Overview
- On the Nov. 3 episode of Armchair Expert, Witherspoon argued that a 10–15 year drop in big‑star romantic comedies and coming‑of‑age sitcoms has left young people with fewer on‑screen cues for how to date.
- She cited series like The Goldbergs, Everybody Hates Chris and Young Sheldon, and referenced Tom Hanks–Meg Ryan films as examples of media that once modeled social dynamics.
- Witherspoon linked the shift to the rise of the internet and social media and to a period when audiences started dismissing rom‑coms as “cringey.”
- Host Dax Shepard agreed that seeing vulnerability on screen helps boys understand that asking someone out is scary for everyone and that they should try anyway.
- She offered practical advice to co‑host Monica Padman to ask out three people within three months, while online critics labeled her theory out of touch and pointed to factors like financial pressure and social anxiety.