Ezra Klein Returns (on political polarization)

Ezra Klein Returns (on political polarization)

From Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard by Armchair Umbrella

May 27, 2026 · 2h 8m · Episode 1054

About this episode

Ezra Klein joins Dax Shepard to discuss political polarization, self-improvement, and the dynamics of attention in politics.

Ezra Klein (Abundance, The Ezra Klein Show, Why We’re Polarized) is a political commentator, journalist, podcast host and New York Times columnist. Ezra joins Armchair Expert to discuss becoming a father, getting serious about longevity and strength training, and why self-improvement became politically coded. Ezra and Dax talk about how attention became the most valuable currency in politics, why there’s no liberal Joe Rogan, and how cancellation can backfire into shadow influence. Ezra explains why democracy requires moral imagination, how telling people you hate them pushes them away, and why the desire to become a better person shouldn’t belong to one political side. Sign up now in the app or at grubhub.com/plus/golddays to unlock exclusive Gold Days deals. Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Host: Dax Shepard

Guest: Ezra Klein

Topics covered

  • political polarization
  • self-improvement
  • democracy
  • attention economy
  • cancellation
  • fatherhood
  • longevity

Keywords

  • Ezra Klein
  • political commentary
  • self-improvement
  • democracy
  • cancellation
  • fatherhood
  • longevity

Sponsors

Grubhub, Allstate

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Times

Books & works: Abundance, The Ezra Klein Show, Why We’re Polarized

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