Jeff Dunham is one of, if not the most highly paid comedians in the world. He rakes in roughly $15-$30 million a year. He’s a ventriloquist, a comedian, television producer, actor, and screenwriter with a net worth of an incredible $140 million. A little backstory on Mr. Dunham — in the late 1980’s you could see him on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. All through the ’90s, Jeff had a somewhat successful career as a touring comedian.
After appearing on a Comedy Central special, Jeff’s career really took off. Moving forward, he made appearances on several television shows, including Blue Collar TV, Good Morning America, and Hollywood Squares.
$14 million
Ken Jeong may is noted as a comedian who never fails to make us laugh, but did you know that he is actually a medical doctor? He is best known for his roles as Ben Chang on the sitcom Community and as Leslie Chow in The Hangover film series. So who would ever think that this actor got an M.D. from the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, in 1995?
He finished his internal medicine residency in New Orleans while starting his stand-up comedy career at the same time. He is a licensed physician but is no longer practicing medicine as he chose to focus on comedy and his acting career instead. It appears that he has made the right choice, as it led him to a $14 million net worth.
$12 million
If you don't recognize Jordan Peele on his own, it's probably because you're used to seeing him with his comedy partner, Keegan-Michael Key (also featured on the list). The two met on the set of Mad TV in 2003 and became inseparable. Their on-screen chemistry was immediately apparent and from that casting, they developed a partnership that continues to this day. On-screen, these guys can play anything from bitter enemies to the best of friends, but in life, they are truly the latter.
Their comedy partnership appears to have come to an end after their sketch comedy show went off the air in 2015 but the two remain good friends. Peele has since transitioned into voice acting and directing. He was even nominated for an Academy Award! He has a net worth of $12 million which he probably invests in his wife and son.
$30 million
With five BAFTA awards, his own successful talk show, published books, and numerous appearances in film and TV, Graham Norton is one of the most successful comedians in the United Kingdom. His long-running talk show, The Graham Norton Show, has been running since 2007. This means that if the show was human, it would have started growing facial hair right about now.
The incredible accolades he has received and the fact that people keep up with his shenanigans for nearly three decades is all you need to justify his $30 million net worth.
$65 million
Tina moved her way into the world of comedy as a featured player in the improvisational comedy group, The Second City. She then moved on to bigger and better things on Saturday Night Live where she is most commonly known for her sketch comedy work. You may have also seen her on the comedy series 30 Rock. She also took on roles in the movies, Mean Girls, Baby Mama, Date Night, and several more. Tina has received 8 Emmy Awards, 2 Golden Globes, 5 Screen Actors Guild Awards, and 4 Writers Guild of American Awards.
In addition to all of those, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for her book, Bossypants. Her book sat at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list for 5 weeks. She has accomplished more than most in her life thus far and has a net worth of $65 million.