{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Yakov Smirnoff","description":"Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #387 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival Series &amp;nbsp; Our favorite time of year as we bring you voices from Moontower Comedy Festival before, during, and after the festival! &amp;nbsp; 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 &quot;What a country!&quot; 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 &quot;Yakov 2.0&quot; era, and a possible Netflix documentary.   Recorded April 2026 during Moontower Comedy Festival from Stephen F. Austin Lounge  Follow Yakov  Website -&amp;nbsp;yakov.com TikTok -&amp;nbsp;@yakov_smirnoff YouTube -&amp;nbsp;youtube.com\/@YakovSmirnoff Instagram -&amp;nbsp;@yakov_smirnoff Facebook -&amp;nbsp;facebook.com\/Yakov.Smirnoff.Comedian X -&amp;nbsp;@Yakov_Smirnoff  Yakov can be seen and heard:  Clean Comedy Wave Tour  May 29-30, 2026 - Kenosha Comedy Club, Kenosha, Wisconsin -&amp;nbsp;Tickets   Yakov's Theater: Branson, Missouri The Comedy Couch Podcast Happily Ever Laughter - Comedy Special Night Court   Follow @ComedyWham on&amp;nbsp;Instagram,&amp;nbsp;Facebook,&amp;nbsp;Youtube,&amp;nbsp;Twitch, and&amp;nbsp;Tiktok &amp;nbsp; If you'd like to support our independent podcast, check out our Patreon page at:&amp;nbsp;Patreon.com\/comedywham&amp;nbsp; .&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; You can also support us on Venmo - just search for ComedyWham. &amp;nbsp; ","author_name":"Comedy Wham Presents","author_url":"https:\/\/comedywham.com","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/41338375\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/ff0000\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/202137980"}