Evan Gershkovich is an American journalist and foreign correspondent raised by two Soviet Jewish refugees in New Jersey. They fled the USSR in 1979 to begin a new life in America, raising Evan as a bilingual American child. Evan and Monica Padman discuss the similarities in their upbringings, having immigrant parents while wanting to assimilate into American culture in the late '90s and early 2000s. Evan eventually left New Jersey for New York City, where he began freelance writing before joining The Wall Street Journal, which took him back to his parents' home country of Russia as a foreign correspondent. He shares the harrowing story of being wrongfully convicted of espionage by the FSB and thrown into Moscow's high-security Lefortovo Prison in 2023. He recounts his 16 months in confinement and his struggle with PTSD upon his release and return to America. You can read more about his life and his time in a Russian prison in his new memoir, "This Cursed Beautiful Land." #EvanGershkovich #DaxShepard #ArmchairExpert #MonicaPadman Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/ This holiday season, NOBULL encourages people stay “Stronger Than the Season.” Head to https://www.NOBULLProject.com all holiday season to shop new deals every week and checkout products like the Drive 2, a versatile hybrid training shoe built for mixed workouts, helping listeners move through the season their way. The Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal now $8 for a limited time. Only at McDonald’s. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@armchairexpertpod?sub_confirmation=1 About Armchair Expert: Hi, I’m Dax Shepard, and alongside my co-host Monica Padman, welcome to the Armchair Expert Podcast. I’m endlessly fascinated by the intricacies of human behavior, and on this channel, we sit down for in-depth interviews with guests across all our shows. Whether it’s talking with your favorite celebrities on Armchair Expert, diving deep with scholars on Experts on Experts, hearing wild listener stories on Armchair Anonymous, or taking a ride in Mom’s Car, we explore the vulnerability, setbacks, and experiences that make us human. What qualifies me for such an endeavor? More than a decade of sobriety, a degree in Anthropology, improv training and a healthy dose of delusion. Subscribe to join us as we attempt to discover human truths without any laboratory work, clinical trials, or data collection. Together we will be, in the great tradition of 16th-century scientists, Armchair Experts. Follow Armchair Expert on social: https://www.instagram.com/armchairexppod https://www.facebook.com/ArmchairExpPod/ https://twitter.com/armchairexppod Connect with Wondery: https://wondery.com/shows/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ https://www.facebook.com/WonderyMedia https://twitter.com/WonderyMedia https://www.instagram.com/WonderyMedia https://www.tiktok.com/@wonderymedia Watch Armchair Expert every MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, and FRIDAY here on Youtube! Listen to episodes ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting: https://wondery.com/shows/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/