Jerry Seinfeld Tops Forbes’ List of Highest-Paid Comedians in 2015
Jerry Seinfeld has topped this year’s Forbes list of highest-paid comedians, with estimated earnings of $36 million in 2015.
It is the fourth year Jerry Seinfeld, 61, has topped the list thanks to syndication deals for his show Seinfeld, live tours and the series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
Kevin Hart’s roles propelled him to second place with $28.5 million.
In third place with $21.5 million is ventriloquist and impressionist Terry Fator – a former winner of America’s Got Talent who has been dubbed “the human jukebox”. He is in the middle of a five-year residency at Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel, reported to be worth $100 million.
Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham and Canadian Russell Peters are in joint fourth with $19 million, while Aziz Ansari is in sixth place with $9.5 million.
Louis CK is in seventh with $9 million, Gabriel Iglesias is in eighth with $8.5 million, John Bishop on ninth with $8 million and Dave Chappelle rounds out the top ten with $7.5 million.
To make the list, the comics’ primary source of income has to be from ticket sales.
Jerry Seinfeld previously topped the list in 2013 for the third year in a row, although there was no list in 2014.
His earnings also took him to number 62 in the magazine’s Celebrity 100 in 2015.
Jerry Seinfeld is expected to earn more in future years, following a recent deal with streaming service Hulu which is reported to have paid $160 million for the rights to Seinfeld.
Forbes’ List of Highest-Paid Comedians 2015:
- Jerry Seinfeld: $36 million
- Kevin Hart: $28.5 million
- Terry Fator: $21.5 million
- Jeff Dunham $19 million*
- Russell Peters: $19 million*
- Aziz Ansari: $9.5 million
- Louis C.K. $9 million
- Gabriel Iglesias: $8.5 million
- John Bishop: $8 million
- Dave Chappelle: $7.5 million