FX.co ★ How to make million dollars out of jokes
How to make million dollars out of jokes
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld's career as a stand-up comedian peaked in the 1990s when the Seinfeld sitcom, in which he starred, was broadcast on American television. According to Time magazine, Jerry Seinfeld earned $267 million from the show in 1998 alone. Currently, the actor's fortune is estimated at $925 million, making Jerry Seinfeld the world's wealthiest comedian.
Byron Allen
This American comedian also started his career in stand-up. At the age of 18, Byron Allen acted in The Tonight Show on NBC and later appeared in the reality series Real People. However, in the early 1990s, he decided to give up acting in favor of producing. So, he founded the media company Entertainment Studios, which focuses on producing comedic content. Currently, Byron Allen's wealth is estimated at $800 million.
Matt Stone
Matt Stone holds the third place in the ranking of the world's richest comedians as one of the creators of the comedy animated series South Park (pictured right). The main source of income for the American animator comes from the copyright to this iconic animation project. Matt Stone and his partner Trey Parker managed to negotiate profitably the digital rights to the series, which brought them significant income from broadcasting the show on other platforms, including YouTube.
Trey Parker
The other South Park co-founder, who voices several key characters in the series, Trey Parker, also possesses a substantial fortune, estimated today at $600 million. Like Matt Stone, the animator has received significant revenues from selling streaming rights to the animated series. Moreover, he also created the satirical Broadway musical The Book of Mormon in partnership with Matt Stone. The roaring success certainly pumped up Parker's wealth.
Matt Groening
The personal fortune of American cartoonist Matt Groening is estimated today at approximately $600 million. He gained most popularity for the animated sitcom The Simpsons and the satirical animated series Futurama, where he served as one of the producers. Thanks to the success of these projects, Matt Groening possesses an impressive real estate portfolio, including luxurious mansions in Santa Monica and Malibu.