I don’t remember exactly where I heard it, but I remember Louis C.K. talking about his FX show, Louie, and saying that it’s not a show he does for the money. In fact, most of his income derived from taking his stand-up act around the country. After seeing how much he make, I believe him. I think he probably made more last year than two or even three times the entire budget of his television show.
It is apparently a very lucrative career at the top, although I have to admit that I have never heard of a couple of these guys. I am, however, quite distressed to learn that Jeff Dunham makes more than Louis C.K. Not all of the millions the 11 men below (and they are all men) derive exclusively from stand-up performances, but according to Forbes methodology, the majority of it does.
Here are the 11 highest-paid stand-up comedians.
1. Jerry Seinfeld: $32 million
2. Terry Fator: $24 million
3. Russell Peters: $21 million
4. Jeff Dunham: $19 million
5. Louis C.K.: $16 million
6. Kevin Hart: $14 million
7. Larry the Cable Guy: $13 million
8. George Lopez: $12 million
9. Daniel Tosh: $11 million
10. Gabriel Iglesias: $11 million
11. Ron White: $10 million
(Source: Forbes)
