Yakov Smirnoff

May 24, 2026

Read the article at comedywham.com

Episode #387

2026 Moontower Comedy Festival Series

 

Our favorite time of year as we bring you voices from Moontower Comedy Festival before, during, and after the festival!

 

Legendary comedian Yakov Smirnoff talks with Valerie Lopez about

• Leaving the USSR in 1977 and building a legendary comedy career through sheer luck and timing.
• How his iconic "What a country!" persona helped humanize Russians for Americans during Cold War tensions.
• Earning a PhD in Psychology and studying laughter's powerful role in relationships and marriage.
• Performing at Moontower at 75, eyeing a "Yakov 2.0" era, and a possible Netflix documentary.

Recorded April 2026 during Moontower Comedy Festival from Stephen F. Austin Lounge

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Follow Yakov

• Website - yakov.com
• TikTok - @yakov_smirnoff
• YouTube - youtube.com/@YakovSmirnoff
• Instagram - @yakov_smirnoff
• Facebook - facebook.com/Yakov.Smirnoff.Comedian
• X - @Yakov_Smirnoff

Yakov can be seen and heard:

• Clean Comedy Wave Tour
  • May 29-30, 2026 - Kenosha Comedy Club, Kenosha, Wisconsin - Tickets
• Yakov's Theater: Branson, Missouri
• The Comedy Couch Podcast
• Happily Ever Laughter - Comedy Special
• Night Court

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