Kevin Hart Surpasses Jerry Seinfeld, Becomes Highest-Paid Comedian In 2016
Ever since Forbes started reporting on the highest-paid comedians, Jerry Seinfeld has stood at the top of the comedic mountain. Between June 2015 and June 2016, Seinfeld raked in another $43.5 million... but this time it wasn't enough for the #1 spot on Forbes' annual list. In fact, he wasn't even close.
According to Forbes, Kevin Hart netted $87.5 million from June '15-16, which not only made him the highest-paid comedian, but also landed him at #6 on the Celebrity 100.
Hart's rise to the top can be attributed to his exhausting tour schedule which saw him perform over 100 shows during the 12-month period, grossing an average of over $1 million at each spot. Of course, he doesn't get to take home all of that money but his chunk of the gross is much more than your average stand-up comedian.
“He is a comedian, of course, but he is drawing crowds that you would typically only see for musician,” says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar. “Only a few comedians [are] capable of playing sports arenas the way that Kevin Hart does.”
Additionally, Hart has been dominating the big screen, starring in films like "Central Intelligence" and "Secret Life Of Pets" as well as commercials for Foot Locker, H&M and Hyundai.
Check out the Top-10 highest paid comedians of 2016 below featuring Amy Schumer- the first woman to ever make the list.
1) Kevin Hart ($87.5 million)
2) Jerry Seinfeld ($43.5 million)
3) Terry Fator ($21 million)
4) Amy Schumer ($17 million)
5) Jeff Dunham ($13.5 million)
6) Dave Chappelle ($13 million)
7) Jim Gaffigan ($12.5 million)
8) Gabriel Iglesias ($9.5 million)
9) Russell Peters ($9 million)
10) John Bishop ($7 million)
