#574 - Yakov Smirnoff's Crusade To Find If Comedy Still Wants Him
From The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals by Trey Elling
April 17, 2026 · 58 min · Episode 574
About this episode
Yakov Smirnoff discusses his experiences in comedy, personal reflections, and insights on relationships during a conversation with Trey Elling.
The iconic Yakov Smirnoff chats with Trey Elling at Cap City Comedy Club , during the 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival ! Topics include: What he's learned from getting back out on the road (0:00) Remaining optimistic with comedy (11:25) Losing his career with the fall of communism (19:03) Living with Sam Kinison & Andrew Dice Clay (26:44) Yakov isn't actually Russian (33:56) Questioning the 'legend' label (35:54) The psychology of laughter in relationships (40:14) Fathering a baby at 75 (44:26) What he hopes to soon learn about standup (46:31) An ode to Mitzi Shore (52:48) An ode to standup (54:42) What he loves about this country (55:56) For more on Yakov, including upcoming tour dates: https://yakov.com/ The Sport of Life aims for entertaining & informative long-form conversations with comedians, filmmakers, musicians, intellectuals, authors, and sports figures!The website: https://withtreyelling.com/The Sport of Life on ESPN Austin, weekdays from 6-7pm CT: https://www.1027espn.com/show/the-sport-of-life-trey-elling/On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withtreyelling/On Twitter: https://x.com/withtreyellingOn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/withtreyelling
People in this episode
Host: Trey Elling
Guest: Yakov Smirnoff
Topics covered
- comedy
- optimism
- career loss
- famous comedians
- identity
- psychology of laughter
- parenthood
- standup
- tribute
Keywords
- Moontower Comedy Festival
- Cap City Comedy Club
- laughter
- fatherhood
- tour dates
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Yakov Smirnoff's tour
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