Laugh on your head

Comedian Nurlan Saburov irritated both the Z-community and liberals. Now his concerts are being canceled all over Russia, and they don’t really expect him in Kazakhstan either.

Nurlan Saburov is a Kazakh stand-up comedian, host of the show “What Happened Next? (ChBD)", and, perhaps, one of the most controversial Russian-language comedians of recent years. It equally easily collects millions of views on YouTube and generates scandals on social networks with amazing consistency.

In ChBD, Nurlan Saburov often looks like he is a little embarrassed about everything that is happening. Guests tell stories, colleagues interrupt, laugh, start shouting - and Saburov sits with the expression on the face of a man who “passed by” and suddenly found himself the host of a popular show. However, outside the studio, the comedian regularly faces criticism of his position in relation to almost everything that happens in this world. Now this has become especially noticeable: Saburov’s concerts have begun to be cancelled.

What happened before

Saburov was born in Stepnogorsk, a city that rarely becomes the starting point for a stand-up career. He was raised by his mother and grandfather. His father left the family early and died when Nurlan was fourteen years old. Despite the fact that he lived in the same house, his relatives rarely communicated. The comedian later admitted that he comprehended this story as an adult, when he himself became a father.

After school, Nurlan moved to Yekaterinburg and entered the Faculty of Physical Education at UrFU. There wasn’t enough money, so he played in KVN, hosted corporate events “for two thousand,” sold coffee and worked as a loader. Humor gradually became not a hobby, but a way of survival. At the suggestion of comedian Dmitry Romanov, Saburov sent a video of his act to the TNT channel, from where he soon received a call. Nurlan first appeared on television as an invited guest in the “Open Microphone” section. The audience liked his show, and the comedian was invited to Stand Up several more times until he became a permanent resident.

First of all, Saburov is remembered for his manner. The artist jokes with an absolutely serious, almost arrogant expression on his face. The effect is enhanced by his characteristic facial expressions, strict hairstyle and height of 188 cm - this is the appearance of a man who would rather scold the audience than try to please him.

In April 2019, Saburov became the host of the show “What Happened Next?” - and clearly found himself in the right place. While the other participants joke sharply and aggressively, Nurlan creates a feeling of awkwardness - as if everything went a little further than planned. Sometimes his funniest moment is a question asked without intonation, like: “Are you serious about this now?” After such remarks, guests are usually more lost than from a direct joke.

Personal, not public

Saburov met his future wife Diana as a teenager. When she told him about her pregnancy, Nurlan was sitting at a lecture - the news came via SMS. He didn’t back down: he got married and started making money by any means necessary. Until 2014, the Saburov family lived in Yekaterinburg, but when Nurlan became a resident of the show on TNT on a permanent basis, he moved to Moscow with his wife and newborn daughter. Nurlan’s second child, son Tagir, was also born in Moscow.

The paradox is that it was his beloved family that became one of the most exploited themes of his humor. Saburov jokes a lot and harshly about his wife. In his speeches, the star states that, despite her external attractiveness, Diana does not shine with intelligence, and jokingly called her “stupid” and said that she needed a “brain transplant.” Such jokes about the wife, everyday sexism, the image of the “brute truth” - all this brought popularity, but over time caused internal conflict. Saburov publicly admitted that he had gone too far and doubted whether it was worth continuing in the same spirit.

“This does not mean at all that I love her less or treat her the way I do in my jokes. In general, context is important in any joke. Sometimes many reprises may seem sexist, but they are not,” explained Saburov.

The stand-up comedian has a luxurious cottage and a plot of land in the Moscow region worth about 115 million rubles. Telegram channel Shot claimed that

in February 2022, the artist purchased a plot of land with an area of ​​1,285 square meters in the Novorizhsky housing complex. The cost is approximately 12.2 million rubles. There is a cottage on the territory.

Saburov lived there with his wife and three children. In addition, the stand-up comedian has two luxury cars: a 2021 Cadillac Escalade and a 2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

However, here you shouldn’t be surprised by the big earnings: back in May 2020, Forbes magazine included Saburov in the list of “30 under 30” - the most promising Russians (even though de jure he is not one) under 30 years of age, noting his successes in the media and stand-up comedy.

I was joking

In addition to jokes of various levels about the family (both funny and frankly inappropriate), Saburov became famous for his scandalousness on many other occasions. In 2018, speaking in Surgut, he spoke harshly to the girl who answered the phone call. The viewer loudly shouted “Mom!” into the phone several times. - and hurried to leave the hall, and Saburov addressed her the phrase: “I hope you’re dead.” As it turned out, the mother told the comedian’s fan about the death of her father, so the rude stand-up comedian was attacked with harsh criticism. Subsequently, the comedian contacted the spectator and apologized to her for insulting her for the noise at the concert, without knowing the context of the situation.

In 2021, Saburov spoke unflatteringly about Ksenia Sobchak at a concert in Balashikha near Moscow, using obscene language. Sobchak has repeatedly become the object of Nurlan Saburov’s jokes. He openly ridiculed her public statements, actions and actions. Apparently, the ex-candidate for the presidency of Russia and the daughter of the first mayor of St. Petersburg did not forgive him for this. “I won’t say anything about the horse, this joke is about as old as jokes about mother-in-law. You are so brave and “sharp,” and the main thing is, “I have a mortgage,” Sobchak later wrote on her social networks in July 2022 after another joke from Saburov about his appearance, inviting the comedian to speak out about the SVO.

Ironically, after this, Saburov, who had never openly voiced his position on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, began a series of troubles, primarily related to his concert activities.

They no longer expected jokes from Saburov, but answers - and the silence suddenly turned out to be louder than any punch. The comedian began to be persecuted and demanded to speak openly about what was happening in the relationship between Russia and Ukraine. And both camps at once.

In San Francisco, for example, during his performance, a Ukrainian woman appeared on stage in a white dress with red spots imitating blood. While security was taking the girl away, the comedian joked about “periods,” which caused sharp criticism both in the audience and later on social networks. After the high-profile incident, Saburov was condemned not only by the audience, but also by his colleagues. Comedian Denis Alien ironically noted that, unlike Saburov, “at least he thinks before he jokes.”

More severe accusations were also made online. Bloggers reproached the artist not for silence as such, but for cynicism, suggesting that the fear of losing income in Russia was stronger than the willingness to take a public position: “The place of the departed Vanya Urgant on Channel One has not yet cooled down, and it must be earned, which Nurlan is successfully doing.”

The artist's next concert in Chicago was canceled by the organizers. Later, four concerts were canceled in Israel due to the fact that “a conflict is brewing within the Israeli Russian-speaking community over the arrival of the comedian.” Even in his native Kazakhstan, Saburov's program was postponed indefinitely.

At first, Nurlan Saburov tried to laugh it off, but later explained why he did not answer questions about the political situation: “I have a family, you must understand. I also have my fears. What are you making of me?”

Information also appeared on the Internet that spectators are not allowed to attend Saburov’s concerts because of their political views. In Miami, about 150 people were not allowed into the concert: they checked their phones, opened their Facebook*, and if they saw a pacifist position, they did not let them in. If they refused to show the phone, they didn’t launch it either.

After all these events, the scandalous comedian took a break and returned to Kazakhstan. However, the calm did not last long: when his wallet began to noticeably lose weight, Saburov returned to humor again. In 2024, resident “What Happened Next?” posted a solo concert “Principles 2024” on YouTube.

“They decided to cancel the Russians, they started with me. For some reason they came to my concert with Ukrainian flags, then the Kazakhs started coming. Then I already see the flags of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia in the hall. Has some kind of Olympics begun? - Saburov joked very badly.

On May 19, 2025, it became known that the comedian was detained for staying too long in Russia during the year. He stayed in the Russian Federation for 114 days instead of the 90 allowed. The artist got off with a fine of 5,000 rubles, and was given two weeks to leave Russia and enter back in accordance with all the rules of migration legislation.

On the eve of these New Year holidays, traditionally the “golden season” for artists, Saburov’s performances suddenly began to fail. The concert, scheduled for December 10 in Ryazan, was canceled “due to an unexpected obstacle.” Previously, the shows did not take place in Obninsk, Nizhnevartovsk and Yekaterinburg - the audience was promised a refund for tickets.

According to news publications, by the end of the year, Saburov was simply remembered for everything at once: from jokes about Russians who moved to Kazakhstan after 2022, to resonant reprises in the show “What Happened Next?”, for which Orthodox activists from the “Forty Forties” movement demanded an apology and verification from the Investigative Committee.

“Jesus... He ran on water because of me...” - probably for these words the residents of the ChBD and specifically Saburov got the most.

This version was indirectly confirmed by producer and media manager Pavel Rudchenko, who said that today they are in no hurry to invite Nurlan Saburov even to concerts in the regions, despite the high level of recognition of the artist.

No laughing matter

The story of Saburov’s quiet “cancellation,” on the one hand, fits well within the framework that the Russian—and above all, the Russian—authorities have established for humor and creativity in general in the country.

The authorities began persecuting comedians even before February 24, 2022. Now it’s easy to forget, but just four years ago the story of Idrak Mirzalizadeh, a Belarusian stand-up comedian who made an unsuccessful joke about Russians and mattresses, was widely discussed - and as a result he was banned from entering Russia for life. The case is almost unique in itself, but also very significant: humor that does not fit into the canon (it does not matter whether it is political or simply offensive: there is such a thing too) was officially recognized as a “threat to national security.”

The canon itself was never voiced, but Novaya wrote at the end of 2021 that it could be formulated as follows: everything “unfastened” is prohibited, and it is impossible in principle to ridicule state policy, “Russianness” or specific persons. “Meanings have been mined along the perimeter, irony as a tool of analysis has been cancelled,” said satirist Viktor Shenderovich (recognized as a “foreign agent” in Russia) at the time.

Everything that happened in 2022 and later crystallized and supplemented this formula in the head of the collective Kremlin.

Stars of humor with a position different from the “national one” were not only squeezed out of the air (indicative in this sense is the example of Ivan Urgant, who, according to the New York Times, is allegedly not allowed to return to the public space at the direction of the presidential administration), but are sometimes actually recognized as outlaws.

The most obvious illustration of this attitude is comedian Ruslan Bely (recognized as a “foreign agent”), who generally does not hide his simultaneously anti-Kremlin and pacifist views, which he continues to demonstrate at his concerts outside of Russia. But then there are also Slava Komissarenko and Dmitry Romanov, who were completely deprived of their citizenship “on the initiative of the FSB.” And, of course, Maxim Galkin is perhaps the most famous comedian, recognized as a “foreign agent.”

However, until a certain point, comedians could not so much pass between the streams as not climb into this waterfall at all. The refined humor of KVN and the endless “Comedy Club” in all its manifestations are exactly about this: jokes about everyday life or about bodily power are quite suitable. Even rare teasing about some Dmitry Rogozin is allowed. It’s also not forbidden to joke about the international situation: sketches about Trump (and earlier about Biden: there is even a whole disgusting series with Dyuzhev produced by TNT) and any European politicians, either in KVN or in a more “youth” space from the Kremlin’s point of view, like “Comedy,” are acceptable in an almost unlimited format. Almost a reincarnation of the situation from the Soviet joke: “I, too, can go to Red Square and shout that President Carter is an asshole!”

Over time, however, the same norms began to apply to humor as to the rest of creativity: remaining silent or avoiding sensitive topics was no longer enough. Speaking out openly, or even better, going somewhere to the Donbass region, is now the preferred option for the “new normal.” This was done, in particular, by Russian comedians Azamat Musagaliev (he is from Astrakhan, but in Kazakhstan, for example, phantom pains arise regarding his actions due to the fact that he is an ethnic Kazakh) and Denis Dorokhov, who in 2023 went and performed a concert at the Saur-Mogila memorial. And one of the most “patriotic” comedians, whose name comes to mind when discussing humor and military topics, is Stas Starovoitov: he reads a rebuke to all critics of the North Military District, and used to regularly travel to combat areas.

In this sense, Nurlan Saburov’s position - to remain silent while there is an opportunity - turned out to be expectedly vulnerable. It is becoming increasingly difficult to remain silent at this level; to speak openly (no matter what position the comedian actually adheres to) means at least incurring reputational losses.

The uniqueness of the “Saburov case”, perhaps, is that in almost four years since February 2022, it managed to infuriate all parties at once.

In fact, you have to be able to do this - and it could even inspire respect if Saburov showed everyone “a big deal” in this way. But it seems that what we are talking about is that we are faced with the situation of a person completely without a position in the most difficult and deteriorating circumstances.

There's nowhere to retreat

By the way, Russian technology for stifling humor also works well for export. In the same Kazakhstan, where Saburov is from, authors of satirical public pages are prosecuted, and stand-up comedians can easily sit down for 5-15 days for some kind of “swearing in a public place.” Criminal prosecution usually varies between Articles 174 and 274 of the Criminal Code (“Inciting ethnic hatred” and “Dissemination of knowingly false information,” respectively), but conceptually the approach of the Kazakh authorities is the same as in Russia: the inconsistency of sharp humor with “traditional values”, at least on formal grounds.

What actually offends the authorities - jokes about them or an attempt, in principle, to be outside the growing ideology of “Law and Order” - is no longer so important. Artists read the signal very clearly in the republic: this is not the time to joke. Political or semi-political jokes layered on public irritation in Kazakhstan are also perceived more sharply by the public itself - so humor here is under double fire.

And if suddenly Saburov is not allowed to work in Russia, it will not be so easy for him to return home either. Yes, silence and avoidance of “sensitive” topics are encouraged here, but, on the other hand, the active public will still demand to “speak out on the current moment” - and will definitely remain dissatisfied in any case.

Moreover, three years ago Saburov was involved in another scandal - this time related to the Kazakh language. The reason was an unsuccessful joke by Azamat Musagaliev on the air of the TNT channel, which part of the Kazakh audience considered offensive.

In the video, which lasts 15 seconds, comedian Nurlan Saburov addresses Musagaliev in Kazakh. He laughs and answers: “Kurly-murly, Kurly-murly.” - “What does this mean?” - Saburov asks him in surprise. In response, the captain says : “What do you mean? Did it mean anything to you? I thought we were just kidding."

Later, Saburov became a guest of the evening show “Tungi Studio”, where he talked with the host, another showman Nurlan Koyanbaev (Russian viewers may know him from the KVN team “Astana Kz”). During the conversation, the comedian spoke exclusively in Russian, while the presenter asked questions in Kazakh. Then Saburov admitted that he had difficulties with his native language and had a very limited vocabulary. In 2025, Saburov will definitely be reminded of this if necessary.

Since his youth, comedian Saburov dreamed of a big movie, and his wish came true. Nurlan played the main role in the Kazakh film “Brother or Marriage”. Later it became known that the comedian had received the leading role in the TV series “Poor Patricks” about the unglamorous side of a prestigious district of Moscow. Also in 2018, a documentary film by Kanat Beisekeev called “Simply Saburov” was released. After the cancellation of the concerts, if this does not lead to more serious consequences, it’s time to shoot another documentary. Provided, of course, that it will be shown in at least one of Saburov’s two homelands.

Nursara Belisbaeva

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