WHAT A COUNTRY!

The catchphrase. The accent. The immigrant-in-America observations. And the comedy style that helped make the “Russian Reversal” part of pop culture.

YAKOV SMIRNOFF is coming to The Atlanta Punchline for ONE NIGHT ONLY — Saturday, September 26, 2026

You know the setup…

“In America…”
“In Russia…”
…and suddenly everything works backwards.

Yakov became a comedy icon by finding the absurdity in the differences between Soviet life and America, punctuating it all with the line generations of comedy fans know:

“WHAT A COUNTRY!”

From The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Night Court to Moscow on the Hudson, The Money Pit, Brewster’s Millions and Heartburn, Yakov performed alongside or appeared with some of the biggest names of his era—including Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Richard Pryor, Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. His official bio also notes that he has performed for four U.S. presidents.

Now the comedy legend is coming to Atlanta.