Like most careers in the entertainment industry, comedy is hard to break into. The rewards for success can be so great, though, that hordes of aspiring comedians keep on trying year after year. In fact, the top 15 comedians in the world are worth so much that we think we should give a career in comedy a shot.
1. Jerry Seinfeld
The richest comedian in the world is, without a doubt, American comedian Jerry Seinfeld. He’s been such a successful comedian that he’s called “The King of Comedy” (though, given how messed up the “King of Comedy” was in the Martin Scorsese movie of the same name, it’s perhaps not a title that Seinfeld finds entirely flattering).
Jerry Seinfeld made a name for himself for his standup routine, but he really made it big with his classic 90s sitcom, Seinfeld, created with Larry David. Although he’s had a few other shows since then, none have ever received quite as much acclaim and popularity as it did.
He doesn't need them, as his current net worth is about $950 million. Comedy has been very good to him, as he is considered the highest paid comedian of all time.
2. Matt Stone
Coming in at number two is Matt Stone. Stone is one half of the comedy duo behind South Park, one of the longest-running, most popular animated shows of all time. Along with his partner, he also made the critically acclaimed, incredibly popular South Park movie and starred in the much less acclaimed and popular movie Baseketball. He also achieved fame, or possibly notoriety, for the puppet comedy movie Team America: World Police.
He’s even won a few awards. Specifically, he’s won a Grammy award and three Tony awards for the hit Broadway comedy, The Book of Mormon, which is both a satire of and a loving homage to Mormon religious beliefs and practices. And, of course, South Park has won several Emmys and a Peabody.
Matt Stone is worth just about $700 million.
3. Matt Groening
The third wealthiest comedian is also named Matt: Matt Groening. He’s the comedy legend behind animated hits The Simpsons, Futurama, and Disenchantment.
He’s been a mainstay of the comedy scene for so long that many people have forgotten what first made him famous: a comic strip titled Life in Hell. He also founded Bongo Comics and plays drums and cowbells for The Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band made of published writers. Matt Groening is worth about $600 million.
4. Trey Parker
The fourth richest comedian in the world is the other half of the duo behind South Park: Trey Parker. Born Randolph Severn Parker III, Trey Parker shares South Park and The Book of Mormon's recognition and awards. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for the song “Blame Canada” from the South Park movie. Parker is worth about $500 million.
5. Ellen DeGeneres
The comedian in the fifth spot is particularly notable for being in the fifth spot. Ellen DeGeneres is the first, and so far only, female comedian to ever make the list of the world’s top five wealthiest comedians.
Ellen DeGeneres got her start back in the 80s. She first broke into the mainstream with a 1994 sitcom, Ellen, and again achieved national attention in 1997 when she came out as a lesbian. This was a very risky move for her career at the time. Her character on Ellen quickly followed suit, and the show started to explore LGBTQ issues.
She is most famous for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a talk show that ran for 19 years and won a Primetime Emmy award 33 times. She is worth about $450 million.
6. Jay Leno
Jay Leno is worth nearly $450 million, as well. He’s done voiceover work in cartoons and had several roles in television shows and movies. He has also had a popular standup career. However, he is most well known for hosting The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He appeared on The Tonight Show as a guest comic in the 70s when Johnny Carson hosted it. He started taking over for Johnny Carson as a guest host in the 80s. By the 90s, the show was his, and he continued to host it for many years afterward.
7. Byron Allen
Byron Allen is worth only slightly less than Jay Leno, almost $450 million. He was just 14 when he and his standup act were discovered by fellow comedian Jimmie Walker, who invited him to join him, Jay Leno, and David Letterman on his comedy writing team.
Since then, Byron Allen has been very busy. Besides his comedy work, he has been the founder and CEO of Enterprise Studios, a television production company. He is also noted for his philanthropic efforts.
8. Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler is an American comedian who began his career in stand-up comedy but soon transitioned into working as a comedic actor. That has proven a good decision, as his movies are incredibly popular and earned $4 billion for their production companies. The actor himself is worth about $420 million.
Adam Sandler has been nominated for more than 120 awards for his work, winning 46 of them.
9. David Letterman
David Letterman comes in at number nine as one of the richest comedians. He’s done work as a comedian and as a comedy writer. However, he is most well known for hosting a string of popular late-night talk shows, including The Late Show with David Letterman. He has also had a number of roles in movies and TV shows and started his own production company, Worldwide Pants, Inc. David Letterman is worth about $400 million.
10. Bill Cosby
One of the most successful comedians of all time is the infamous Bill Cosby. He’s most well known for his TV shows: Fat Abbot and the Cosby Kids, The Cosby Show, and The Bill Cosby Show. He is also well known for starring in the flop movie Ghost Dad and Leonard Part 6, which many have called the worst movie ever made. Bill Cosby is worth almost $400 million. Sadly, the man who played America's favorite TV Dad has been involved in ongoing legal cases for alleged sexual assault.
11. Seth MacFarlane
You might recognize this incredibly popular American comedian’s name from a little show called Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane is a comedian, actor, and cartoonist, who is also the creator of television series The Orville, as well as co-creator of American Dad! and The Cleveland Show. He was also the star of Ted, sequel Ted 2, and A Million Ways to Die in the West, all of which he wrote and directed. He even hosted Saturday Night Live in 2012.
Seth MacFarlane is worth an estimated $300 million, with several awards under his belt for his successful animation TV series’.
12. Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey is arguably one of the best-known figures on American television as the host of Family Feud, beginning his career as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s. His WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show lasted for six successful seasons, and he even went on to write his bestselling book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, which was published in 2009.
Steve Harvey is a seven-time Daytime Emmy Award winner, a 14-time NAACP Image Award winner, and a two-time Marconi Award winner. He is currently estimated to be worth $200 million.
13. Dan Aykroyd
The Canadian actor, comedian, director, and former Saturday Night Live star has turned his illustrious career on screen into a lucrative career as an entrepreneur. Aykroyd is most well known for his work in Blues Brothers and Coneheads. Both were regular sketches on SNL before each becoming full feature films.
Aykroyd has amassed an impressive net worth of approximately $250 Million. His entrepreneurial ventures include ownership in the popular musical restaurant franchise House of Blues.
14. Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart is not only one of the most popular comedy actors of the 21st century but one of the best stand-up comedians (and the richest!). Kevin Hart is famous for films such as About Last Night, Get Hard, Jumanji sequels, and his 2011 comedy special, Laugh At My Pain”.
Although not nearly the richest comedian on our list, Kevin Hart is worth an estimated $200 million, which is sure to increase rapidly.
15. Ray Romano
Everybody Loves Raymond. Ray Romano started his career as a stand-up comedian. He parlayed his moderate success in stand-up into a star role on CBS's Everybody Loves Raymond. Romano and cast won numerous awards. As Executive Producer of Everybody Loves Raymond, Romano won two Emmy's plus one more for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Romano has also enjoyed success on the big screen. He showed off his skills as a voice actor in the popular animated Ice Age franchise. Most recently, Romano played a role in Martin Scorsese's The Irishman.
16. Bill Murray
Who can forget one of the original Ghostbusters, Bill Murray? Bill Murray got his comedic start on The National Lampoon Radio Hour before starring on Saturday Night Live for three seasons in the late 70s to early 80s.
Bill Murray is also incredibly famous for his roles in Groundhog Day and Caddy Shack and is still one of the richest comedians in the world today, with an estimated net worth of $180 million.
17. Jim Carrey
This popular American actor has lengthy filmography that includes 68 credits. Carrey has a long list of gut busting comedy films to his credit and was one of the most popular comedy actors in the 1990's and 2000's. Carrey's most popular films include: Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and Me, Myself, and Irene.
18. Drew Carey
Who remembers the Drew Carey Show? This American television sitcom ran from 1994 to 2004 and is, to this day, what this American comedian is best known for. Drew Carey has been hosting The Price is Right since 2007, helping his net worth increase to $167 million over his decades-long career.
19. Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen has a unique style of comedy where he portrays fictional characters in sketches and feature films. While Cohen's first popular film, Ali G Indahouse, gained him a cult following, his second feature film, Borat, earned this now wealthy comedian mainstream notoriety.
Cohen has been nominated for numerous awards throughout his successful career and has won 3 Golden Globe Awards. The English actor has accumulated an approximate net worth of $160 Million.
20. Rowan Atkinson
This one is a bit of a surprise on this list of the richest comedians. Rowan Atkinson is most widely known for his role as Mr. Bean but he previously enjoyed a very successful career in British TV. Atkinson won numerous a British Comedy Award for his work on the British sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News in 1981. Atkinson is well respected among the comedy community. In 2005 he was voted by his peers as one of the Top 50 Comedians ever.
