Want to know who the richest stand up comedians in the world are? Staying true to your life’s calling might be hard, especially if your beloved profession comes with a disappointing check. But this countdown shows that comedy is a profitable business, at least for a select bunch. Nevertheless, high-earning comics claim that the way up in comedy is rough indeed. The life of a comedian can be very hard for the first couple of years, considering that in a local club scene shows can pay just $20 for a weekday and $75 on a weekend.
Nevertheless, if you love what you do, satisfaction will flow in your life, and most stand up comedians love what they do. They love entertaining crowds, they love the thrill of crafting jokes that will make people laugh and lift some of the stress and hardship from their daily lives.
Making it through the day, paying your rent, supporting your family, all of these things are essential, but money shall eventually come if you commit yourself and make the effort to thrive in your profession like the richest stand up comedians in the world have; after all, happiness cannot be bought. As Jerry Seinfeld said in an interview with Howard Stern in 2013, “if you’re about the money, you’ll only go so far”. Otherwise you might end up choosing a stressful profession, like the ones in our list of What’s The Craziest Job In The World? The 10 Most Stressful Careers.
In compiling this countdown of the richest stand-up comedians we chose to take into account only those who are still performing to this date. Although most of these A-List comic geniuses earn additional income from sources other than stand-up shows, they still continue to delight us on stage. Some of the side-gigs chosen by the crème de la crème of comedy are sitcoms, radio, TV series, talk shows, movies and syndication deals.
Are you curious who the richest stand up comedians in the world are? Do you think your favorite comedian(s) made the cut? Let’s take a look at the countdown and find out!
10. Kevin James
Estimated net worth: $80 million
Kevin James might not be The King of Queens any longer, but he definitely is part of the comedy royals, as far as paychecks go at least. He still performs regularly around the U.S. and Canada and is one of the few who manages to sell out shows in Las Vegas.
9. Ricky Gervais
Estimated net worth: $80 million
This English comedian first achieved mainstream fame with his BBC television series The Office (he later worked as the executive producer of the American version). This comedy lord has won several awards including Emmys, Golden Globes, British Comedy Awards and BAFTAs.
8. Roseanne Barr
Estimated net worth: $80 million
This talented lady is the only female stand-up comedian in our countdown. She rocketed to fame with her own sitcom, Roseanne, and then actively returned to stand up comedy in 2005 with a world tour. There are many sides to this hilarious woman; Roseanne Barr even ran for president in 2012, and has said she may do so again in 2016!
7. Jeff Foxworthy
Estimated net worth: $100 million
Together with Bill Engvall, Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy, Jeff Foxworthy is part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe that gave shows for six years (2000-2006). He is also a radio personality and voice artist.
6. Bob Saget
Estimated net worth: $100 million
Best known for his role in Full House, Bob Saget was also the voice of ‘future’ Ted Mosby on the famous How I Met Your Mother CBS sitcom. His stand up routine is definitely targeted to adults, in which he is crude, satirical and prone to dark comedy.
5. Ray Romano
Estimated net worth: $120 million
There’s no doubt about it, Everybody Loves Raymond. This stand up comedian and TV star also performed as a voice actor in the Ice Age films playing Manny the mammoth. Besides television and movies, Romano still gives regular live shows in Vegas, sometimes with his colleague Kevin James.
4. Drew Carey
Estimated net worth: $165 million
Once upon a time, this funnyman served in the U.S. Marine Corps, but then became an actor, comedian, game show host and even a sports executive. Part owner of the Seattle Sounders, a professional soccer team, Drew Carey made a name for himself in stand up comedy, and then gained real popularity with The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway?
3. Jay Leno
Estimated net worth: $250 million
Television host, actor, writer, producer and stand up comedian. This multifaceted man has been working since the 1970s non-stop, with sold out tickets in Las Vegas and a long profitable career on television hosting The Tonight Show.
2. Bill Cosby
Estimated net worth: $350 million
Despite his 77 years of age, Bill Cosby keeps performing and giving stand up shows. This comedian didn’t disappear off the face of the earth after The Cosby Show came to an end; in fact he continued to have a very successful career on television and the stand up circuit (however, his incursion in the film industry did turn out to be quite disappointing). A favorite guest on the Tonight Show and Late Night, Cosby keeps on rocking the comedy world.
1. Jerry Seinfeld
Estimated net worth: $800 million
Although Seinfeld, the legendary TV series he co-created with Larry David and starred in has been off the air for more than a decade, this famous comedian is still making a good buck giving shows and with his web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. His stand up shows alone made him $27 million last year.
It should be noted that Jerry denied the $800 million net worth attributed to him by Forbes when asked about it by Howard Stern, saying it was grossly inflated, so take his estimated net worth with a grain of salt.
