Irina Voronina Gets Real About Russia, Hollywood, The Playboy Murders & Comedy
Release Date: 08/18/2026
Irina Voronina Gets Real About Russia, Hollywood, The Playboy Murders & Comedy
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
Irina Voronina Gets Real About Russia, Hollywood, The Playboy Murders & Comedy This week on Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Richard Chassler sit down with Irina Voronina for a funny, candid, and surprisingly emotional conversation about her journey from Russia to Milan to Los Angeles, her rise as a Playboy Playmate and working actress, and how stand-up comedy became the next chapter of her life. Along the way, Irina opens up about growing up in Soviet Russia, leaving home at 19, adapting to America, and finding her own authentic voice in comedy instead of becoming a...
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info_outlineIrina Voronina Gets Real About Russia, Hollywood, The Playboy Murders & Comedy
This week on Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Richard Chassler sit down with Irina Voronina for a funny, candid, and surprisingly emotional conversation about her journey from Russia to Milan to Los Angeles, her rise as a Playboy Playmate and working actress, and how stand-up comedy became the next chapter of her life. Along the way, Irina opens up about growing up in Soviet Russia, leaving home at 19, adapting to America, and finding her own authentic voice in comedy instead of becoming a stereotype.
The episode also gets into the realities of show business, aging in Hollywood, getting typecast, the transition from modeling to comedy, producing shows at Bar Lubitsch, working at Comedy Chateau, and Irina’s appearance in The Playboy Murders. Sarah, Rich, and Irina keep it loose and hilarious throughout with a full non-alcoholic beer tasting featuring Beck’s Non-Alcoholic, Heineken 0.0, and O’Doul’s, making this one equal parts heartfelt, insightful, and absurdly fun.
🎤 Guest Info
Irina Voronina is a Russian-born American comedian, actor, model, and producer best known as Playboy’s Miss January 2001. According to her official bio, she built an international modeling career before expanding into film, television, and stand-up comedy, with credits including Reno 911!: Miami, Balls of Fury, Piranha 3DD, iCarly, Tosh.0, 13 Reasons Why, and more. She now performs stand-up regularly in Los Angeles and produces original comedy content for her social platforms.
🔗 Guest Social Links
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Website: https://www.irinavoronina.net/
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irinavoronina/
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Comedy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irinavoroninacomedy/
🍺 Drink of the Podcast (NOT SPONSORED)
Non-Alcoholic Beer Tasting Flight:
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Beck’s Non-Alcoholic
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Heineken 0.0
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O’Doul’s
This episode’s drink theme was a refreshing non-alcoholic beer tasting, chosen for a hot Los Angeles day and inspired by Irina’s request for non-alcoholic beer. The group sampled Beck’s, Heineken 0.0, and O’Doul’s, with Heineken 0.0 emerging as a favorite, while the overall verdict was that all three were surprisingly solid.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Welcome back to Drinking During Business Hours
00:56 The beer lineup: Beck’s, Heineken 0.0, and O’Doul’s (NOT SPONSORED)
02:09 Introducing Irina Voronina
04:05 How Irina got involved with Comedy Chateau
11:29 From Russia to America: Irina’s early life story
15:22 Why Irina no longer feels safe traveling back to Russia
17:29 Family, WhatsApp, surveillance, and life back home
21:28 How Irina accidentally landed in Playboy
25:01 Moving to LA and taking the risk at 23
25:43 Modeling, acting, and building a career in Hollywood
27:51 Turning 40 and when the phone stopped ringing
31:18 Why Irina turned to stand-up comedy
36:30 Comedy Chateau, bar shows, and learning to perform
38:35 Producing Comedy Stew at Bar Lubitsch
43:05 Comedy classes, writing groups, and bad advice for comics
45:37 The Playboy Murders and Irina’s connection to the story
48:04 Social media, comedy accounts, and where to follow Irina
49:19 Final drink rankings and shout-outs
50:00 Thanks for watching and sign-off
📣 Call to Action
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Drop a comment with your favorite moment from the episode, tell us which non-alcoholic beer you would pick, and share this episode with anyone who loves comedy, pop culture, and wild Hollywood stories.
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