“Dated a Criminal:” A man stole his girlfriend’s car and her dad’s emergency credit card, teaming up with his mom to buy thousands of dollars in electronics. Then they were both caught by the police.
“Subway:” A girl rented a pair of $200 jeans and then sat in a pile of poop on the New York City subway, then ran into a Lululemon she used to work at and yelled at the employees that she needed a new pair of pants.
“Housesitting:” A man was staying at someone else’s house while they were out of town, and a random car drove into the kitchen, destroying the entire room.
“Dated a Criminal,” “Subway” and “Housesitting” are just a few of the insane episodes in the podcast “Armchair Anonymous.”
Hosted by Dax Shepard and Monica Padman, “Armchair Anonymous” started releasing episodes in 2022. They release a few prompts on their website monthly, asking for stories on a topic like camping. Listeners write in their stories. If they’re selected, they tell their story to Shepard and Padman on a video call, and the stories are recorded. Episodes with four to five stories are then released on Spotify every Friday.
It’s the most worthwhile podcast I've ever listened to — and I've given a lot of podcasts a chance. Hour-long podcasts discussing the effects of creatine and social media make me want to fall asleep. What makes “Armchair Anonymous” different is the chatty style, comments from the hosts while the caller tells the story and the multimedia elements like cover art and cartoons.
The pictures behind the text on the cover correlate to the story told in that episode, making the covers an alluring sneak peek. The “Armchair Anonymous” group also has an Instagram account where a cartoon video showing snippets of the stories is released alongside a new episode. After seeing these posts, I immediately rush to Spotify and start the episode.
“Armchair Anonymous” is just one of the many podcasts the hosts have under the “Armchair” umbrella, with their most popular being “Armchair Expert,” where they interview celebrities like Kristen Bell as well as other notable people.
One thing that’s attractive about the podcast is its lighthearted purpose. It’s meant for interesting stories and laughs — not a mental chore or a solely educational podcast. As I'm putting away my laundry or cleaning the bathroom, I can still follow the storyline of "Armchair Anonymous" even if I don't catch a few minutes.
"Substitute Teachers,” one of my favorite episodes, tells the story of a kid who jumps up on his table in elementary school and staples everything in sight. He stapled his shirt to his pants and another classmate’s shirt, so one of the pictures on the cover was on a stapler.
The podcast is conversational, and when listening to the stories, you can hear Shepard and Padman’s comments and reactions, making it even more amusing. Even with these comments, it doesn’t interrupt the story too much, which I appreciate. It feels like listening to someone react to an episode of the reality TV show Love Island, where the comments about the events make it so much funnier.
I also appreciate its once-a-week release schedule, so I’m not overwhelmed with content. I typically find that podcasts with multiple episodes per week, like Emma Chamberlain’s “Anything Goes,” I can end up falling behind on. Especially because Chamberlain sometimes references her other episodes, making me feel lost.
These episodes are also short, only lasting about 45 minutes. This makes them less of a time commitment compared to 75-minute podcasts like “Hot Mess,” by Alix Earle. This makes it much more digestible than podcasts that take over an hour, typically with the host continuing to drone on and on, getting off topic.
One telltale sign of an entertaining story is when I remember it for months after hearing or reading it. If I read a book or listen to a podcast and can’t remember the plot or the characters’ names, it means the story was too cliché to stick with me. Essentially, I end up with what I like to call a potato-chip book or podcast — It’s fun while you’re reading or listening, but basic and easily forgettable.
This isn’t the case with Armchair, with some of the best and most memorable episodes that I’ve listened to being “Haven’t Confessed to Parents,” “Children’s Party,” “Housesitting” and “Sleepwalking 2.” I remember almost every detail of each story to this day — even the time a girl joined the cross-country team and ran laps around her kitchen island in her sleep.
“Armchair Anonymous” is the perfect short and engaging podcast to tune into every week — taking a 45-minute break filled with good laughs is a quick mood pick-up for the rest of the week, and I’m already excited for the new episode to come out this Friday.
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