The top comedians by net worth and influence

The most influential comedians in the U.S.

Kevin Hart in Central Intelligence and Jerry Seinfeld in Seinfeld: They are two of the top comedians in the U.S. by influence

With the rise of social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter (now called X), comedians – both old and new – have been able to reach more audiences than ever. But have you ever wondered who the most influential and highest-paid comedians are?

To find out the top comedians by influence, ticketing platform TicketSource shortlisted the most popular comedians in the United States and looked into their individual estimated net worth, the number of TV specials they’ve had, Twitter and Instagram followers, the most affordable ticket for their next show, their number of Google searches, and the average YouTube views their content gets. TicketSource then used these data to create a normalized score out of 10, which was averaged to get the “Influence Score”

Who are the top comedians?

The top comedians by influence in the U.S. are those who got the highest Influence score. They are:

Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart in Jumanji
Kevin Hart in Jumanji

With a 9.21 influence score, Kevin Hart is the most influential comedian in the U.S. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, Hart has since starred in TV and Hollywood films, including Scary Movie 3 (2003), Ride Along (2014), Central Intelligence (2016), Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) and the Jumanji film franchise. Though his net worth ($450 million) is not as high as his other peers, the Little Fockers actor has the biggest social media following, boasting 36.8 million followers on Twitter and 180 million followers on Instagram. The actor was last seen in the Netflix original movie Lift.

Chris Rock and Joe Rogan

Chris Rock and Joe Rogan share the second spot in the ranking of top comedians by influence with an influence score of 6.92.

Chris Rock at the Academy Awards 2022
Chris Rock at the Academy Awards 2022

Rock, who recently made the headlines after he was slapped by Will Smith at the Academy Awards ceremony, is tied with Dave Chappelle for having the most expensive ticket show for their comedy specials. Both comedians are selling tickets for as much as $141.70 for their shows, making them two of the richest comedians today.

Joe Rogan in The Joe Rogan Experience
Joe Rogan in The Joe Rogan Experience

Rogan, meanwhile, is one of the most searched comedians on Google (48.9 million searches). Aside from being a funnyman, Rogan is also n UFC color commentator and podcaster. He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, politics, philosophy, science, and hobbies with a variety of guests.

Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah in The Daily Show
Trevor Noah in The Daily Show

Known for putting comedic twists on news events in the world, Trevor Noah lands in fourth place with an influence score of 6.77/10. Alongside hosting the Comedy Central late night talk show The Daily Show and Tonight with Trevor Noah, Noah is the U.S. comedian with the most TV specials. The South African native, who was previously on tour with his show Back to Abnormal, has had over 10 stand-up specials that aired on TV.

So far, Noah has received 16 nominations for Emmy Awards, winning one in 2017 for The Daily Show.

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres in The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Ellen DeGeneres in The Ellen DeGeneres Show

The only comedienne on the list, Ellen DeGeneres secures the fifth spot with an influence score of 6.93. Among all the most popular comedians in the U.S., DeGeneres has the most followers on Twitter (77.4 million followers). She is best known for hosting the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which ended its 19-season run in May 2022.

Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle in Chappelle's Show
Dave Chappelle in Chappelle’s Show

Though Dave Chappelle’s net worth is only estimated at $60 million, his content’s average YouTube views of 11.8 million brings him to the sixth spot. Chapelle, who is best known for starring in the satirical comedy sketch series Chappelle’s Show, has an influence score of 7.01.

Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler in Little Nicky
Adam Sandler in Little Nicky

In the seventh spot of top comedians by influence is Adam Sandler. With an influence score of 6.07, Sandler has the most Google searches among its peers. After starring as one of the cast members of Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood movies, including The Wedding Singer (1998), Big Daddy (1999), and Little Nicky (2000) – all with varying critical acclaim.

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld in Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld in Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld, known for his unique stand-up comedy humor and playing a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom Seinfeld, is in the eighth spot with an influence score of 6.89. Seinfeld only has a couple of million followers on Twitter and Instagram, but he has the highest net worth ($950 million) among his peers in the entertainment industry, making him one of the wealthiest comedians ever.

Steve Harvey

Steve Harvey in Family Feud
TV show host Steve Harvey in Family Feud

Thanks to the many TV series he hosts, Steve Harvey secured the ninth spot in the ranking of most influential comedians. The television host, who gets an influence score of 6.34, hosts The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud, and the Miss Universe competition, among many others.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Completing the list of top comedians by influence is Jim Carrey. Clinging to the 10th spot, Carrey has an influence score of 5.32. Some of his most notable comedy movies are Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), The Mask (1994), and Bruce Almighty (2003).

Who is the highest-paid comedian?

Though TicketSource’s study indicates that Jerry Seinfeld has the highest estimated net worth (950 million) among comedians in the U.S., Forbes’ 2019 list of highest-paid comedians in the world revealed Soul Plane actor Kevin Hart as the highest-earning comedian with $59 million earnings for that year. Next to him was Seinfeld with $41 million in earnings.

Source: TicketSource
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