Give It Up for Volodymyr Zelenskyy!

Nowadays when people ask me who my favorite comedian is I say it’s that Jewish guy from over in Ukraine. Have you heard about him? Zelenskyy with two ys? You may have seen him on the news or The Grammys or addressing the UN Security Council. I can’t help but root for him because he is part of my comedy tribe.   

Zelenskyy’s extensive training as a comedian is helping him to be a great leader. His stagecraft is well-honed and harnessing our emotions is his superpower. And he’s actually pretty funny. Well, not lately. But that’s excusable because he’s in the middle of what we comics call a “hell gig”—running a nation at war with a nuclear superpower. That’s got to be even harder than winning Ukrainian “Dancing With The Stars” — which Zelenskyy did years ago, about the same time I was on the American version. I looked it up on YouTube. His cha-cha-cha was hotter than a boiling pierogi. My cha-cha-cha was blah blah blah and I got voted off during the first commercial break. Zelenskyy got a standing-O and took home the golden mirror ball. As they say in Ukraine, “Glory to heroes!”

Little did his countrymen know that the guy on stage pretending to play piano with his schmeckle would one day be their Winston Churchill.  

Zelenskyy’s comedic roots are in sketch comedy. Now, in American show business, sketch comedy is one level above elephant trainer. But over in Ukraine it’s a big deal and there is a popular comedy circuit where groups from different regions travel around and compete at big tournaments. It was on the road in front of live crowds that Zelenskyy learned how to communicate with the masses. Little did his countrymen know that the guy on stage pretending to play piano with his schmeckle would one day be their Winston Churchill.  

I watched his stuff. He’s got Adam Sandler’s likability, Jon Stewart’s delivery and Jerry Seinfeld’s money. Besides starring in a hit sitcom, Zelenskyy owns a production company that makes all kinds of shows for both his country and Russia. As a celebrity and media tycoon transitioning into politics, his opponents accused him of being a pawn for a powerful oligarch. Hey, sounds like good work if you can get it. Who books that? If any oligarchs are reading this I’m available for private yacht parties in case Mariah Carey charges too much.

Never in show-business history has a comedian gone from appearing as a headliner to appearing in headlines across the world. 

What an act this guy has performed. Never in show-business history has a comedian gone from appearing as a headliner to appearing in headlines across the world. Not since they let me produce the Justin Bieber roast has a comic gotten this much power. But I’ll never be as brave as Zelenskyy. Sure, I’ve been to war zones to perform for the troops, but I had a round-trip ticket. This guy has been barricaded in his bunker for months with one t-shirt. Russia is acting like an unhinged Will Smith. But Ukraine, no matter how many times it gets slapped, stands solid as a “Rock.”  

When America offered to evacuate him out of Ukraine, Zelenskyy famously answered, “I need ammunition, not a ride”—which is something I’ve said after many gigs. Other Ukrainian comics, such as my friend Basyl Baydak, are even performing for their troops on the front lines to help them through the pain of war. 

I wish there was more I could do to help Zelenskyy and his people right now. I worry about him and hope nothing bad happens to him or his family. At the end of this month there is a big Netflix comedy festival happening in Los Angeles. A thousand comedians will all be in the same city. I dream about the day Zelenskyy can join us.

Comedians help audiences see the truth. Zelenskyy is now doing this on the world stage. 

Comedians help audiences see the truth. Zelenskyy is now doing this on the world stage. And for those of you reading this and thinking his nation is being attacked and none of this is a laughing matter, you’re right. It’s not. We’re all seeing footage of the ghastly Russian war crimes coming out of Ukraine. But sometimes things are so bad that if we don’t laugh a little, we cry too much. And everyone needs a break sometimes. The best comedians are healers and Zelenskyy is attempting to heal his people as they bleed. Still, I hope he never has to go back into show business because fighting off the Russian army will be a hard act to follow.

Jeff Ross, also known as the “Roastmaster General,” is a touring standup comic who has performed many shows for U.S. troops stationed in war zones. Follow him on Instagram at @therealjeffreyross