July 27, 2017
It was an admirable run for Kevin Hart, but can anyone keep down Jerry Seinfeld?
A year after the Philadelphia-born comedian topped Forbes' World's Highest Paid Comedians list with $87.5 million in earnings in 2016, Jerry Seinfeld is back on top.
Hart's 2016 was something of an outlier, driven by a blistering tour schedule that included more than 100 shows, each grossing about $1 million a pop. His first place rank last year stood a full $30 million above Seinfeld's second-place position.
This year, comedy success was largely propelled by Netflix, whose $6 billion content budget pushed several entertainers ahead of Hart. Here's the top ten:
10. Sebastian Maniscalco - $15 million
9. Jeff Dunham - $15.5 million
8. Terry Fator - $18.5 million
7. Jim Gaffigan - $30.5 million
6. Kevin Hart - $32.5 million
5. Amy Schumer - $37.5 million
4. Dave Chappelle - $47 million
3. Louis C.K. - $52 million
2. Chris Rock – $57 million
1. Jerry Seinfeld - $69 million
Seinfeld's 2017 boom comes thanks to a new Netflix deal that includes a stand-up special, two seasons of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" and a development component.
Hart moved away from touring this year to pursue bigger projects such as "Jumanji," "Captain Underpants," several endorsement deals and the upcoming launch of Laugh Out Loud, a streaming platform created in a partnership between Lionsgate and Hartbeat Digital.
Check out the full Forbes' list here.
