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

#574 - Yakov Smirnoff's Crusade To Find If Comedy Still Wants Him