Another Popular Comedian Canceled in Russia

Alexey Shcherbakov. Photo: shcherbakov_alexei / Instagram

In Russia, concerts of one of the most famous humorists, Alexey Shcherbakov, were suddenly canceled. His solo performances in Russian cities disappeared from posters, including a concert in Moscow's "Moscow" concert hall, which was scheduled for April 2. Ticket buyers began to receive refunds, and the comedian's own website currently lists no performances in Russia.

Shcherbakov came to humor with a completely non-creative biography. The future comedian was born in Zvenigorod, a town near Moscow. After graduating from the Moscow Institute of Management, he served in the 16th GRU special forces brigade, stationed in Tambov. After demobilization, to support his family, the young man worked two jobs at once: during the day at a construction site, and at night as an installer in the Moscow metro.

Shcherbakov began his stand-up career in 2012. In 2015, he became a resident of the popular show Stand Up on the TNT TV channel, which introduced him to a wide audience.

He gained widespread popularity through the internet project "What Happened Next?" — one of the most popular Russian-language humor shows on YouTube. It was after the launch of this project in 2019 that Shcherbakov became one of Russia's most in-demand comedians. His recognizable image is that of a rough "simple guy" with a working-class past, who jokes about family, military service, and everyday life.

In 2020, the comedian was a guest for a major interview with blogger Yuri Dud. The conversation garnered tens of millions of views and further increased his fame.

After the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, Shcherbakov did not publicly comment on the events and tried not to touch on political topics in his performances. However, after the events in the Kursk region, according to media reports, he delivered humanitarian aid to local residents there.

The official reason for the current cancellation of concerts has not been announced. One of the possible reasons cited is his friendship with comedian Nurlan Saburov — the host of the "What Happened Next?" project.

Last year, Saburov's performances also began to be canceled in various Russian cities. On February 6 this year, the comedian, who holds Kazakhstani citizenship, was denied entry to Russia and banned from entering for 50 years. After this, Shcherbakov flew to Kazakhstan and stated that he came to visit a friend. According to some reports, after this trip, the attitude of concert organizers towards him sharply changed, and a wave of cancellations began.

However, others note that the comedian's problems might have started even earlier. In 2024, Shcherbakov actively toured and performed in 33 cities. The following year, the number of concerts was approximately halved, and now they have virtually disappeared from posters altogether.

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