What happened in this episode?
Dax Shepard and Liz Plank use the “Mom’s Car” format to talk through how modern dating plays out on social media, including the etiquette of “soft launches” versus “hard launches” when posting a new partner. Plank says she has avoided publicly posting partners after a past relationship she describes as “toxic and abusive”, alleging her ex tried to control her online presence and felt threatened by her career; she adds he later entered a programme for alcohol misuse. The conversation broadens into how dating advice circulates online, with both discussing whether some relationship content framed as empowerment encourages isolation rather than connection.
They debate the idea of “return on investment” in heterosexual relationships, with Plank arguing that men often gain health and social benefits from commitment while women can face higher costs, and that women are increasingly “weeding out” partners who do not improve their lives. Shepard links declining birth rates to a longer-term shift towards more solitary living, while Plank argues the steepest recent declines are influenced by falling teenage pregnancy and later family formation. Plank also recounts believing she had met a partner with whom she would have children, before he asked for an open relationship, which she says made her reconsider having children in current dating conditions. The episode ends with a wide-ranging exchange about heartbreak, “lovebombing”, and how gender differences can shape risk and expectations in relationships.
