Dax Shepard Does His Own Makeup for Armchair Expert and Cuts His Mother-in-Law's Hair

-We're back. Dax Shepard is here. Congratulations. "Armchair Expert," a new deal with Wondery. And how many episodes have you done now? -I think we're approaching 800. -Okay. -Which is wild. I'm sure -- How many? What number are you on? -We're at, like, I think 1,500. -Aye yi yi. -Aye yi yi. -Do you have the feeling I do, like, when I look at that number, 800, I'm very proud of it. But I do imagine if you told me seven years ago like, "Hey, you got to go do 800 of them." Not a chance. -Yeah. -Right? Saying 1,500! -1,500's crazy. But you also have this -- which is the nice part -- I remember when I started, you know, I'd remember each one and be like, "Six wasn't great,. Nine was better." And now they're just like, they just all blend together. In a good way. -Yes. You're right. You're like, "I could worry about that, but a new one comes out in five seconds and then I got to go on to the next one." So there is some weird freedom in the totality of it. -This was really -- I think now it's like so well known, like, this is a real grassroots operation when you started it, and it was sort of before the era where I think anybody was thinking about podcasts as being the sort of thing that would go 800 episodes. -Yeah, it's been in the whole time in an attic above a garage at our house. And now we have -- We're now offering video, which is really exciting, so then I just converted the garage to the video space. So you're either in the attic or my garage. If you come over to do the show. -The video space element means that being on camera, uh, you've got to do some hair and makeup. -Well, right, the thing that I liked most about the podcast taking off is that I wasn't acting anymore, and I didn't have to go get hair and makeup. And then of course, now we're doing video. So I do require some makeup, but we don't have anyone. So I'm doing my makeup now. -Yeah. -3 or 4 times a week. -And do you feel like you're picking up any skills? -Not at all. -Yeah. -In fact, Kristen, ever the pragmatist, was like, "Let's give you something you can handle." So I have a brush, Seth, and I dab it in some bronzer, and I just dust myself. And then I have a little matting thing, so I'm not shiny. And then I put this powder all over, it's in the corner of my mouth. And I also cut my hair. I don't know if you if you can tell, but I cut my own hair. Oh, it's all right. -It's pretty good right now. -Yeah, yeah, yeah. -How long have you been cutting your own hair, though? -Intermittently since I was 12. [ Laughter ] -And are you worried about the fact that, like, the arrow hasn't, like, gone up at all? -I think this is all right, gang. I mean, yeah. [ Cheers and applause ] I do think most people in my position who are regularly on TV do see someone to have their hair cut. So I think the fact that I'm pulling this off is okay. But yeah, I got my first set of clippers when I was 12 years old. I bought the little kit and I just started giving haircuts in my junior high. In fact, got in very, very big trouble. If you go to the Muir Junior High yearbook '88, '89 -- '89-'90 year, there are 4 or 5 kids with mohawks in their class photo. Because that's a very good starter haircut. -Yeah. -Zip, zip, zip. And yeah, all these kids in the yearbook all had these mohawks and their parents were calling the principal, and then the principal called my house. -It feels like you shouldn't get in trouble for someone making a personal choice to get a mohawk. -Or a young man starting a business. Yeah, these are all things that I thought the call was going to be like, "Hey." -"Congratulations." -"Good on you." Not a lot of kids have started a beauty shop in their basement. But then I learned scissors along the way, and I'm even -- This would blow your mind, but Kristen's mother was visiting, my mother in law, Lori, and I was looking at her the whole week. Not critically, just... -That face does look a little critical. The one you're making. -I know. But my critical face and I love you face are very close. -Oh, yeah. Okay. -So, um, I just thought this isn't the right shape for her head. -Okay. -And I said, "Would you be open to me giving you a new style?" And I don't know why she agreed to this, but you guys, I nailed it. -Really? -[ Cheers and applause ] -Yeah. I gave her a whole new look and sent her back to Michigan. And I promise you, I got at least 20 text messages from her saying, "Oh, my God. Everyone at work says my hair looks so great. It's so wonderful." Like it was a big, big hit. And my assumption was she would go to the beauty salon and say, "Do this again." -No? -She thinks I'm her hairstylist now. Yeah. -So she's just out on salons. -So when she comes, she's expecting and I'm like, "I only do new looks." [ Laughter ] "I give you a new look, and then I never cut your hair again." -One last thing I want to say. January, turning 50. Congrats. -Yeah, yeah. And you... -Last year. -Last year. -Last year, I hit 50. How are you feeling emotionally? -Well, that's the misleading part. Emotionally, I feel great. -Yeah. -And I feel 12 still The young boy who bought the clippers, still alive. But there's hair growing out of every -- I mean, every time I look in the mirror, I'm like, "Get out of here. Why are we growing hair there?" -Yeah. -Put more up here and stop all this business. But, yeah, I had Poehler on, and she's strongly -- our mutual friend, Amy Poehler -- A goddess on planet Earth. -Absolutely. -We love her. [ Cheers and applause ] She's strongly recommended that I do a 50th birthday dance party. Which you attended hers, right? -I do believe I did, yeah. -Yeah, well, hers was a big hit, and she really got me into a lather on the show. And I kind of committed to it. -To doing a dance party. -Yeah, doing a big dance party. And then three days later, I remembered I'm very scared of my birthday and afraid to invite people that they won't show up. -Right. -Sorry. That's just my nature. So I'm like, "There's no way it's too stressful. Who will show up there?" Of the pathetic things that could happen, being the only person at a dance party... -Yeah. -That's high. -Yeah. -So... -Also, by the way, I think the older you are, the more pathetic, right? -Yeah, yeah. -Like 12 year. -I might just have picture of my daughters walking by like "Dad, any of your friends here?" Me be like, "No. Gotta be the first one on the floor, though." So what I'm doing instead is I saw a video on Instagram of a man cooking a tomahawk steak in the woods. In the wilderness with a lot of butter and some other things. And I sent that to my best friend, and I said, "I expect you to cook this for me on my birthday." And then a month later, I saw these incredible deviled egg hamburgers. I sent those to a second friend, and I said, "I need you to cook these for me on my birthday in the woods." So, so far the party is going to be me and to my bros in the woods. One guy cooking a tomahawk and the other guy making deviled egg hamburgers. -You really have gone the opposite side of the coin from dance party. -Yes. -You're like, "Hey, dance party's off. I'm going to go eat woods food." -"But you're gonna love this. Everyone else, you're gonna love it." Dance parties off. -Well, happy birthday in advance. It's just wonderful to see you. Thank you, buddy. -Yes, you too. Dax Shepard, everybody. The full video episodes of "The Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" can be found on YouTube and audio on Wondery or wherever podcasts are available. We'll be right back with Carrie Coon.