Forbes’ List Of Highest-Paid Comedians For 2016

By Gavin Crisp. 27 Sep 2016 2:07 PM

Granted, laughter is the best medicine but these guys (and girl) make more money than any doctor we know. Here is (most of) Forbes‘ list of the richest comics going — a list you should cite when your parents forbid you from buying a whoopee cushion or rubber chicken.

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10. John Bishop
(Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images)
Earnings: $7 million

Quite the sensation across the pond, British comic John Bishop draws big crowds for his live shows and bigger bucks for the content available online and on DVD. If you're still not convinced, he even has his own wax figure at Madame Tussauds.
9. Russell Peters
(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Earnings: $9 million

Part Canadian, part Indian, all funny. Russell Peters has toured the world -- even performing exclusively for Saudi princes. Closer to home, however, the popularity of the comic was realized in 2007 when he became the first comedian to sell out Toronto's Air Canada Centre, selling more than 16,000 tickets over two days.
8. Gabriel Iglesias
(Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images For FUSE Media)
Earnings: $9.5 million

His rotund frame has influenced not only his material, it influenced his moniker. "Fluffy" has made his money the old-fashioned way: going from town to town and performing stand-up. Anything else he makes can be attributed to his voice-over work.
7. Jim Gaffigan
(Photo by Brian Killian/Getty Images)
Earnings: $12.5 million

Though predominantly a standup comedian, Gaffigan has made in-roads on TV, making numerous guest appearances on such shows as 'Flight of the Conchords', 'That 70s Show', as well as his own standup specials. If that wasn't enough to keep him busy, he stars in several commercials, from KFC to Chrysler.
6. Dave Chappelle
(Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images)
Earnings: $13 million

You may be surprised to find Chappelle on this list, the comic having given up his lucrative TV career as a bad mistake. Notwithstanding he has used that fame to sell out his live shows.
4. Amy Schumer
(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Earnings: $17 million

Schumer marks the first time a female comic has made the list. How did she do it? Diversify.

Schumer's face was everywhere, whether it be at the movies ('Trainwreck'), at the bookstore ('The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo'), or TV ('Inside Amy Schumer'). And, oh yeah... on stage as a standup comic.
3. Terry Fator
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Earnings: $21 million

Yeah, we didn't know who he was, either. But that may have to do with our proximity to Vegas, where Fator is enjoying the final year of a lucrative contract at the Mirage. We'd be surprised if he maintained this position on next year's list. Prove us wrong, Terry. Prove us wrong!
2. Jerry Seinfeld
(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Earnings: $43.5 million

Jerry 'The King' Seinfeld hath been dethroned! Somehow, though, we think he'll be okay. With his namesake show of yester-century still making him tons of money through syndication and Hulu, Jerry doesn't really need to work ever again to sustain his wealth. But that hasn't stopped him from touring and starring in 'Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee', his series about comedians in cars who get coffee together.
Kevin Hart
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Earnings: $87.5 million

Call him the hardest-working man in comedy. Or perhaps call him the smartest. Movie star Hart has forsaken the intimacy of the humble comedy club for stadia and arenas. The low production costs and sell-out crowds translate to a LOT of money for the solo performer, making him the first comic to make more money than #2, Jerry Seinfeld.

Forbes’ List Of Highest-Paid Comedians For 2016

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