Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock top Forbes' highest-paid comedians list

Last year's highest-paid comedian, Kevin Hart, fell to No. 6.

By
STEPHEN IERVOLINO
July 27, 2017, 12:35 PM ET
2 min read

— -- Jerry Seinfeld is back on top of Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid comedians.

Kevin Hart, last year's highest-paid comic, dropped to No. 6 on the list, with $32.5 million.

The magazine reported that a huge Netflix stand-up deal boosted Seinfeld's bottom line to a whopping $69.0 million last year.

Seinfeld's pal Chris Rock is second with a $57.0 million haul, followed by Louis CK, who earned $52.0 million, according to the 2017 list.

Dave Chappelle and Amy Schumer round out the top five with $47.0 million and $37.5 million, respectively.

Massive deals for TV comedy specials, like $20 million-per-special contracts that Rock and Seinfeld scored, are what bolstered the incomes of most of the top comedians.

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Forbes said the magazine created its list based on revenue from touring, television and film projects and business and endorsement deals. It calculated the figures on the comedians' pretax income from June 1, 2016, through June 1, 2017.

Here are the five highest-paid comics and their estimated earnings, according to Forbes:

  • 1. Jerry Seinfeld: $69.0 million
  • 2. Chris Rock: $57.0 million
  • 3. Louis CK: $52.0 million
  • 4. Dave Chappelle: $47.0 million
  • 5. Amy Schumer: $37.5 million