compelling.

[Anthony Anderson]

I was like, steve, you just walked past the fucking piano. But okay. And I walk him to the piano that center stage that he walked and didn't even touch. Walked around.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, Monica.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. This is compounding.

[Dax Shepard]

This is. Now let me ask you this though, because then I have to go straight to what would be the motive. Let's try this case.

[Anthony Anderson]

He's been living a lie for so long that he doesn't want anything.

[Dax Shepard]

A great magician where you got to live the routine.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Do you think his feelings would be hurt as your friend, knowing that you think he's able sighted?

[Anthony Anderson]

No, we talk about him. We laugh about it all the time. Like, I'll send him text messages. He like, I know you saw my text message, man, call me back.

[Monica Padman]

It could be a smell thing.

[Anthony Anderson]

I hear you on that. I say that he's 100 away from me.

[Dax Shepard]

Dude, people are dancing.

[Anthony Anderson]

It's Jamaica. You know how much Weed was being smoked in Trinidad and Tobago.

[Monica Padman]

But maybe that's part of it. It's like, I know. To get around. I mean, we just don't know. Don't they say that the other senses get so strong?

[Anthony Anderson]

Really? He didn't want to ask Chris Tucker to take him to the piano. He passed him first. He couldn't ask Johnny Gill. Cause Johnny was still singing.

[Dax Shepard]

He might have geotagged you somehow. He put a little something on you on the airplane. He's like, you're gonna be my an. I'm gonna find you. Okay, here's our really funny. One friend of ours worked at Houston's, our favorite restaurant. Stevie Weiner comes in with like five, six friends. And the two funny things about it is all the tables are obviously numbered for the servers, right?

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

So one of the servers says to the runner, hey, drop this at Stevie Wonder's table. And the runner says, what number? And he said, number. Stevie Wonder.

[Anthony Anderson]

Right, Right.

[Dax Shepard]

So just go find him. And then. This could be an exaggeration. The friends were holding up their drinks and pointing another round, but they would never say it out loud.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh, stop, Steve. They were getting slushed at dinner.

[Dax Shepard]

His boobs were like, taking them to the cleaners. Yeah, another one of these. But they were not saying anything, so he wouldn't know they were drinking $400 worth.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. You know, what's the bill? I got it. Don't worry about it. What's the numbers, y'all? Oh, it's not bad, Stevie. But there have been sightings. You know, Shaq tells stories. Eddie Murphy tells stories how they've seen Stevie Wonder driving cars and shit like that. I've seen Stevie walk through landmines and come to me. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Wow, that is wild.

[Anthony Anderson]

Look, as I tell the stories, like, yeah, Eddie. And Shaq said he's seen him drive cars. He'd be like, yeah, it's crazy. I saw the man walk through landmines and get to me. So I was like, anything's possible.

[Dax Shepard]

I wouldn't care if the whole thing was a ruse. I wouldn't feel deceived. And also, if you think about it, it's an incredibly useful thing to say. You have, because you never to remember what anyone looks like. There's just so much you would get out of.

[Anthony Anderson]

But, man, that takes some commitment.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God.

[Anthony Anderson]

Dedication.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes. Next level.

[Anthony Anderson]

And then, Stevie, I love you if you're listening to this, because I know you're not watching the podcast, but if.

[Monica Padman]

You'Re listening, he is watching.

[Dax Shepard]

Maybe is what you're saying if Stevie.

[Anthony Anderson]

Could see, he wouldn't have made some of those fashion choices that he's made over the years.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, so that's the other.

[Monica Padman]

That's the other bit of the other side that.

[Anthony Anderson]

And he wouldn't have kept getting those braids with his hair receding the way that it was. Stevie would have saw that and be like, yo, what the y'all doing to my line? Y'all pushing my hairline back. I got Khalid's now.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. I do want to go back to Compton, to childhood.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh, let's go.

[Dax Shepard]

We're of similar age. And when I was growing up, all the music was coming from there that I loved. The movies I loved at that moment were coming from there, and you were living there. So couple questions. What was it like growing up there? And then also, I just trying to imagine my hometown being the source of all these great movies, all this great music, what that felt like to be there. And was there some disconnect of, oh, yeah, everyone's into this. It's on tv. But it's not a party here.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh, it's a combination of all that, you know, Start with the latter first. It's not a party or celebrated the way that people were digesting it or enjoying it, but it was my reality. So the shit that you saw and the things that people were entertained by, the music, the culture, the movies that were in and about Compton, it was also about these places around the country as well. But it was centered here. It was crazy, man. You know, I wasn't affiliated with any gangs, but you're affiliated by association. You're affiliated because it's the block that you live in.

[Dax Shepard]

I was gonna say your neighborhood probably plays a big role in shit.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. They were like, I don't give a fuck you live on Holly or you live in Luders Park. You live in these places that were what they were. I come from a blood territory, a bloodhood. And the other hood, surrounding areas were Crips. Whether or not I was a part of the gang culture, it didn't matter. Right to the other side. That's where you live. So that's what you were about. I had to walk through all of that. I went to the High School for the Performing Arts, which was at Hollyw. No, no, no, that's Hollywood High. That's where I graduated. That's why I did my senior year.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, okay. Okay. This is the LA County.

[Anthony Anderson]

LA County High School for the Performing Arts. I was part of the inaugural class in 1985. I'm actually going back to do their 40 year reunion this year.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, cool.

[Anthony Anderson]

Reached out to me and asked me to be a part of it. And I never wanted to be a part of the school.

[Dax Shepard]

Why?

[Anthony Anderson]

Because they kicked me out for having weed. I get why you did it, but you let the white boys with the cocaine stay in the school. I know I'm getting off our topic and I'll get back to it, but I had an issue with the administration. So for the longest time, people that I there were students there, I had friends who had kids there. You should come back and talk to the school. And I was like, no. And then one day I woke up and I was like, but that's doing a disservice to the students.

[Dax Shepard]

Exactly. Who did nothing.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. Who did nothing to me and would love for somebody like me to be there and be a part of that.

[Dax Shepard]

Absolutely.

[Anthony Anderson]

So years ago I decided, okay, whenever they ask me again, I'm there. So I had to be ready for school by 5:30 because I had to walk a mile and a half to a bus stop.

[Dax Shepard]

5:30 in the 80s, shit's popping.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh yeah. Especially in the hoods where I'm from.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Why? Mornings were like.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, because people have been smoking, smoking crack all night long.

[Anthony Anderson]

They're still out, they're still buying all this shit. Drive bys. Nobody schedules a Drive by 3:30 in the afternoon. It's like, yo, we gonna catch him when we catch em. So walking through my hood was fine, but then I had to walk through other neighborhoods. You hear Tupac and them talk about Long beach and rose crayons. You hear people rap about that shit. That's my neighborhood. That's the corner where I had to sit and wait for a bus at 5:50 in the morning. Right across the street are the Santana block Crips, diametrically opposed to the Ludus Park Bloods. And then the I'm probably speaking French to y'all and all this other shit, but those who know who are listening understand. So I had to sit on that bus stop at 5:50 in the morning, waiting for a 6am bus that takes me two hours to get to school. And then I had to reverse it at 4 o'clock when I got out of school and come home so really quick.

[Dax Shepard]

What's the survival mechanism? Is it ignoring? Is it acknowledging? Is it ignoring till you have to acknowledge?

[Anthony Anderson]

You don't ignore it. That's when you get caught. You know, your head is always on a swivel, especially moving alone in areas that are hotspots I'm always conscious of where I am. That's just the era that I come from in the neighborhoods that I come from.

[Dax Shepard]

So when you were seeing it blow up in pop culture, to be fully honest with you, my best friend Aaron, who I'm still best friends with, we left Detroit right when we graduated high school. We went on a road trip. We lived in the car for like six months. When we came to la, our very first stop was where? South Central.

[Anthony Anderson]

Very wide of you.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, we want to see all the action. And then we got there and being from Detroit, the project's a Detroit. You know, you're looking at them.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And we were like, these are kind of nice houses. It was a little confusing.

[Anthony Anderson]

I was going to ask you.

[Dax Shepard]

There's all these, like, World War II bungalow developments. It's very confusing if you're from the east coast to come out and see. Well.

[Monica Padman]

And also what's been presented in media and stuff like that.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So if I were you, I would be annoyed. Like, what the fuck are these white boys doing? They're tourists.

[Anthony Anderson]

That's when you get caught up. So you never got caught up in anything?

[Dax Shepard]

No, but I was also smoking crack in Detroit.

[Anthony Anderson]

I've never known that about you.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, yeah. I'm an ex addict and I used to be in the gnarliest apartments smoking crack in Detroit.

[Anthony Anderson]

We recognize that.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. I knew how to get by and so did Aaron.

[Anthony Anderson]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

But all to say, I'm trying to imagine what it is when you're inside of it and people, they themselves are enamored by it. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

It's annoying.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, it is. It's like when the baby falls into the gorilla cage or somebody gets into the cage. You want to see the motherfuckers get ripped apart?

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

I should say when the baby falls in, because that's an accident. But when motherfuckers get in and, like, want to play with the lions and want to play with the monkeys and you know better.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes, yes.

[Anthony Anderson]

It's like, motherfucker, there's a wire cage and there's a brick fen. You climbed all of this. You swam across the moat to get this. You deserve whatever you're about to get right now. And the animal should not be punished.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

For what is about to happen to you. Yes. And it's fucked up that the animal has to be killed, euthanized and maimed and whatever because of what this asshole did. So sometimes when you see shit like that, you was like, okay, this is all news to me. You Tell me you've been an ex addict. I probably knew about that, but I didn't know you smoked crack.

[Dax Shepard]

Sure, sure.

[Anthony Anderson]

You probably talked about. You talked about this shit because you said it so freely right now without any.

[Monica Padman]

We talk about it every five min.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. How old were you when you started smoking crack and what was that about? How long was the addiction to that?

[Dax Shepard]

Well, crack, thank God, was something I did semi controlled. My preference was to snort it.

[Anthony Anderson]

Snort crack?

[Dax Shepard]

No, no. Snort coke.

[Anthony Anderson]

Okay. I was like, hold on. You go snort crack? You just didn't want to go to cocaine.

[Dax Shepard]

I would often run out of that. I can't get that at 3 in the morning. So I go to ghost town in Venice and buy crack and I'll smoke crack.

[Anthony Anderson]

You weren't doing that while you were in Detroit?

[Dax Shepard]

No, no. Then I go back to Detroit for the and hang with all my boys when we go downtown.

[Monica Padman]

But you weren't a kid doing it.

[Dax Shepard]

I wasn't a child. I probably smoked it for the first time when I was 21.

[Anthony Anderson]

All right.

[Dax Shepard]

Wow.

[Monica Padman]

This is also while he's at UCLA.

[Anthony Anderson]

No. Yeah, yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Like two things are happening that make no sense.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, yeah, I'm at UCLA and in the Groundlings. I'm a comedian. Okay. Stay tuned for more Armchair Expert if you dare. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Apple Card is a no fee credit card that gives you daily cash back every day. That's 3% back at Apple and 2% back on every purchase made with Apple Card using Apple Pay. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app on your iPhone today. Subject to credit approval. Variable APRs for Apple Card range from 18.24% to 28.49% based on creditworthiness rates as of January 1, 2020. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and [e-mail] we are supported by Claude, the AI assistant. That just feels different, you know. We're curious about the ol artificial intelligence here on the pod. We are curious and we always want to give our armchairs the if you know, you know, tips.

[Monica Padman]

We sure do.

[Dax Shepard]

So they need to meet our new pal, Claude. While other AIs sound like robots, Claude just gets it with the emotional intelligence. Whether I'm researching guests or refining my latest meal plan to get Brad Pitt's abs or looking for the best dating advice to give Monica, Claude is the fact checker in your pocket while you're in the armchair.

[Monica Padman]

Well, that's exciting for us. I like having an extra companion.

[Dax Shepard]

Welcome to the Team Claude. You can try Claude for free [e-mail]. that's C L-A U D E girl.com. we are supported by Peloton. Peloton has what you need to achieve your fitness goals. No matter why you got started, Rob, you're a peloton devotee. How often? I am five times a week on that peloton. Five times a week. And what kind of changes have you noticed?

[Anthony Anderson]

I mean my endurance.

[Dax Shepard]

I can go longer after doing it started at 20 minutes and now I'm doing 45 minute sessions. Oh yeah, girl. Also, I noticed your legs and haunches look gorgeous. Peloton has a variety of challenging classes and training programs. Pilates, 5K, 10K, half and full marathon programs, yoga and strength training. Peloton will push you to achieve your goals.

[Monica Padman]

I sneak over to my friend who has a peloton. I sneak over there and I get in a workout. It's so nice. Yeah, it is also like elegant.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, it is. Peloton has thousands of members whose lives have been changed by the workouts, experiences and community. Join them today. Find your push, find your power with Peloton. @1peloton. We are supported by Ring. With Ring, you can be there from anywhere with doorbells and cameras that help you see more to exciting features that help you know more to the app that lets you connect more, see more at the front door, up high and down low with battery doorbells, head to toe video capture it all, all day and all night with 24. 7 recording and get smarter alerts that know the difference between a person and a path package right in the Ring app. Now, I relied on these ring photos.

[Monica Padman]

Quite a bit for our unfortunate violation.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes. It was so good to have all that.

[Monica Padman]

It's also, it just brings peace of mind to know you can check it anytime.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes, with Ring you can check in and be there from anywhere. Some features require a subscription and are available only on select Ring devices. Exclusions apply. Learn [e-mail].

[Anthony Anderson]

Have you ever done SNL?

[Dax Shepard]

I haven't, no.

[Anthony Anderson]

Neither have I.

[Dax Shepard]

It's heartbreaking, right? It is.

[Anthony Anderson]

Man.

[Dax Shepard]

And now I'm getting so old now it's starting to sound like too much work for me.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

You look at the successes that we've had, you know, in our careers, and then you look at some of the talent that they have come there and host and you're like, did I upset somebody?

[Dax Shepard]

Right, right, right, right.

[Anthony Anderson]

I've never questioned my ability because I know what I can do.

[Dax Shepard]

They called for my availability 1. It's not to say that they were offering it.

[Anthony Anderson]

No, I got the same thing.

[Dax Shepard]

And that's great.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. They call for my availability, but then they never called back. Once we sent them the dates, I was like, what the fuck? I was available. I was in the middle of Blackish. I mean, we're shooting my show. We had 24 episodes a year. We get the call, we gonna tell abc, yo, we shutting down for whatever I'm about to go do snl, these motherfuckers never called back, man.

[Dax Shepard]

I'm gonna say this from the bottom of my heart. You would be great.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God.

[Dax Shepard]

You would be such a great host.

[Monica Padman]

That's what I said. I'm very surprised.

[Anthony Anderson]

That's what I've always said.

[Dax Shepard]

Ye would be a great, great host.

[Anthony Anderson]

While I was doing my first stint on Law and order, so from 2008 to 2010, they came to Jeremy Sisto and I and wanted us to shoot a bit with Zach Galifianakis. Cause he was hosting. So we went and did a Law and Order bit type thing.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, that's cool.

[Dax Shepard]

And it aired.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, it aired. I was cool with that. But I was like, yo, you can call me to come be funny and do this shit, but I get what that was.

[Dax Shepard]

You gotta take it as a win. You're back on the bus stop, 5:30 in the morning. You're like, oh, boy, they're in a fight. They're about to start shootin' where's the 360?

[Anthony Anderson]

Down Long Beach Boulevard.

[Dax Shepard]

I'm on express bus. And then the white angel shows up and he says, guess what? At some point, SNL's gonna call and ask for your availability. You're gonna go, oh, my God, I won't run. That's a win. I won't run from these bullets. I just hope they don't hit me. Okay, so single mom or you had a stepdad?

[Anthony Anderson]

I've never called him my stepdad. He's been my dad since I was an infant. So that's my daddy.

[Dax Shepard]

Great. And you had a good one.

[Anthony Anderson]

I did.

[Dax Shepard]

He's from Little Rock, and he came to work in a steel mill.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, Little Rock, Arkansas. Youngest of 16.

[Dax Shepard]

16.

[Anthony Anderson]

Same mom, same dad, grew up on a farm. An Irish twin. My uncle Adel is 11 months older than my dad. My Uncle Adel came out to California being an Irish twin. He was tied to the hip. He came out to be where his older brother was. Yeah, that's. That's what brought my dad out to California. End up working in the steel mill. Sule Steel.

[Dax Shepard]

Where's that?

[Anthony Anderson]

In Watts.

[Dax Shepard]

That's not still functioning?

[Anthony Anderson]

No, it's not still functioning. All the steel went over to Japan years ago. It was crazy. My dad, his company sent him to Japan. And my dad was like 6, 4, 300 plus pounds. But he was 300 solid. So just imagine what the Japanese thought with a Jerry curl. Oh my God. My dad has pictures of him and all these Japanese women just surrounded him. And he's holding up his hand and his lady's hand is like down here, here. Just to see the sun.

[Dax Shepard]

Her basement.

[Anthony Anderson]

And I know my daddy was over there, his ass off. And so he was there for a few weeks.

[Dax Shepard]

Man, I'm surprised he came back.

[Anthony Anderson]

He had to come back to my mama.

[Dax Shepard]

How did he end up? He owned clothing stores at some point.

[Anthony Anderson]

Again, my father did everything my uncle did. And my uncle started a clothing store in Watts and built it up to a few throughout Los Angeles. Angeles. I'll never forget growing up as a kid. My uncle was doing well. And he would walk around with a briefcase and have $15,000 in it. So 50 years ago, 40 years ago, for a black dude doing that, successful in business. And this was just the receipts from his stores from that week. And he would come over to my dad's house and they would talk. And you know, just being up there, my dad would count the money with him and wanted to do what his older brother did. So my father went downtown la, to the garment district, bought a box of Braxton jeans. I'll never forget, 36 pair of jeans and a box. He went to a swap meet on that Saturday, sold out, went back the next day or later on that day, took the profits from his one box and bought two boxes, sold out the next day. So the next week he took that profit and bought more stuff. And so that's how my father started at swap meet and then on corners. And then he had this one particular corner in Watts in LA that he would go to and set up shop. You know, canopies and tents. It was like an open storefront.

[Dax Shepard]

Did he make you work with him ever?

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, and I didn't have a problem doing it.

[Dax Shepard]

Good chance to work on your people skills.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, popping my shit. My dad popping his shit. Making money, getting paid as a teenager. Then from there my father started opening stores. And when he opened the stores, it was for plus size women. Cause my mom was a plus size. So he was just catering to the women he loved. So it was plus size women in children's clothing. And that's what he did, man.

[Dax Shepard]

And what did Doris do? I know she wanted to be an actor.

[Anthony Anderson]

She wanted to be an actor. My mother is. Was a telephone operator for the county of Los Angeles.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, I read that. And I was like, this feels so 80s to be a telephone operator.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. And she worked at a hospital, Harbor General, UCLA Medical center in Torrance, California.

[Dax Shepard]

And you had a little brother?

[Anthony Anderson]

Two little brothers and a sister. My sister's the baby. I'm the oldest. I lost my youngest brother about 20 years ago now in a car accident while he was at West Texas A and M College playing football.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, yeah. Because they're probably huge, like your dad.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. So we lost him, and then a year later, lost my dad. So it's three children now. Me, my brother Derek, and my sister Doris.

[Dax Shepard]

When my dad died, I thought it was going well.

[Anthony Anderson]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

But in reflection, it really fucked me up more than I really kind of realized at the time. And I have a few friends whose dads also died too young. I don't know. It can bring out some wild stuff.

[Anthony Anderson]

I processed it as best as I could or as best as I knew, and I don't think I've really processed it as an adult.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. What year?

[Anthony Anderson]

This was almost 20 years ago. So I was in my 30s. I was successful.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, good. He saw that.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. I've been successful a while, so he got a chance to see all of that stuff. But, you know, when I go, my therapist. I'm gonna talk to my therapist about this. You're giving me something to talk to him about. Because I don't really think I fully processed the death of my father.

[Dax Shepard]

Me either. It's still evolving. Mine was 2012, so 13 years ago. My most consistent dream is dream about him. When he died, it was a bit of a relief because I was caring for him and supporting him, and it was complicated. And so at first it was just like, okay, whew. There's a lot off my plate now. And then, oh, I miss him. And then it just continues to unfold, this whole thing. And now I have a completely different view of him than I did when he died. I recognize all these incredible things. He was. In spite of some things I was disappointed in.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Just all these things. And, yeah. Now I'm like, God, yeah, I'd really like to go back now and hang with. When he was virile and not dying.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. My dad. It's sad how it happened, because I'm a type 2 diabetic. I was the first person diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in my family. I started getting healthy and I started partnering with Eli Lilly and now Novo Nordisk, bringing awareness about diabetes to the inner city, in particular, black men.

[Dax Shepard]

They over index, right?

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, very much so. Because I lost my father to complications of diabetes. And what was fucked up, he had diabetes for probably 20, 25 years undiagnosed without knowing O.

[Dax Shepard]

That's rough, right? You're peeing all the time, you're fatigued.

[Anthony Anderson]

Dad's just tired. You know, this is a teenager growing up and all this other shit. He's like, why does dad have a bucket next to the bed? Because he just roll over and piss in the bucket next to his bed non stop. Once I was diagnosed as a diabetic, I was like, oh, shit. This is what my father had as I was growing up. I'm looking at the symptoms I have and I'm looking at the symptoms he had. It had gotten to a point where I don't know what it's called, but we say it's elephantitis. Where his lower extremities were in one size from the knee down to the ankle into the foot, and it was swole and was hard as this table. And then he developed leaking ulcers on the back of both of his calves. And it became painful for him to walk, so I had to get him a cane and a roller walker. At this point, my father's in his 60s and he just let himself go. So now he's really just a big man. By the time he was diagnosed, diabetes had wreaked havoc on his body. And I took him to the best endocrinologist that I could find. We tried to nurse. Nurse him back to health. He was in the hospital for a couple of months. Had a pulmonary embolism while he was in the hospital, but they were able to catch it and save him, then released him to a rehab center. Then they let him go home. So we had a nurse that would come to him daily. And then one day I went to visit my dad and my brother. His nickname was Tuga. That's my brother that passed. And I was talking to my dad. He was laying in his bed and I was in his bedroom just leaning up against his dresser, speaking to him. And I was like, hey, what's going on, Pops? How you doing? He said, I'm all right. He said, I saw Tuga last night. I was like, really? He said, yeah. He just sat on the edge of the bed right there. I said, and what you guys do? He said, we just talk. I said, oh, really?

[Dax Shepard]

At that point, are you like, oh, Dad's kind of hallucinating?

[Anthony Anderson]

No, not hallucinating. It was like, dad is about to.

[Dax Shepard]

Go, yeah, right, right, right.

[Anthony Anderson]

I believe in ghosts and all that. So when he was telling me my brother came to visit him, I was like, oh, okay, it's time. And not long after that, man, he died on Valentine's Day. I was going to work. I was filming the Shield, and I got a call in the middle of the night from his nurse and said, we lost your dad.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, man.

[Anthony Anderson]

And, yeah, that's why I'm so adamant about going around the world and just talking about diabetes and giving my testimonial and just talking to men. I know I got it from being a glutton and from not eating the right shit and for doing all this other shit that I did throughout my life that contributed to it. I'll say that much. I contributed.

[Dax Shepard]

Were you adjusting or regulating the inside with that? Like, I'm using drugs and booze.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh, no.

[Dax Shepard]

It wasn't like a coping mechanism for.

[Anthony Anderson]

No, no. I just, like. Good, man. Probably why I got gouting my big toe on my right foot occasionally.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, that's rough, isn't it?

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. Oh, man.

[Dax Shepard]

That's what. My dad, at the end, he had gout in addition to everything.

[Anthony Anderson]

You know what's crazy? I was living in New Orleans for a while, shooting a show there.

[Dax Shepard]

That place will give you gout.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. I was like, I'm gonna be healthy. I was eating nothing but seafood and shellfish. I was like, oh, I'm just eating seafood and shellfish. But all the purine in the shellfish contributed to my buildup of uric acid. And I'll never forget, I was in the scene, and I went to kick a door in, and I hit it, and I was like, ow, I think I broke my toe. And I finished the scene. Then we moved locations. We were filming in a hotel in the middle of the night, and I was laying across the bed, and they said, action. And I jumped up to run and chase the perp, and I put pressure on my right foot and I collapsed. And I was like, oh, I broke my toe. I went to the doctor the next day, limping in. They were like, what's wrong, Mr. Anderson? I was like, I kicked the door, and I think I broke my toe. They're looking at it like, I don't think you broke your toe. I said, yeah, and I think I broke my toe. They're like, you might have the gout. I was like, nah, I Ain't got the gout.

[Dax Shepard]

That's not for me.

[Anthony Anderson]

I was like, Dr. Kotler, let's go on X ray. They humored me, and I was like, okay. Mr. Anderson took me X ray. That shit came back 30 minutes later, said, okay, we got good news and bad news. Which one do you want first? I was like, the good news, all right, you didn't break your toe. I was like, what's the bad news? You got the gout. I was like, you mother. If you look at it, it looks red hot. And so if you put your hand above it, you can feel the heat coming off of it. Now I think about it, I was like, well, it is uric acid. You associate acid with being hot? That's just my little ghetto way of thinking about things. But if you hover your hand above wherever you may have the gout, it's radiating heat up off of it, and it's bright red and it hurts like hell.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. What I have gleaned from the many interviews I've watched of you now is, and I guessing having to leave Howard was that heartbreaking.

[Anthony Anderson]

It was. It was disappointing.

[Dax Shepard]

So you go to Howard after this magnet school you're at, and you're there for how many years?

[Anthony Anderson]

Three. I ran out of money after my junior year.

[Dax Shepard]

And you're doing theater there. And are you loving dc?

[Anthony Anderson]

Loving DC As Chocolate City. It was at the beginning of gentrification, and at 17, 18 years old, I didn't really understand or know what gentrification was, even though I was at the beginning of it in Washington. The Washington Wizards, their basketball team used to be called the Washington Bullets, but because it was the murder capital of the world at one particular time in the 80s, and they had been the Washington Bullets forever.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. Had nothing to do with it.

[Anthony Anderson]

So they were like, maybe we need to change the name of the King.

[Monica Padman]

Let's rebrand Optics.

[Dax Shepard]

Washington Murders.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, Right.

[Anthony Anderson]

So they changed the name from the Washington Bullets to the Washington Wizards. Just a little something for you.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, A little extra.

[Dax Shepard]

So you run out of money and you come back to la.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

How long before getting back to starting to get employed? Because I feel like you and I have a kind of a similar. I didn't start getting hired as an actor till, like, 28, 25 for me. Oh, right. You do five years on a Saturday morning teen show.

[Anthony Anderson]

I got that when I was 25 years old. So I left Howard at 20.

[Dax Shepard]

Those five years is long. Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

I came home especially with nothing. My parents ended up getting separated a few years After I came home, I moved in with my mom, went to a couple community colleges just because I wanted to keep my mind active. I was like, I'm going back to Howard. I just don't want to sit here and fuck off. I was like, let me go to some JCs. I went to El Camino Community College, and I went to Compton College for a semester each. And I was like, yeah, I just want to keep my mind active, and I want to pick up some classes that's going to transfer, so it'll make my load a little easier when I go back for my senior year. That shit never happened.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, till 2020. When did you go back?

[Anthony Anderson]

2022 is when I went back.

[Monica Padman]

And you graduated?

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. My son got accepted to Howard University in 20, 20, 18. When I went to college, I would have been the first person to graduate in my family from college. So that's why I was like, no, I got to go back and fucking finish. Then I started having kids, and then my younger cousins, 10, 15 years younger than me, they started going to college and graduating. I was like, I wanted to be the first.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

So my daughter went to the University of San Diego, graduated magna cum laude. I was like, oh, now she's slapping me in the face with this. Then my son gets accepted. His mother and I met at Howard in 1989. Yeah. So you're a double legacy kid. You got to go to Howard. And I was like, you know what, son? You're inspiring me to go back to school. I'm gonna walk with you in 2022. That gives me four years to make up 15 credits. Right? So I was like, I can do that shit. And so he goes, real life gets in his way. He's a young artist, actor, musician, rapper, and he wants to pursue his dream. And my son would always tell me, he was like, you dropped out of college. And look at you. I was like, first off, motherfucker, I didn't drop out college. There's a difference. I had financial hard choice. I didn't just wake up one morning like you did. He'd be like, fuck it, I'm dropping out. My dad got me. No, motherfucker, your daddy ain't got you. There are consequences that comes with these choices that you were about to make. And I'm telling you right now, you about to fuck it up. Yeah. But he left after his freshman year. But I kept my promise to him. I kept my promise to myself, and I walked in. 2022.

[Dax Shepard]

That's so cool.

[Monica Padman]

I love that.

[Anthony Anderson]

Taraji Henson was our commencement speaker the year I received my degree. Taraji Raji and I were classmates in the College of Fine Arts back when I was in school.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, wow.

[Anthony Anderson]

Denise Saunders, who's the associate dean of the College of Fine Arts, was instrumental in helping me get back into school. She and I were classmates when I was at Howard University. Phylicia Rashad is now the dean of the College of Fine Arts and this is her last year as dean of the College of Fine Arts. She and I are friends and have done things together. I received my degree from. And the College of Fine Arts is no longer called the College of Fine Arts that year for the first time. It's now called the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. And Chadwick and I are contemporaries and friends in this industry. All of that happened the year that I went back to get my degree. And it was just a full circle moment. And I took my best friend who's my kid's godfather, skinny boy who I went to high school with. We ended up at Howard together at the same time as freshmen. So it was a full circle moment. I went back to get my degree with the guy I started college with, with all of these people that I started college.

[Dax Shepard]

That airplane ride home, I'd be like, well, if it goes down, like, this is about as great as it is. This really worked out. So many wonderful things you're in. I really am jealous of a lot.

[Anthony Anderson]

Why? What are you jealous of?

[Dax Shepard]

Well departed. The fact that in your lifetime you worked for a Scorsese.

[Anthony Anderson]

You can just leave it right there. You don't have to read anymore.

[Dax Shepard]

It might be the greatest cast of all time.

[Anthony Anderson]

I would say that. Directed by the greatest director of all.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes. We've both hosted Kimmel. And you've done it a lot. How many times have you done it?

[Anthony Anderson]

I think I have the record for most appearances on Jimmy Kimmel. If I haven't passed Adam Carolla yet, I am a close second to him.

[Dax Shepard]

God, I feel like I gotta be up there too.

[Monica Padman]

Do you know how many you've been?

[Anthony Anderson]

No, there's a lot. Like every summer when Jimmy takes off, I host for a week. But what's crazy, he used to have co host on his show with him back in the day.

[Dax Shepard]

That's right.

[Anthony Anderson]

So you would come on and co host with him? I was the last co host that he had. Mike Tyson was before me. And then I came on and then I would come sit in for him. And then whenever he needed a bit or something, he always would call me and I call my mom so it'd be me and my mom on there.

[Monica Padman]

Your mom at the award show. That bit was so great. Yes, it was so fantastic.

[Dax Shepard]

Of all these hosting duties, which is your favorite? I mean, the game show racket's nice because you're just cranking out episodes.

[Anthony Anderson]

Those are cool. And I get to do them with my mom, so that's cool. But I would probably say Kimmel, because I've always wanted my own talk show, so I enjoy it from top to bottom. It's like me directing. When I was directing on Black Ish, you know, it was like, okay, I don't know how to direct, but my crew is not going to let me fail my very first episode.

[Dax Shepard]

Right.

[Anthony Anderson]

So, you know, this is a safe place for me to do.

[Dax Shepard]

It's a great place.

[Anthony Anderson]

So Kimmel is home for me. He's a great talk show host, but he's a fucking great friend.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, my God.

[Anthony Anderson]

Great guy. Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

He'll almost shame you.

[Monica Padman]

He's right there.

[Dax Shepard]

We gave him a best boy award.

[Monica Padman]

We gave him a best boy award.

[Dax Shepard]

He's the best boy on planet Earth.

[Anthony Anderson]

Best thing I would is Kimmel. And right after that, hosting the Emmys.

[Dax Shepard]

You love that.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Do you know that Ant refers to himself as the Lucci? What's her name?

[Monica Padman]

Susan Lucci.

[Anthony Anderson]

Black Susan Lucci. Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

He's been nominated 11 times. Monica and I were talking about the other day, and I was like, I don't know, man. If they had fucking nominated me, mind you, I've never been nominated. But if they nominated me five times, I might go like, I'm not fucking coming anymore.

[Anthony Anderson]

Like when I used to be nominated for an NAACP Image Award, every year I go and I think, ah, shit, this is the year. And I was like, ah. And then one year, I was like, oh, this is it. Oh, no. I showed my ass in this. This one's it. And I get there. I didn't look at who the other nominees were. So I was just like, oh, yeah, no, nothing. I get there and I look at my category, and I was like, denzel washed it.

[Dax Shepard]

Oopsie. I had this suit made for nothing. Yeah, nothing.

[Anthony Anderson]

And the winner is for best lead actor in the movie Denzel Whitehall.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, gosh.

[Dax Shepard]

One last question. And then I want to talk about. About G20. How do you know Jordan? And what's that hang like, wait, what?

[Monica Padman]

Jordan.

[Dax Shepard]

Michael Jordan.

[Anthony Anderson]

Michael Jordan.

[Dax Shepard]

Jordan.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

Although he does live next door to Michael B. Jordan. He said there's three black people in his neighborhood. Him, Michael B. Jordan. And Machine Gun Killer.

[Anthony Anderson]

You've done your research.

[Dax Shepard]

I tried to. You've done your research, man. That was funny. We kind of love him. We had him on. He was one of my favorite guests ever. Yeah, he's a special dude. He's like, a very sensitive, sweet dude.

[Anthony Anderson]

He's nothing like you think he would be. Yeah, yeah. Like, he called me up one day, Thanksgiving. He's like, yo, aunt, you got any aluminum foil? I was like, I do.

[Dax Shepard]

And you're grown. You should have it, too.

[Anthony Anderson]

I was like, I'm in Qatar right now. But, yo, I can give you the code to my back door. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Because he's cool.

[Anthony Anderson]

So I was like, yo, I'll give you the code to my back door, man. It's in the drawer right next to you. He said, nah, that's all right, man.

[Dax Shepard]

I'll task rabbit it.

[Anthony Anderson]

I owe him a sweet potato pie, by the way. He always calls me about the sweet potato pie because he knows I b.

[Dax Shepard]

He's a sweet boy. You need to take him under your arm.

[Anthony Anderson]

I'm going to do his birthday parties and all that. We're good.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, that's good. But Jordan, we watched Last Dance as everyone did and just so fascinated the.

[Anthony Anderson]

Brand Jordan would ask me to come do their corporate things for their athletes that wear brand Jordan, like, he would do a corporate retreat with just his elite athletes who wear his stuff.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, so fun.

[Anthony Anderson]

And I would be there as the host.

[Dax Shepard]

As a world record holder.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, as a world record holder.

[Monica Padman]

Two times. Two times. Two times.

[Anthony Anderson]

I would just be there as a host and having fun. And all we would do was play golf. And he would have competitions. He would set us up in different groups. They could be eight or nine groups with 10 athletes per group. And it was like, yo, I want you guys to create a new shoe and tell us what you think it is. And whatever group wins, we'll get a pair of Jordans from Jordan 1 all the way up to whatever year. We are at that. At that time.

[Dax Shepard]

Every single pair.

[Anthony Anderson]

Every single pair and whatever color scheme that you want.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God.

[Dax Shepard]

See, I wore these just for you. Yeah, there you go.

[Anthony Anderson]

I got the. So my team fucking lost. But the fact at that time, it was like 30 pair of J's that you could get in your colorway.

[Dax Shepard]

That's 15,000 bucks or 30,000 bucks worth of shoes.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. So we've become cool. But what really made us cool, they opened the COVID Hotel in the Bahamas at Atlantis.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

So this was 20 years ago, 17 years ago, something like that. So they had a big grand opening. And MJ is sitting there. We're in a restaurant. Stevie won his birthday. All kinds of celebrities are there because it's a huge opening. We're in Bobby Flay's restaurant. And so I walk over to mj. I was like, oh, shit, there's mj. And I've never met him before. I was like, I gotta talk to him. So I'm talking to my ex wife, I'm like, hey, babe, I'm gonna talk to mj. So I'll go see mj. And I say, hey, mj. Hey, man. I just want to say it's a pleasure to meet you. And I was like, I hear you're a domino player. And I brought your dominoes with me. I have this red pair of aluminum Jumpman dominoes that I got at NBA All Star in Vegas from a Brand Jordan party. And he looked at me, he said, did I give you those motherfuckers? I said, no, you didn't. And he was like, how did you get him? I said, well, I consider myself to be the MJ of bones, but you know, that's beside the point.

[Dax Shepard]

Neither here nor there.

[Anthony Anderson]

I'd like to play with you. And he turns to my ex wife and says, okay, look here, ma'am, I suggest you go to the bank and take out as much money as you can. Because once I whip his ass, he won't have enough money. Money to take care of you and your children.

[Dax Shepard]

You're smart. You ensnared him in competition.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. And she's like, I'm not going to let him play you for money. But this is what he do. And he was like, meet me at the cabana tomorrow at noon.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, damn. I was like, great. All right.

[Anthony Anderson]

This is crazy. So I'm swimming in the ocean with Patrick Ewing. Sure. My ex wife comes running. Baby, baby. I was like, what? She said, mj's at the cabana. And I was like, yo, Pat, I gotta go. So I get out, dry off, I run upstairs, I grab the dominoes, and before I leave, I see a camera sitting on the table. And I said, babe, grab the camera. Gotta take a picture. So she grabbed the camera. This is my first time meeting mj, and I'm hanging with him.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

So we get to the cabana. It's Ahmad, Rashad, mj. And then MJ brought somebody to play dominoes with us. Right?

[Dax Shepard]

A ringer.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes. And so we're there. Ahmad's not playing. Ahmad's just sitting there with his legs crossed. Just Looking at us. We're talking shit and having fun. And I'm just timid. I'm not talking shit. I'm just enamored with mj. And he's beating me. I rarely lose in dominoes, and he's beating me. But I don't give a fuck that he's beating me. I'm like, he's on the back of my dominoes like this. And I'm playing this.

[Dax Shepard]

You want to look at the list of people who have lost to Michael Jordan? It's a good list.

[Anthony Anderson]

What a moment. Even better, A list of people who've beaten Michael Jordan. So I'm playing with him, and he's talking, and my wife looks at me and says, yo, you just gonna let him keep talking shit to you like that? And I was like. But he says something that gets me razzled. Razzled. I was like, fuck this. I'm gonna stop playing timid. I get domino. We're playing to 150. Jordan has 125. His buddy has 75. I have 45. And I get the domino. And I look at him, and I was like, yo, MJ, I said, it's gonna be the hardest 25 points you ever had to score in your life. Just know that. Now. I'm out of my shell now. I'm like, yo, this. I ain't gonna have this whoop my ass. I played domino. Now I'm talking. I'm talking cash to this. And he's giving it back.

[Dax Shepard]

Send your wife to get money out.

[Anthony Anderson]

I'm like, yo, baby, go get the money. Go get the money.

[Dax Shepard]

I'm feeling it. Money's on.

[Anthony Anderson]

God is laughing. Fucking MJ is talking shit. And then we're sitting there and boom. I say some shit and I win, right? He's like, run it back. I was like, okay, motherfucker, let's go. So now we're running it back. Now I'm talking shit from the beginning. Now I'm in my element, and I'm boom, boom, boom, talking shit about him, his mama, his daddy, his kids, all this shit. And. And then I'm whipping his ass, and I'm whipping this motherfucker's ass. And then I was like, yo, I wish me and my wife could make babies right now. Because we would go upstairs and make a baby right now. We would name him or her mj Just so when he or she got older, she could say, daddy, why did you name me mj? And I could relive this moment right now. Bam. Domino. Motherfucker won the Game. His security comes out of the cabana, that the DJ on the pool. The DJ scratches the record, stops the music. The fucking hotel security comes out. The people that are swimming in. Because it's the open. It's the grand opening of this huge fucking hotel in the Bahamas. Everybody stops and turns towards us. Don't worry. I just whooped Michael Jordan's ass in Domino's. He all right, though?

[Dax Shepard]

We good?

[Anthony Anderson]

You good, mj?

[Dax Shepard]

He still got the shoes.

[Anthony Anderson]

You good? And I try to have my lady take pictures of it. The motherfucker refuses take pictures with me. Now I have to find these pictures because I have pictures of this motherfucker just looking just like this. And me sitting there smiling. But he refused to take pictures with me. And then we're on this island for the next three days for the celebration of the opening of this hotel. So there are dinners, there's parties. There's everything that we're going to. There's golf. We're taking group pictures. Every group pictures we take, he kicks me out of.

[Monica Padman]

He's so mad at you.

[Dax Shepard]

If there's any human that he is.

[Anthony Anderson]

Losing, I know I happily would leave the picture just so I could share the story as to why MJ is asking me to get out of the photo.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, it's wonderful. It's the dream.

[Anthony Anderson]

I called radio stations. I talked about this on the news. I talked about it on tv.

[Dax Shepard]

I'm surprised. Jordan Last Dance telling this story.

[Anthony Anderson]

I talked about all this other shit. Cause nobody can really. Only a few people. Hold on. Is it Lionel? Nope, it's not Lionel. Only a few people can say they beat Jordan one on one or some. Whatever the fuck it is. I can say that. And we laugh about it to this day.

[Monica Padman]

Fuck that.

[Dax Shepard]

And he came around to you. You aimed for the fence.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

You're like, I'm gonna show you my. My whole self and you're gonna like it or not.

[Anthony Anderson]

Mj, I love you, man. And I know people who listening are gonna tell you this story. I didn't bring this shit up. They brought it up. But I'm gonna talk about it every chance I get.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay? G20.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes.

[Dax Shepard]

G20 comes out April 10th streaming on Prime Video. Viola Davis, Academy Award winner.

[Anthony Anderson]

Fuck all that. She's an egot.

[Dax Shepard]

Is she an egot?

[Anthony Anderson]

She is an egot.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my fuck.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes. A lot of people say she has an egot. I was like, no, she doesn't have an egot. She is an egot. There's a difference.

[Dax Shepard]

Her.

[Anthony Anderson]

Before this movie, I had known her before we lived near each other. Hold on. Is that Lionel must. Not Lionel. We've always had an admiration from one another and ABC together, you know, the Show. My show. So I just always had love for her and she always had love for me. And I get a call, hey, Viola wants you as her husband. Not come read this. Come do this. I had a meeting with the director, and the director was like, I've never cast a movie like this before. I've never had someone tell me that this is who they want.

[Dax Shepard]

This is my husband.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah. I was like, wow.

[Dax Shepard]

Really awesome.

[Anthony Anderson]

And so that's how it all began.

[Dax Shepard]

So she's the U.S. president. You're the first man. You guys go down to South Africa for the G20 summit and you bring your kids.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes.

[Dax Shepard]

And then it's Die Hard.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

So there's some bad guys. Tony Starr, who I fucking love from the Boys. Do you watch the Boys?

[Anthony Anderson]

We have a table read because we shoot this entirely in Cape Town for six months. And I was like, who the fuck is this dude with this Australian accent or this New Zealand accent? I was like, I kind of like him. He's cool. And. And we shoot the movie. He kicks my ass, I kick his ass. I'm home nine months later, I'm doing some adr. And our director, Patricia, it was like, yeah, Anthony, the movie's looking great. We got this great buzz from Tony and his show. I was like, what show is Tony on? First off, when we were doing scenes together, she would say, anthony. And we would all turn to her and be like, huh, Right, Right. Oh, let me do this. I'll call you by your name, Anthony Starr. And so every time she would say Anthony Starr, I would say, huh? Because you're a star, I'm a star. And I have no idea who the other stuff motherfucker is. Sounds like she's talking to me. And she said, no, that's his name. I was like, oh, my bad. So that still became my running joke. So she was like, yeah, Anthony Starr. You know he has a show with the Boys. I was like, who the fuck is he on the Boys? I watch the Boys all the time. I was just watching it before I came here. Yeah, see Superman. I was, get the fuck out of here.

[Monica Padman]

Because he just looks so different.

[Anthony Anderson]

We were doing press all day yesterday. I told him I would say, hey, Tony, I had no idea you were. Who the fuck you were.

[Dax Shepard]

Homelander.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah, he's Homelander.

[Dax Shepard]

Homelander.

[Anthony Anderson]

I said, I had no idea who the fuck you were. When we were working Together.

[Dax Shepard]

Even though you're fan of the Boys.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes, that is. And he was like, what? I was like, dog, when I watch you on the Boys, you're seven feet tall. To me. Yeah, you're a fucking superhero. I was like, the way you are on that motherfucking show, it's not you. Right?

[Dax Shepard]

That's not who I work for.

[Anthony Anderson]

And he was like, yeah, man. Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Out of context.

[Anthony Anderson]

And it's a testament to who he is as an actor, what he does.

[Dax Shepard]

On the Boys, the fact that that dude doesn't want an Emmy. I mean, what he's doing on the Boys is the bad guy. And you feel bad for him sometimes.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yes, you do. It's like when I saw. I saw Fela on Broadway and I went backstage to meet the cast, and I was looking for the dude that played Fela, and I forget his name, but I'm talking to him. And as I'm talking to him, I keep looking behind him and looking, trying to find a dude before he leaves and shit. And then I realized it's him. And then when I left, I was like, oh, my God. Yeah, because he was a small, demure dude. But as Fela on stage, this motherfucker was larger than the fucking theater that they were in on Broadway. But when I went to meet him, he's just a regular dude. And I was like, this motherfucker. Motherfucker's phenomenal.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, he's a magician.

[Anthony Anderson]

That's how I feel about Anthony Starks as Homelander on the Boys.

[Dax Shepard]

So, yeah, it looks awesome. By the way. The trailer is outrageously good.

[Anthony Anderson]

Viola and I are ex military and it's a big action film. You know, terrorists take over the G20 global summit that we're at. We end up kicking ass and getting our ass kicked throughout the film.

[Dax Shepard]

She's doing a ton of ass kicking.

[Anthony Anderson]

Wait till you see it. You're gonna be like, God damn.

[Dax Shepard]

Is she an action star?

[Anthony Anderson]

She is. It was amazing to be a part of and amazing to watch.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, Anthony, I adore you. I have so much fun when I get to be around you.

[Monica Padman]

This is great. We didn't get Lionel, but that's all right.

[Anthony Anderson]

I know tbd.

[Monica Padman]

You'll let us know if he calls you back?

[Anthony Anderson]

I'm going to call him again, see if he's going to pick up again.

[Monica Padman]

He's really going to be worried.

[Anthony Anderson]

Let me see. Did he send a text? Nope, he didn't send a text.

[Dax Shepard]

You see how many he had to scroll through in the last two hours?

[Anthony Anderson]

I'm going Call again. Hold on.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, let's see.

[Anthony Anderson]

Let's see if Lionel Richie is going to pick up. He never picks up the phone, though.

[Dax Shepard]

He'S earned the right not to pick up.

[Anthony Anderson]

I've only spoken to him on the phone maybe twice in all. All the years that I've met.

[Dax Shepard]

You want the third time to be.

[Anthony Anderson]

But I know where he lives. I know where he works.

[Monica Padman]

Your call has been forwarded to voicemail. The person you're trying to reach.

[Anthony Anderson]

This. Saw this call and sent me the voicemail. It only rang three times.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, it only rang.

[Anthony Anderson]

Hey, man, you better be shooting the voice right now, Lionel Richie. I'm still doing this podcast two and a half hours later. I don't know how the hell Dax Shepard got me. Do this podcast for two and a half hours. Only supposed to be for 40 minutes. But we're still trying to reach you.

[Dax Shepard]

And we're not going to end this interview until we talk to you.

[Anthony Anderson]

Lionel, please call me back and not let me out of the room until you call back. I love you, Lionel.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, we've done all we can. We've done all that can be done.

[Monica Padman]

You know, we're going to do a fact check for this episode next week or in a couple weeks. So by then it will probably have called you back and you can relay what happened.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, see what happens.

[Anthony Anderson]

I did that with Oprah on Jimmy.

[Monica Padman]

Show once and she picked up.

[Anthony Anderson]

She didn't pick up.

[Dax Shepard]

No, we can't.

[Anthony Anderson]

I don't. We wasted my calls. There are only a certain amount of calls people like that pick up from you.

[Dax Shepard]

Even selfishly for me. I don't want that bridge to be burned on my behalf. Anthony, adore you. Thanks for coming.

[Anthony Anderson]

Thank you. Nice meeting you.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, very nice to meet you. This was so fun.

[Dax Shepard]

Stay tuned for more Armchair Expert if you dare. We are supported by Nerd Wallet. Hey, listen, we're all juggling a million things, right? Trying to balance work, family, maybe even squeeze in a little me time. And honestly, who's got the bandwidth to research stuff like auto insurance? That's where Nerd Wallet comes in. You tell them what you need, say a better rate on your car insurance, and Nerd Wallet will match you with the right item option for you. The nerds handle the research, the comparisons, all that stuff that sucks up your precious time. Think about it. You want to make smart choices, right? But you also want to be fully present at your grandpa's 90th. Nail that presentation at work and maybe just relax. You can have it all. And Nerdwallet makes it easy. Just answer a few simple questions and bam. Way faster than falling down a research rabbit hole. Because finding the right financial priority product is smart, but having Nerd Wallet do it for you? That's genius. Get matched [e-mail] not all applicants will qualify for the lowest monthly payments. Nerd Wallet Insurance Services Incorporated CA resident license number OK 92033 we are supported by Quints. Something about the weather warming up makes you want to get outside and go somewhere new, doesn't it? It's the spring travel itch.

[Monica Padman]

Oh my gosh, it's spring break is upon us. Whether you're in school or not, you should still take a spring trip.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes, I'm taking the girls to Hawaii. If you've got spring break travel plans of your own, get where you're going in style by treating yourself to a first class quality suitcase at an economy price with Quint. Quint has premium luggage options and durable duffel bags to carry it all. We've told you before about how we love our apparel from Quint.

[Monica Padman]

So many cute things.

[Dax Shepard]

The cashmere, it's so soft.

[Monica Padman]

Beautiful sweater. But also I have these knives from Quint that are incredible. They do have really really high end products.

[Dax Shepard]

They're the greatest. So you can get ready to head out with your Quint luggage and stuff it with some fresh outfits from Quint and look amazing on your trip too. They've got it all. For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from quint. Go to quint.comdax for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I n c e.comdax to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quint stock we are supported by Nutrafol. Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. See thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months with neutral Hair thinning is very common in both men and women. From stress and nutrition to hormones and lifestyle. So many internal factors affect what you see on the outside. Nutrafol physician formulated 100% drug free ingredients work to support healthy hair growth from within, targeting root causes of hair thinning at their source. In fact, we're both trying Nutrafol to check it out for ourselves and I'm loving the results.

[Monica Padman]

I know I can tell the difference in the thickness. Also, we just talked about a woman who had the longest hair in the world and she's probably on it minimally.

[Dax Shepard]

She should turbocharge it with some neutral. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering armchairies $10 off their first month subscription and free shipping. When you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code D, find out why over 7,500 healthcare professionals and stylists recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair. Nutrafol.com spelled n u t r a f o l.com promo code DAX.

[Monica Padman]

He.

[Dax Shepard]

Is an armchair expert, but he makes mistakes all the time. Thank God Monica's here. She's gotta let him have the facts. You have to protect pretend. This is going to be a big challenge, okay? You have to do your best acting of your life. You have to pretend you don't know. I wore this outfit yesterday.

[Monica Padman]

Great outfit.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, really? Good job. Moving on. Next thing, we're on the wrong set. There's some cheesy sayings.

[Monica Padman]

Is that a new outfit? I really like it.

[Dax Shepard]

I was wearing. Well, now you're so good. Wow, this is really good. Now I'm convinced. You didn't see me yesterday.

[Monica Padman]

I saw you.

[Dax Shepard]

I see you. There are some corny scenes on sets. Yeah, some of them. I like them.

[Monica Padman]

Which one's your favorite?

[Dax Shepard]

So if you're, like, filming, you're filming four scenes that day, and you're going to be in Crosby's bedroom, and then the next scene's going to be in the living room.

[Monica Padman]

Uhhuh.

[Dax Shepard]

You, like, do the scene, they yell cut. You don't really know what they're saying at the monitor. Are we going to go again?

[Monica Padman]

Y.

[Dax Shepard]

Do we get it right? And then occasionally, 80s will go, okay, we're on the wrong set. That means we did it. It's time to leave the bedroom and go to the next set. And I like that one.

[Monica Padman]

My favorite. Yeah, My favorite set term is martini shot.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, sure.

[Monica Padman]

That's the last shot of the day.

[Dax Shepard]

And do you know the origin of that one?

[Monica Padman]

They'd probably get martinis.

[Dax Shepard]

I think specifically Hitchcock would always have.

[Monica Padman]

A martini during the last shot of the day.

[Dax Shepard]

During the last setup. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. So if. If you're, like, checking in, if you have friends who are on set and you're like, how longer do you have?

[Dax Shepard]

We're on the martini.

[Monica Padman]

We're on the martini. Is like, what you want to hear.

[Dax Shepard]

I have a bit of anxiety about this fact check.

[Monica Padman]

I know.

[Dax Shepard]

So much to get through.

[Monica Padman]

We have a lot to get through, but we have. We can't do it all today.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Monica Padman]

You just have to take you just have to have peace.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. I hope people are patient with me. If there's multiple Hawaii updates over time, over that, they're being leaked out.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Because you had a trip.

[Monica Padman]

We both had trips. I had a big. People think I went to New York.

[Dax Shepard]

I'm trying. Yeah. That didn't get through. Right?

[Monica Padman]

No.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. Right. You did not go to New York.

[Monica Padman]

Yes. I had a trip planned for New York and then White Lotus people. Yeah. Because we had a whole conversation about Buddhism, and I said, oh, no, what am I gonna do? I'm about to go to New York. That's not a place for me to be very Buddhist. And you said, you should be Buddhist when you get back. And. And I first delayed my trip a day.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

And I was like, I just need to get my work done, and then I'll feel good. I'll feel ready to go.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes.

[Monica Padman]

And then I still didn't. And I canceled my trip.

[Dax Shepard]

And you know what's interesting is when you announced that to me, at first I was like, I didn't like it for you.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Cause I was worried your anxiety got the best of you. Like, you had some anxiety and I wanted you to have that fun trip. And I know you love New York.

[Monica Padman]

Yes. The most.

[Dax Shepard]

But now on the other side of it, I think you listened to yourself.

[Monica Padman]

I did.

[Dax Shepard]

And it was the right thing to do. And you still had your spectacular trip with Callie.

[Monica Padman]

I had a little girls trip with Callie. Couple day trip. That was that. Yes. We will. We will talk about over the next 10 weeks.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Over. Over Q ending Q2. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

That was so, so delightful and fun. And that was already on the books. I was gonna do both. And it just felt. It didn't feel. I just knew. I was like, it's not right. I'm not supposed to go run around the city for the next four days. And I just need to like for a little bit.

[Dax Shepard]

Are you so selfish that you would have preferred that the flight crashed on the way to New York just so you could say, oh, my God, I knew. I knew not to take that flight. No, I bet there's someone that's bad enough.

[Monica Padman]

I. That's really. It's as bad as it gets bad of a person. If you have that thought. I'm not judging as a Buddhist. Don't do that.

[Anthony Anderson]

Right.

[Monica Padman]

But you need to get some help. You need to get yourself into therapy. Quit.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, you would definitely. If you can canceled the flight. And then you saw in the news it crashed, you would have an enormous burst of gratitude.

[Monica Padman]

Relief. Yes. But not like, oh, I wish knew it, and the dark. I might. Okay. I wonder. I wonder if there would be a part of me that's like, oh, my God, I have powers.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes, you would. Everyone would. Well, you wouldn't. I don't know that you'd say you have powers, but you'd say, well, now I have to really take seriously that the universe sends me signals and I need to listen.

[Monica Padman]

Remember, there's a famous actress that I thought of at random.

[Dax Shepard]

And we just got resolution on that last week. It was diabetes related.

[Monica Padman]

It was Michelle Trachtenberg. Very sad. Very, very sad. And, yeah, it seems like it was a diabetes complication, which I hate to do this. This seems really flippant, but that's a Ding, ding, ding. Oh, no, I know, because this is for Anthony Anderson.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh. Diabetic.

[Monica Padman]

And we talk a lot about it and how complications are really serious.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, it's diabetics. I just sent Aaron. Ding, ding, ding. I just sent Aaron. There is a. A remix. A DJ made a mix of the diabetics commercials and it's pretty good. And maybe I'll play it later at some point in this.

[Monica Padman]

Speaking of something else bad, I'm sure you heard about Eric Dane, that he has als.

[Dax Shepard]

Als? Yeah, I've seen him. It's heartbreaking.

[Monica Padman]

That's so sad.

[Dax Shepard]

That's in the news now.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, I figured he might have known from meetings, but, like, no, it really.

[Dax Shepard]

Breaks my heart because when he was here, obviously his.

[Monica Padman]

He told us.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, he didn't know what it was yet. Right. His arm was kind of atrophying and he thought he had a virus and he seemed specialist and. Yeah, it's a real fucking bummer. It really breaks my heart. I hate it.

[Monica Padman]

No, I know.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Did you say anything about the Pope yesterday?

[Monica Padman]

The Pope died? I thought it was today.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, you know, I meant jinxing his death.

[Anthony Anderson]

Huh? I meant, did you jinx his death? Oh. Oh.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, no. Well, kind of. We had David Sedaris on and we were talking about the Pope, although he was already quite ill at that time.

[Dax Shepard]

He had already been hanging on by a bit of a thread.

[Monica Padman]

Oh. No.

[Dax Shepard]

But so he. He died on Easter today.

[Monica Padman]

He died. He made it through the rising, I.

[Dax Shepard]

Guess, if I were a Pope. And I had him my way. And they said, you're gonna die this month. Yeah, I'd like to go on Friday. On Good Friday.

[Monica Padman]

On Good Friday. When Jesus.

[Dax Shepard]

When Jesus. Yeah. Passed. You say passed?

[Monica Padman]

Excuse me? Passed. Be respectful. Yeah. So then you're.

[Dax Shepard]

That's A lot of doom and gloom, though.

[Monica Padman]

Sorry. But this is life. Life is happy and sad all at once.

[Dax Shepard]

You're right. You're right, you're right.

[Monica Padman]

All right, let's. Okay. Move on to something happy.

[Dax Shepard]

So I did take my trip.

[Monica Padman]

Yes, you did.

[Dax Shepard]

I took Lincoln Delta and I. Hawaii, eight days.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, you did a. You did a solo trip with your girls.

[Dax Shepard]

The headline is incredible trip.

[Monica Padman]

Great.

[Dax Shepard]

I'll remember it. I'll be on my deathbed and I'll.

[Monica Padman]

Go, I did that.

[Dax Shepard]

I'm proud of you.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, so that's interesting. So you're.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, I knew you wouldn't like that. But I'll tell you why it's okay to like it.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Or why I think it's okay to like it, because I was talking with a friend from aa and there are things in life that give me esteem. Self esteem. And there are things that take away self esteem.

[Monica Padman]

Yes.

[Dax Shepard]

And so. And. And they're, you know, they're pretty correlated with challenge.

[Monica Padman]

Sure.

[Dax Shepard]

Right.

[Monica Padman]

Sure.

[Dax Shepard]

But it was. It was just an incredible trip. It definitely had its challenges. I might have been a little naive.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. And then I was wrestling with that.

[Monica Padman]

Okay. Because this is an expectations lesson as well.

[Dax Shepard]

I guess I was misled because when Kristen has gone away to film, which has happened throughout the child, their childhood, it always goes really well. I do very well with the two of them by myself. And I was underestimating. Like, we have our routine. They go to places, they're in their house, they can separate. And so I was a little naive. And I've taken trips with them solo. And those are always. Individually are truly kind of effortless and fun. It's just like being with a buddy. But this was, you know, there were days where one of them was mad at the other for the whole day, the first few days. And I started getting a little nervous.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And then I was. And this is kind of funny. This is one of the many stories so my mother would have. I know what she would have done because she did it many times. We'd be on a vacation, we'd be acting like assholes. Also, give me so much fucking and respect for my mother's whole single parenthood. Single parent, three kids. Oh, my God. God bless Laura LeBeau. I sent her a message going, you know what? I need to just tell you. You're. You're a warrior and I admire you.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

But her move was, guys, we're going home tomorrow morning.

[Monica Padman]

Oh.

[Dax Shepard]

There were a lot of those speeches, threats. Yes. And by the way, they weren't Threats.

[Monica Padman]

They weren't empty threats.

[Dax Shepard]

My, my mom.

[Monica Padman]

I almost said my wife, very bright.

[Dax Shepard]

My mom. We had some rules in the house. There was no begging, period.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

You already know this about me. She did not play begging. And there, we left many a places where we had put a lot of effort into it and we had driven there and we didn't get our shit together. She said, this happens again, we're, we're going home. And we did. She, she never made empty threats.

[Monica Padman]

Wow.

[Dax Shepard]

So I'm remembering, like, first of all, I'm feeling that. I'm like, I'm a. I'm going to tell them we're going, we're going, we're.

[Monica Padman]

Going to go home.

[Dax Shepard]

And then I'm saying, you must, you must do a little, you must grow a little bit from what you were given.

[Monica Padman]

Okay. Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And so it was a moment where it was like we tried to go snorkeling. Maybe the third attempt. One of them always had a thing. I got stabbed by a sea urchin.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And it was another failed attempt. And then the fight. And then I was, I was in my head. I'm like, I'm telling, we're going to go home. And then I like, I'm going to meditate. I'm going to sit on this lawn chair and I'm going to meditate because I want to be the best version of myself and I am going to confront this. I also, I am not going to have five days more of fighting.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

But I got to do it in a very healthy way. And I'm. I'm about 12 minutes into my 20 minute meditation and while I'm entertaining, I hear a blood curdling screaming. And I'm thinking, I'm like, oh, fuck. Some. Some parents got to do, right. Someone's deal with something. And then the screams getting louder and louder, louder and louder until it's obviously five feet from me and I open my eyes and I look and my sweet little Delti is covered in blood. Like I don't even know where to begin to guess.

[Monica Padman]

That is so scary.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes. And she has at least four hotel employees trailing her because they're obviously scared for her. God knows what liability fears they're having.

[Monica Padman]

Oh yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

They want us to go in an ambulance to be, you know, I mean, virtually. They want us to be as safe as humanly possible. But I know my delta. What she needs immediately is everyone to leave.

[Monica Padman]

Yep, yep, yep, yep.

[Dax Shepard]

That's. She doesn't like that embarrassment would hurt more than. Right.

[Monica Padman]

The attention she got that from me.

[Dax Shepard]

She got that from you. So, you know, it's okay. Come here. You know, trying to get a calm, calm, calm.

[Monica Padman]

Are you looking for where?

[Dax Shepard]

No, I know right now we need to, like, we need to go from 15 to 10 so that I can then say, okay, mama, let me, let me take a look and just see what we're dealing with. So as it turned out, it was just a lip, but it was good enough that as she was screaming and crying, it was like on her arms and whatever. I knew it was serious. But also, you never really know, right? Because they all. They kind of have this reaction to most every injury.

[Monica Padman]

So you were scared.

[Dax Shepard]

I wasn't scared.

[Monica Padman]

Really?

[Dax Shepard]

No. I'm like, this is an emergency level trauma. The bleeding has stopped. We don't need stitches.

[Monica Padman]

But you weren't worried about like a hemorrhage?

[Dax Shepard]

I wasn't.

[Monica Padman]

You aren't watching enough er, but okay, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Had I just done or the pit. 35 hours of the pit in ER maybe. And we get her all calmed up now this is where I'll give D money a lot of credit. As the next few days wore on, especially day three after this thing, I'm looking at her wearing the sunshine. I go, sweetheart, well. And she told me, she goes, daddy, I didn't even put my hands out. She felt she slipped on the concrete next to the pool. And she said, I didn't even put my hands out. Which I kind of was like, I bet she put him out a little bit. She's not lying. She felt directly on her face. So a few days later, she had a black and blue cheek, black and blue chin. She whacked her face so bad. Anywho, I did make this speech. It was a very gentle version. And everyone got their shit together. It was a big turn.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

We still had stuff. Sure, you're going to have stuff.

[Monica Padman]

You're going to have stuff.

[Dax Shepard]

But there was a reset and I really appreciated it.

[Monica Padman]

What did you say?

[Dax Shepard]

I said, it is very hard for me to be on this trip with one of you really mad. At any given time, one of you is very, very mad. And I said, and I want to be able to take you on these trips if mom's working. And I have to be honest, next year comes around, if it continues like this, I'm not sure I'm going to take this trip again. Now we're going home. Still a threat. I don't know. People probably think that was bad parenting. Whatever. Whatever they did hear, oh, we're not entitled to these trips. If we act like he's saying, I can't. I'm basically saying I can't handle it.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, so that, that's a great reset. Let's not even talk about just single parent the sun block routine when you're in Hawaii because this like every 40 minutes I gotta slather their whole body. My. Almost my full time.

[Monica Padman]

I'm glad you did it.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, I did. I'm like, if I bring them home sunburn, that's a.

[Monica Padman]

That's a wrap.

[Dax Shepard]

That's hard to defend, that one.

[Monica Padman]

Y.

[Dax Shepard]

We go to dinner that night and I'm. I'm now feeling. I'm feeling like a failure. I'm like, I should be able to coordinate some kind of peaceful fun. We're in paradise at a beautiful hotel. You know, it should be easy. It should be. And so I'm. I'm not going to blame a 12 and a 10 year old. I'm like, I'm not managing something correctly. And I was so relieved that as we were at these dinners, we were eavesdropping. And I want to tell you, shit's going down. On all family vacations. That was comforting. That's standard family vacation. People fight. You think you're gonna go to paradise and everyone's gonna be so grateful the whole time. That's not what happens.

[Monica Padman]

Not how it works.

[Dax Shepard]

No. You're in a smaller space.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

You have to compromise on schedules way more. And you get what you sell.

[Monica Padman]

When I went on my girls trip.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes, you and Cali.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, we went. We went to Napa.

[Dax Shepard]

Wine country, if you don't know. Wine country, California.

[Monica Padman]

And.

[Dax Shepard]

And food country.

[Monica Padman]

Well, exactly. And turns out shopping country a lot shopping country. They had some really cute shopping. We were just there for two nights. It was a quick trip, but we did so much. And we stayed at the Auberge du Soleil. I don't know if that's how you spell it.

[Dax Shepard]

I love a hotel that I can't pronounce.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. And I love an Auberge hotel. That's a. That's a line of hotels. I've talked about the one in Austin before. Commodore Perry.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Very cool.

[Monica Padman]

Gorgeous. Very cool.

[Dax Shepard]

We have visited you there. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. And it's beautiful. And this one was ex. It was so stunning and exquisite and.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, they got. They got my attention because they lent you guys exactly. An electric G wagon.

[Monica Padman]

Well, they. Not us. They have a lot. A fleet of Mercedes, different Mercedes that they loan out to the guests. You just have to like, you know, sign a waiver and you can take.

[Dax Shepard]

It out in wine country.

[Monica Padman]

I know. Which is a little like, wow. I was like, this is so nice because it's. Because things are a bit. Things aren't like five minutes away from each other. You do have to drive a little bit.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

And it's a pain, like, to Uber everywhere or to have a driver. And we only did one winery, so we weren't like, bopping around from winery to winery. But anyway, it was such a nice amenity. And I did feel. Cause she.

[Dax Shepard]

And I urged you to make the car. The car will do a 365 degree turn. Like a tank.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And I really wanted you guys to do that. And you said you might find a parking lot and try it. And then you told me you didn't have time.

[Monica Padman]

We didn't have time.

[Dax Shepard]

You definitely had time to do a 360.

[Monica Padman]

But I understand we didn't have time for that.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Monica Padman]

But it was. We were, like, excited to try the G wagon. Callie drove it and she did a great job. And turns out there were a couple. Well, I ran into many armchairs on the trip. And again, everyone was so incredible. One I had a kind of regretful encounter with. Not regretful, but Callie and I were in the little shopping area, St. Helena. And we went into this little coffee shop just to get a coffee. And we were waiting for the coffee. The place was pretty crowded, but, like, we didn't think that much of it. We were waiting for the coffee and there was an armchair sitting there. And she said, hey, Monica, you know, I love the show, whatever. And she. And I was like, oh, are you. Are you from here? And they weren't. They were. I for. Oh, God, I'm sorry. I forget. I want to say Chicago.

[Dax Shepard]

That sounds right.

[Monica Padman]

Because of Rob.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

And they. And she was like, no, no, we're just on the ship. Gotta. Had to get the English muffin. And I was like, yeah. And she, like, kind of pointed to her food a little bit, but I didn't really know what she was talking about. But of course.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, I would have thought, oh, this place is known for their English muffin. I better get one.

[Monica Padman]

Well, yeah, but it didn't. I wasn't getting that vibe. I was just like, oh, oh, okay.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

And then I did feel embarrassed because I should. Should know.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

I should know about English muffins and fancy foods and stuff. So anyway, I ran out of there as fast as I could.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. And then covering your head in shame.

[Monica Padman]

The next day when we were about to. When we were leaving the Morning, when we took out the G wagon, we went to Yontville, which is the food area where French laundry is. All these other bouchon. All these things. The person working at the front desk, Phoebe.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, there we go.

[Monica Padman]

And I will circle back to Phoebe. She. She told Callie that there was a place in Yountville known for their English muffins and that you should go. And it was called, like, mini, according to Cali, Mini model. But I don't know if that's right.

[Dax Shepard]

She got it right.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. So we go there, and then we're in line, and Callie was like, oh, I think that coffee shop we went to was just model. Like, this is a version of that. Like a sh. Another little, small version. And I was like, this makes total sense what the armchair was.

[Dax Shepard]

I was right.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Monica Padman]

So anyway, this armchair was in the know. Apparently, it's like, Oprah's favorite English muffin. And it was insane.

[Anthony Anderson]

It was.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God, it was so good. Poor Cali. She's gluten free. She has celiac, so she couldn't have it.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Did she even play the game in her head, like, oh, sourdough's got less.

[Monica Padman]

No, she didn't even make said. She said when she was looking at it, she was like, if I was going to cheat, she's like. Which I never would because it's not like mine. Yeah. And a lot of.

[Dax Shepard]

I can live with my.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, she'll be on the ground.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

She's like, that might be. That would be the one. Even though she's not going to do it anyway. She got some for Max. Max loved them.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, he did. And he's a chef.

[Monica Padman]

For people who don't exactly. He's a chef. So this all circles back, Right. This is relevant because when we first got to the hotel, there, there was two, like, freshly batched cocktails with my name and Callie's name, and they were called Cherry on top.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

And I was like, is this a weird sim?

[Dax Shepard]

Is it a wink or is it a wink?

[Monica Padman]

Is it a sim or is it a wink? I don't know, but I don't want to.

[Dax Shepard]

Like, you want to mind your ego. Not a room.

[Monica Padman]

Exactly. I was like, I think it's. I don't think.

[Dax Shepard]

Get over it. You're like, get over yourself.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. But it had, like, the word Terry.

[Dax Shepard]

Existed before your podcast.

[Monica Padman]

Exactly.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. Had two little cocktail glasses with two, like, cherries. It was so, so cute. Also, the cocktail was incredible.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, did you. Could you text Bert?

[Monica Padman]

Oh, I got a text.

[Dax Shepard]

Bird, you need to. I guess It'll be a three way.

[Monica Padman]

Text, but he DM'd me.

[Dax Shepard]

Bert Kreischer Burke rer any. But he's not allowed to be on a text with a woman, which is hilarious.

[Monica Padman]

He's not. I have to read.

[Dax Shepard]

So I have to be on any communication between the two of you.

[Monica Padman]

You do.

[Dax Shepard]

What would be incredible is if you guys did start a huge affair and it was just in front of me and I'm like, well, I don't know how this helped. Now I just had to observe this whole thing. What if because I was there, he was felt free to just go nuts.

[Monica Padman]

And say so much dirty.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, Like I think about your body all the time. What I said, it was all. What?

[Monica Padman]

Dax was on there. It was fine.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. Anyways, go on.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. Okay. So, yeah, when Bert was on this show, we had a whole cocktail conversation. We told each other what to have. He got. I told him to get a bee's knees. He told to get a shot of Fernet and Campari. And then also separately, a Campari spritz. Okay. Then Jess, Ana and I went to Little Dom's and I did get the Fernet.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes.

[Monica Padman]

We all had it. So I posted a picture of this.

[Dax Shepard]

And you liked it. And did Enya responded?

[Monica Padman]

Yes.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, good.

[Monica Padman]

He responded. He says, I have to get you drunk on my cooking show. Lots of exclamation points. And then he responded, that sounded creepy.

[Dax Shepard]

Where's Dax?

[Monica Padman]

He said, that sounded creepy. We have to get drunk on my cooking show. Which was very, very funny. Funny. Yeah. He's. I like that he's aware of not being creepy. I think that's a great thing.

[Dax Shepard]

I do too.

[Monica Padman]

Anywho, so I need to send Bert that cocktail. He'll love it.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes.

[Monica Padman]

But anyway, so I was like, well, maybe it was a wink, but. But probably not. Probably just something sweet. They do. And still that could be the case. But then there was this cute little card they wrote, and I didn't really understand it at first.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Because there. There were two hats for Callie and I that they had given us. And then there was a little note that said something along the lines of, here's some hats so you can be in quotes, a new Monica. And then I forgot that we had just talked about hats on the fact.

[Dax Shepard]

Check and that you're a new Monica.

[Monica Padman]

I felt like a new Monica when I wear them. So we did have some armchair fans who worked at the Auberge, and it was really, really sweet. And. And I Do believe one of them was Phoebe.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Monica Padman]

And she was just so lovely. So I wanted to shout out, phoebe.

[Anthony Anderson]

Oh.

[Monica Padman]

And then. Oh, yes, because Callie went to the front. I slept in on the last day.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, good for you.

[Monica Padman]

And Callie went to the front and she was doing all these arrangements for the car and the this. And she said, so who did that cocktail? And then she said, Phoebe got really red. And then Callie was like, oh, no. She got worried that she felt that you're. I was embarrassed or something.

[Anthony Anderson]

Sure.

[Monica Padman]

And so she.

[Dax Shepard]

Monica won't leave the room.

[Monica Padman]

That's why she's not here. She's really upset. Has nothing to do with the fact that she sleeps 12 hours a night.

[Dax Shepard]

Lazy bum.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. So she so. And Callie said it was just so sweet. And we are so appreciative.

[Dax Shepard]

Monica loved it. That's not why she's not here.

[Monica Padman]

And then. And Phoebe said, well, we have. We have. There were a few fans who work here. And then. And Callie said, oh, it's just so nice for me because I, you know, I've been around the whole ride and it's just really sweet for me to see that.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

And she said, well, she talks about you a lot too. She was like, oh, boy.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. Have you tried the 360 degree turn in the. I said 365 degree, didn't I? I'm just now remembering that's how many days are in a year. There's only 360 degree in a circle, though. How embarrassing. Some gearhead's, like, upset.

[Monica Padman]

Someone's upset.

[Dax Shepard]

Tuned for more Armchair Expert if you dare. We are supported by Liquid iv.

[Monica Padman]

I love an electrolyte. You know this.

[Dax Shepard]

I was banging some Liquid IV on my bus trip back because I was drinking so many sodas and everything as I tend to do coffee sodas. And I was like, you know, I need some deep hydration.

[Monica Padman]

Yes, you do.

[Dax Shepard]

I just filled up a little water bottle with it, pounded it and felt incredible.

[Monica Padman]

It tastes good too.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes. Liquid IV's formula, powered by Liv Hydra Science, is sugar free, delicious, and is clin studied to maintain hydration better than water for up to four hours. There are a ton of flavors, so you're sure to find something that's right up your alley. And many of the flavors are sugar free and still taste great. That's my jam. Sugar free. Break the mold and own your ritual. Just one stick of Liquid IV gives you three times the electrolytes than the leading sports drink. And there's eight essential vitamins and nutrients. It's always Non gmo, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and soy free. Give yourself the power of extraordinary hydration from Liquid IV. Get 20 off your first order of Liquid IV when you go to liquid I.com and use code DAX at checkout. That's 20% off your first order with code DAX@liquid I.com. okay. I, I, I had to get involved with something, and I'm wondering. I think I finally did it right.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

And it was one of, it was during one of, but this was post reset, so this was fine.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

We found this, like, very, very desolate beach. Nobody's there. We pull over, the girls are playing in the thing. Then it's time to leave. We're walking back. Delta steps on a thorn. She's barefoot. She then goes and takes a breather.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, nice.

[Dax Shepard]

So now Lincoln and I are just sitting in the car, and I'm looking in my rearview mirror, and there's a woman walking with two little kids through this little dirt parking lot. And when I say little, this little boy is like two and a half. A little blonde, cute little boy. And I hear, get away from that car. And I look. And she grabs him by the neck.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, no.

[Dax Shepard]

In dragging his little body. And I'm gonna get out.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, boy. This is common, right?

[Dax Shepard]

Like, there's no. I'm not gonna watch this woman do this.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, no.

[Dax Shepard]

It was really. Lincoln saw it too. Like, if I need backup. Like, it was, it was abusive. It was bad.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, God.

[Dax Shepard]

And then he tries to get free, and then she grabs his head again and he falls. And then, and so I roll down the window. I'm about to get out, and then I roll down the window and I go, no, no, no. Gentle gentleman. Gentle, gentle. It's gentle, gentle, gentle. But also the subtext is, I'm getting out of this car if you don't.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God.

[Dax Shepard]

And she let go of his neck and said, come on. Then she grabbed his hand and started guiding him, which was a huge improvement.

[Monica Padman]

Do you think it was a babysitter?

[Dax Shepard]

No.

[Monica Padman]

You're sure?

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. The, the woman and the boy looked alike. She was, she looked. She had some hard miles on her. Let's just.

[Monica Padman]

Grandma, Aunt.

[Dax Shepard]

No, no. Mom, Mom, Mom. It was rough.

[Monica Padman]

That's scary. I know.

[Dax Shepard]

I know that there's little people who are getting treated like that. I hate it.

[Monica Padman]

It's so sad. That's like the woman I saw outside. Covell, remember, like, being so horrible to her daughter and. Yeah. I don't know what you're supposed to do.

[Dax Shepard]

I know, because again, we already talked about it, but it's like, I'm not going to say anything that's going to change this woman's behavior for life, obviously. And in fact, that could probably make it worse and probably she might take it out on the kid.

[Monica Padman]

Exactly.

[Dax Shepard]

And you need to know, however hard you are on me about my aggressive reactions to things, Lincoln, she will not stand for it.

[Monica Padman]

I like that.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, it's great. I'm glad she's like that. And she was very approving.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, she was.

[Dax Shepard]

She was. She thought I had done it well, so I finally did it. No way. Knows. Mad at me.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Well, what were you going to do if you got out? Steal him, Put him in your car? Drive away, Keep him, Give him to me?

[Dax Shepard]

No, but my inclination was to get in front of her face, like, so that she knew. I'm not asking you to stop doing this.

[Monica Padman]

It wouldn't have helped.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, it would have. She would have. She would have. She would have been. Yes, yes, yes.

[Monica Padman]

But I, I think that will have a negative impact later on. If we have any social worker listeners, maybe they can tell us what you're supposed to. I mean, I really don't know what you're supposed to do.

[Dax Shepard]

I don't know either. And then. And I just happened to see a lot of stuff, so I saw this family get in a fight behind us. And it was. The way the man was talking to the wife was such a bummer. And she had no, like, she, she went like comatose. And then she had to leave the table with one of the boys that was pissing the dad off. And then I saw a grandpa grab a phone out of a teenager's hand at breakfast.

[Monica Padman]

It's so white, loaded.

[Dax Shepard]

Took it out of. On the table. And I was like, holy cow. People are handling their business in certain ways. And then the anthropologist in me really has to now work through this whole thing where I go like, well, you're assuming your way is the correct way. And clearly people have been raising kids all kinds of way in every kind of culture. And I don't want to be high and mighty and so self righteous.

[Monica Padman]

Yes.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. It's. But there's a lot of going down. People are really rough and, and also, and also going. And people are having a harder time than me. Right. So that's in the mix. I'm not stretched to the limit, you know, I'm not, I'm not. My mom on vacation where it's like I can't afford the vacation we're on, but I really want to show my kids the country. What was tempting is to go all these, these spoiled rich people, but that's wrong. I was at the shitty hotels too. And it was gnarly there too. You know what it is, is it's, it's hard to raise kids. Adam Grant just had a post. You would have loved this. I was debating whether or not to forward it to you, but Adam Grant had another social scientist on that's done all this work.

[Monica Padman]

I saw it.

[Dax Shepard]

You saw it?

[Monica Padman]

I almost reposted it.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. And it's just in a nutshell, it just says kids make your life worse.

[Monica Padman]

There's like, they reduce happiness. Yeah. Now there's.

[Dax Shepard]

Then you get into though you get into the Yuval Harari. Like your narrative self does feel one way and whether or not you should be happy all the time, that's what you're always servicing. That's a bigger thing. But it was interesting that the data is absolutely consistent and undeniable. They make your, your life worse.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

So, yeah, I get.

[Monica Padman]

But I know that for a lot of reasons. It's not just like because they're annoying. It's because there's stress that comes, comes with raising people.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes.

[Monica Padman]

If you, if you care at all.

[Dax Shepard]

And they don't act. They don't act.

[Monica Padman]

They don't do what you want them to do.

[Dax Shepard]

They haven't figured it out.

[Monica Padman]

If you tell them a way to be, it doesn't mean they're just gonna listen and be that way. Like, it's hard. And people are their worst selves around their family. I mean, I was just, I was like thinking about all our vacations when you were talking about yours and I was like, yeah, we just like yelled at each. I was just so mean. Like, I was just such a brat. And you know, I just remember us going to New York and I wanted to go to Serendipity so bad.

[Dax Shepard]

The movie?

[Monica Padman]

No, the chocolate shop.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh.

[Monica Padman]

So that was the only thing I wanted to do. And I brought it up every day. It was like, it was like, we'll go, we'll go. I promise we'll go. I promise we'll go. And then we go. And it's three hour line. I was like, well, you, you said this. And they were like, we're not doing this. And I was like, oh my. And I, I like could not handle the fact that we were not going to go to Serendipity.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes.

[Monica Padman]

And yes. I.

[Dax Shepard]

Look, it's just like that's where Lincoln and I stuff comes up. Is that we've two know it alls in the family.

[Monica Padman]

Yep.

[Dax Shepard]

Who got to make the game plan.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And of course, like, we get. We get to the airport. We take a little tram to the airport. It ends at the terminal. I know that the check ins inside Lincoln. I read a science down there and I'm like, okay, okay. Well. And I say, even if. Even if you're right, it would make the most sense to peek in this one before we walk all the way down.

[Monica Padman]

That's.

[Dax Shepard]

I read the sign and I'm like, okay. I'm seeing that this is me. Like, this is what it was like to travel with me. This is what it's like to be around me.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And. And I deserve this.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And if anyone should be able to figure out how to deal with this, it should be me. But I don't know how to because I'm the same way. And I'm like, there's the idea of me walking to another terminal that I know United's not inside there.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Which I won't die.

[Monica Padman]

You'd rather die.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Again, I got intellectually. No. I'm not gonna die if that happens. But I. There's no way I can do that.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And then I'm like, you know, okay, so we're both this way. I'm 50 and I paid for all this. Does that not get me the like tiebreaker vote? Shouldn't the parent have the fucking tiebreaker?

[Anthony Anderson]

But not.

[Monica Padman]

Cause you paid. That's where. That's where the guy. The phone. Like that guy's that. He's like, I paid for all this. And so everyone better just do what I say.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. That guy I had diagnosed was. I paid for all this. You better be happy nonstop.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Because this is my vacation.

[Monica Padman]

That's what's comfortable for him. Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So Lincoln and I, you know, and then it's like, what line do you get in for anything? Lincoln and I have a very strong. And it's me. That's what makes it so hard.

[Monica Padman]

But it is tricky because, like, I know more.

[Dax Shepard]

Listen, I am percentage wise. I am right.

[Anthony Anderson]

More.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, I am.

[Monica Padman]

You've had more time on Earth. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

I should goddamn hope at 50 I know a little more about the world than my 12 year old.

[Monica Padman]

Yes. I would hope so too. Now this is where I do think you got you both. You and Kristin are very kind to the kids. Like you. The fact that that's even a thought. And I Mean, I don't have them, but I do know, I do know me, that if, like, even if I was with your kids, if Lincoln was like, I saw a sign, I would say, I would say, oh, you might be right. But we're going to do this right? And like that's it.

[Dax Shepard]

And that's like, Right. But that's. She'll be mad at me not going to work.

[Monica Padman]

Well then she's going to stand there, she's like me.

[Dax Shepard]

She'll walk.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Anthony Anderson]

She'll.

[Dax Shepard]

She'll literally like, this is why it's. It's like it's nuclear. Assured annihilation. She and I will both, we're both the type of people that will be like, fine, you guys go do it the wrong way. I'm going by myself to do it now. This is bad, but I'm admitting this to you. So I know if push comes to shove, she will walk by herself away from us and go to where she thinks it is at. So I have got to prevent that because she's that strong and I love it about her.

[Monica Padman]

I know.

[Dax Shepard]

But when she's older, I'll be delighted. She ish.

[Monica Padman]

Like, there are parts of you as an adult that's like, maybe, you know, I don't know. We could, we could go.

[Dax Shepard]

We could work on. We're working. We're working on it. We are working on it. And all to say, I was quite proud when I got home of the job I did. Even though I did things wrong and everything. I do like who I am.

[Monica Padman]

Good.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Monica Padman]

I like who you are.

[Dax Shepard]

It's hard sometimes it's hard, but.

[Monica Padman]

So you never. You're right. Maybe it just wouldn't work.

[Dax Shepard]

I tried that way with her for a while.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And I want to believe I'm smart enough to go, well, this is what my dad did. And my dad reaped what he. So I said, f. I don't need you. Like if I'm going to. If. If to be with you is to surrender to your will, guess what? I don't need to be with you. So I know I had that in me to walk away from him. And I know she has it in her too. And I not going to let that happen. So that's the driving force behind me going. I have to do it differently than my dad did because I know what the result was. I was, I. Look, I. I need her more than she needs me emotionally. That's true. No, no. Cuz I was there. I'm like, I don't. I Don't care. If I don't talk to my dad for a year. Which happened numerous times. That's way easier on me than it was on him. I'm sure. And if Lincoln didn't talk to me for a year, it would devastate me. So I have to be realistic. It's like the thing that Bill Gates's therapist finally told him is you're fighting an unfair war. Your parents are going to love you and never withhold that from you. And you can withhold it for them. And it's not a fair war.

[Monica Padman]

Yes. That's.

[Dax Shepard]

And you're going to win. And so that's on the table. So if there's two variables in this equation. Equation. And one of them has to. To bend. It's got to be me. Because it's not going to be her. I know it. Because it's. Because I was the same one.

[Monica Padman]

I know. But what was happening with your dad.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Is different than what's happening with you at the airport. Taking them to the Four Seasons Maui. Like, for real. So if. I'm just saying if. Like, she did do that. If she was like, I'm not talking to my dad for a month because he wanted to go one way in the airport. Taking us on a trip. Trip.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

She needs to be straightened out a little bit. But that's not fair.

[Dax Shepard]

Listen. But I think you have to be realistic about what you're dealing with.

[Monica Padman]

I don't think she would.

[Anthony Anderson]

I.

[Dax Shepard]

She wouldn't.

[Monica Padman]

She's not.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. It also helps that she's a girl and I'm a boy. There's something there that's.

[Anthony Anderson]

That.

[Dax Shepard]

That is helpful that my dad and I did. My dad and I had that thing and then mail on mail. So it was like. You know. And he wasn't around. So I only saw him once in a while. Yes. I would see him once a month and tell me what the program was. And I'm like, according to who? I. You know. Anyway.

[Monica Padman]

You didn't respect him because of what. Because of his actions.

[Dax Shepard]

Y.

[Monica Padman]

So then why would you listen to him if he's saying this thing.

[Dax Shepard]

I just know. And you've seen it in me. I can. I can destroy myself and another person.

[Monica Padman]

Yep.

[Dax Shepard]

I have that switch.

[Monica Padman]

You do?

[Dax Shepard]

I do. And I think I gave it to my beautiful little girl.

[Monica Padman]

That's okay.

[Dax Shepard]

And so I just have to do everything in my power to not be my dad and surrender because I want to be with her. And I don't want her to write me off.

[Monica Padman]

But can I Push back a little.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

I think you potentially. We don't know there's no way to go back in time, but you potentially wouldn't have. It wouldn't be such a struggle for you now if you had been practicing since you were 12. If you have been put in the position to really start practicing that skill for that long, you've been like, she's better off early. Starting to understand. You know what? Sometimes I'm gonna have to surrender.

[Dax Shepard]

She does all the time. Yeah. And so here's what's great. Because I don't get in these wars with her. She will come to that.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

She'll calm down.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And she comes to it. So she has built a lot of trust with me. If I thought she never corrected her behavior and she was just my way or the highway and everyone. And then I don't even care, and I don't redirect and I don't feel, and I don't come say sorry. That's one thing. That's not at all what I'm dealing with.

[Monica Padman]

Right.

[Dax Shepard]

It's in the moment. I can have a power struggle with her.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Or I can have the faith that she will recognize she was being really bullheaded and she'll apologize, which is 90% of the time. And I wasn't given that leash.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

My mother did. So my mother knew how to deal with me. Obviously, I never had any power struggles with my mom.

[Monica Padman]

Right.

[Dax Shepard]

And Link and. And Kristen knows how to handle Lincoln in a way that I just. I. I can't.

[Monica Padman]

Well, Kristen is fine to walk to the other side.

[Dax Shepard]

Yep. Exactly.

[Monica Padman]

She's not. It doesn't bother her.

[Dax Shepard]

And in my defense, Delta has things.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

They just don't bother me.

[Monica Padman]

Exactly.

[Dax Shepard]

And they bother Kristen because they're her thing.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. Yeah. But in life, both kids, every person are going to encounter counter people.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Who trigger that thing. And it's good to have practice.

[Dax Shepard]

Of course, there's two things. And Kristen always is pointing this out to me, and it's very, very true. So there's. There's. There. I'm. I'm not saying she's adhd. I'm not saying that she's not been diagnosed with that. I. She goes through school just fine. She does not have a disorder. But I just had Tim Simons on mom's car with. With Aaron.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, nice.

[Dax Shepard]

And it was so fun. And he got diagnosed very early with adhd, and he knows a lot about it, and he was telling me some very interesting things about it. One of them is there's really common comorbidities with adhd. One of them is an overactive sense of justice. Like a really strong. Like it drives you nuts. And then self abuse when you've erred like self flagellation.

[Monica Padman]

So because you were so confident. I think that's part of it. It's like there's such a double down that if you're wrong, you can't just be like oops because you made a whole to do about.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, that's one of them. But then there's just simple mistakes. Like I tripped.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

I made a mess. I spilled the thing, I said something, I shouldn't have said it. Those kind of things Delta can shrug right off. Those kind of things Lincoln will ruminate on for a very long time. Like. Like very self punishing.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

So I relate a lot to both of those things.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, me too.

[Dax Shepard]

And so I know what it feels like. So my thing, it's not like I won't listen to authority as much as like if I have evaluated something as unjust. Like I'm a human too. With a brain too. And we have two different opinions and it is unjust that yours just overrides mine. That was such a hard thing for me. It happened with teachers. It happened with stepdads. It happened with my brother. It was like we're equal. I don't care that you're older. I don't care that you have a degree. I don't care. Like I'm a human and you're a human and we both are intelligent and I have one opinion, you have another. And you're telling me I have to let go of mine because what? Because you have some status, whether it's age or this or that. That was so painful for me. I'm not excusing it, but I do know it was extremely painful for me.

[Monica Padman]

Sure. But you can can see now you just said it. You just said it like 15 minutes ago. That it's objectively true. You having so many more years.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes.

[Monica Padman]

And knowledge and experience in life does earn you that. It does earn you.

[Dax Shepard]

It does. But it. It does. And I'm looking at it from that also mature point of view.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. It's just hard a lot. Yeah. It's hard to. I think it's hard to be a parent.

[Dax Shepard]

It is. And then. And then on the other side is the reward of it is also. It's equally matched.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. Let's see if we can find the thing that Adam Grant said.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. And then I'll find the Diabetic song.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, great. I can't wait.

[Dax Shepard]

Can't believe you don't want to hear that. It's easy for me to find.

[Monica Padman]

I found it.

[Dax Shepard]

Of course. I send it to Aaron. The last child leaves the house. On average, parents get happier, don't they? The best data suggests happiness increases when the kids leave home and the dog dies.

[Anthony Anderson]

Ouch.

[Dax Shepard]

You go to some parents and you go, do children make you happy? And parents will say, oh, of course they do. They make me happier than anything else. We know from tons of data that those parents are wrong, that children, in fact, have a small but negative impact on the happiness of their parents, but their parents don't know it. Those data tell you something about parenthood and happiness. There may be many reasons to have children, but making yourself more happy, happy in the moment, is not one of them.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, really good. Okay, Anthony. So he achieved a Guinness World Record by successfully hitting a golf ball 106ft with the world's longest usable golf club.

[Dax Shepard]

And it's really important people take the time to watch a clip of him doing it because you're not possibly imagining the golf club being as long as it actually is.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, it's pretty wild how long it is. And it's, like, curved.

[Dax Shepard]

Yes. It looks like he is fishing off of a pier. Yes. It's crazy.

[Monica Padman]

That was in November 2018.

[Anthony Anderson]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

I don't think that'll be beaten.

[Monica Padman]

I don't either. God willing. Okay. The record for the father son pulling fire trucks, that was in Coburg. So two Coburg strong men won't be celebrating Father's Day with a fishing trip or ball game this weekend. Instead, Reverend Kevin Fast and his son Jacob Fast will attempt to pull two fire trucks. The goal is to set a new Guinness World Record for heaviest vehicle pulled by two people. The Saturday, June 18 event is a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, that's nice.

[Monica Padman]

A cause Reverend Fast became involved in last summer when he pulled a house. 11.95 meters.

[Dax Shepard]

He pulled a house?

[Monica Padman]

Yes. He's also well known for setting a Guinness world record in 2009 for pulling a 416,229 aircraft in 2009 at CFB Trenton.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, my goodness.

[Monica Padman]

Okay. Does Lionel Richie have a room in his house that's a replica of the room he originally wrote his music in? Now, I don't know about that, but there is an article on Architectural Digest about his house.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, there is.

[Monica Padman]

As for the home's overall mood, what I'm trying to do here is show travel Says an entertainer who's always on the road. And finally, I found a place where I can apply everything I see in other countries. These disparate ideas he trickles back via photograph sent by email to the masters who pull my ideas together. A team comprising interior designers Peter Schiffando and J. Jonathan Joseph, and, until his recent death, architect Robert Attry. A case in point of Ritchie's inspired wanderlust is a subtle palomino hue of the building's exterior, first spotted on a cardinal's house he saw on a hilltop in Lake Como. And then there's the high gloss pale yellow Venetian plaster on the walls of the capacious living room, inspired by Richie's visit to Pullman Presidential Palace. The mirrored effect of the walls was so beautiful, I had to ask, how do you do this? With several layers of paint, buffed and polished like a stone, he learned it's not easy to come by, but once it's done, the room can have a single chair. And it works. He pauses. The things that inspire me. He laughs, were done years ago with cheap labor and materials. Trying to recreate them has cost me a bloody fortune. Still in the scene.

[Dax Shepard]

Lionel said bloody.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, okay. Still, in this movable feast of the imagination, it's the personal touches that mesmerize. A bronze sculpture depicting Richie's hand intertwined with. With that of his father. Frame letters from Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver to Richie's grandmother, a faculty member at the Tus. Oh, grandmother, a faculty member at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where the singer grew up. Two paintings in the billiard room by jazz trumpeter and pal Miles Davis. The kinetic abstracts, brilliant, complicated, twisted and turned in every way, just like Miles, are signed on the back. To the best from the best, with its high ceilings, dramatic staircases.

[Dax Shepard]

I wish I could sign from the best.

[Monica Padman]

You can't.

[Dax Shepard]

No.

[Monica Padman]

Well, you can, but you shouldn't.

[Dax Shepard]

Why can't? I'm not the best at anything. You need to be the best at something to sign the best you have to be.

[Monica Padman]

So the best you have to be.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, he can easily sign that.

[Monica Padman]

I think he's just a f. Only one.

[Dax Shepard]

No Coltrane could have done it. Eddie Van Halen. There's a bunch of people.

[Monica Padman]

No, I wouldn't want. I want Van Halen, too.

[Dax Shepard]

Eddie Van Halen.

[Monica Padman]

With its high ceilings, dramatic staircases, sweet promenades and international panache. Richie's Manor. What?

[Dax Shepard]

Jordan.

[Monica Padman]

Jordan could. Ding, ding, ding. Anthony Anderson story about Jordan. Richie's manor house could be anywhere in the world, which is why he Planned it. I call the rooms in my house destinations. If I want to be in a suite in Paris, I go upstairs to the bedroom and close the door. Italy, I walk outside to the stone path bordering the property and look back to see the cardinal's house. With my career, I have to get on a plane every other week. So when people ask, where do you go for vacation? I say, I go home.

[Dax Shepard]

I want to be a guest at his home.

[Monica Padman]

Me, too. But also, the way he talked about it. We don't know the answer, but sounds likely. It sounds likely. Okay. When did the police get back together for their last tour? After not being together, they reunited in early 2007 for a world tour which lasted through 2008.

[Dax Shepard]

I heard Sting talking about that once on a talk show, and he said, it's perfect. He said it was perfect. Within the first 20 minutes of the rehearsal, he and Stuart Copeland were in such a big fight, they were gonna cancel the tour or something. Like. Like it was directly back to how the band always was.

[Monica Padman]

Okay. He mentioned elephantitis. He said when all the lower extremities are, like, one size now, it's. It's called elephantiasis. Elephantiasis.

[Dax Shepard]

Elephantiasis.

[Monica Padman]

It's not elephantitis. It's elephantiasis.

[Dax Shepard]

That's how we like to colloquially say it, elephantitis. Elephantitis of the nuts.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, exactly. It's a condition characterized by significant swelling, primarily in the legs, arms, or genital genitals, caused by a parasitic infection of the lymphatic system. The swelling is due to the buildup of lymphatic fluid, often leading to a disfigured appearance, hence the name. Okay. He was talking about D.C. so he said that was the murder capital of the world then. Now, several countries and cities consistently rank high, high in homicide rates. It says. It's difficult to pinpoint definitively which one, but. Okay, so in 2023, Jamaica had the highest homicide rate.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Monica Padman]

Per capita at 49.3 per 100,000 people, while Ecuador saw a significant increase in its rate to 45.1 per 100,000. Within Mexico, cities like Colima and Zamora have been reported to have extremely high homicide rates. Now, if far as the U.S. st. Louis. Okay. Does Anthony have the record for most appearances on Kimmel? Yes, he does.

[Dax Shepard]

He does.

[Monica Padman]

Yes. Total of 63 appearances. They include guest appearance. I can't talk. These include guest appearances, guest hosting, and co hosting.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Monica Padman]

63. Man who played Fela on Broadway. There's two. I. I'm Kevin. Mambo is one. And then a name I'll spell. Okay. First name s a h r sar saw her. And then last name N G A U J A H. I'm not going to try to pronounce it. Anyway, that's it.

[Dax Shepard]

I'm delighted to be back with you.

[Monica Padman]

Me too. It's been a long time. We've so many stories. We Too many stories we have for next week.

[Dax Shepard]

Good that we have more time off.

[Monica Padman]

It really is.

[Dax Shepard]

All right. Love you.

[Monica Padman]

Okay. Love you.

[Dax Shepard]

Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondry app, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to every episode of Armchair Expert early and ad free right now by joining Wondry plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short [e-mail] survey Lamont Jones's world is shattered when his cousin dies in custody just weeks after entering prison. The official report says natural causes, but bruises and missing teeth tell a different story. From Wondery comes Death County, Pennsylvania, a chilling true story of corruption and co cover ups that begins as one man search for answers but soon reveals a disturbing pattern. Lamont's cousin's death is just one of many and powerful forces are working to keep the truth buried. With never before heard interviews and shocking revelations, Death County, Pennsylvania P pulls back the curtain on one of America's darkest institutional secrets. This isn't just another true crime story. It's happening right now. Follow Death county people PA on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Death County PA early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.