The 20 Richest Comedians, Ranked
The Richest Comedians, Ranked
Comedians will be the first to tell you that it isn’t a career to choose if you want to get rich, fast. It can take a lifetime for some comedians to see any sort of major success from their talent.
The road to comedy is a bumpy one, with lots of rejection and loneliness. But the few who succeed, have earned quite the pay off.
Comedic stars like Terry Fator, Adam Sandler and Seth MacFarlane have certainly made the cut, but who is really raking in the cash making people laugh? Find out who has a whopping net worth of $900 million using only their sense of humor.
Using data taken from Celebrity Net Worth for 2024, here’s 20 of the richest comedians, ranked.
20. Terry Fator
Net Worth: $160 million
Terry Fator is a famous ventriloquist, impressionist, and stand-up comedian, who also dabbles in singing.
While he did start young, Fator didn’t gain national recognition for his talent until he won the second season of America’s Got Talent—which immediately boosted his career.
Soon after he signed a five-year multi-million-dollar contract to headline shows in Vegas, and has been going strong since.
Fator is consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid comedians.
19. Stefan Raab
Net Worth: $160 million
Stefan Raab is said to be the “most powerful man in German entertainment television.” He became popular back in 1993 as the host of the comedy show Vivasion, and soon after the late-night comedy talk show TV total.
TV total started as a comedy format showing funny and embarrassing moments, but eventually started featuring various celebrity performances, sports challenges, and hilarious newly invented sports, like World Wok Racing.
Raab retired from television in 2015, but continues to focus on production.
18. Drew Carey
Net worth: $165 million
Drew Carey is an American comedian, actor, and game show host who made a name for himself in stand-up comedy after serving six years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Carey gained stardom in 1995, in his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, which aired for nine seasons and earned him an impressive $1 million per episode at its height.
In 1998, Carey joined the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? His income from both shows led to his inclusion on the Forbes list of highest-paid entertainers of 1998, with $45.5 million.
Today, he's kept the gravy train rolling as Bob Barker's successor on The Price Is Right.
Carey's busy career has earned him several awards over the years, including Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time in 2004.
17. Bill Murray
Net worth: $180 million
Bill Murray is an American actor and comedian known for his deadpan delivery. But before he became a major film star, he started his career in sketch comedy.
He became a national presence on Saturday Night Live in the late 1970s, where he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
He then established stardom acting in a string of comedy films, and has been going strong since, reportedly earning $125 million (unadjusted for inflation) on the first two Ghostbusters movies alone.
