Trevor Noah during the 91st Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in 2019. Photo: USA TODAY/Robert Deutsch
Trevor Noah during the 91st Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in 2019. Photo: USA TODAY/Robert Deutsch
Trevor Noah makes his money from being funny. But he’s also worked himself into the ground to amass a personal fortune close to half-a-billion rand. Forbes have released their comedy richlist for 2019, and the Soweto-born jokester comes in fourth on the list of highest-earning performers.
The South African export has been hosting The Daily Show since 2015. Replacing John Stewart was a tough ask, but in an era of Donald Trump presidencies and social media madness, the jokes have somewhat wrote themselves over the years – delivered expertly by Noah.
Trevor Noah: Net worth and total earnings
However, it’s understood that the bulk of his earnings don’t come from anchoring one of the biggest shows on American TV. According to the magazine, his 70-stop worldwide tour pulled in some serious bank and made the biggest contribution to his personal wealth of… wait for it… $28 million.
That’s R431 million he’s earned in the past year, at a rate of R35.9 million a month. For context, Noah earns nine times more in his average monthly wage than what President Cyril Ramaphosa gets in a year.
- His Netflix show Son of Patricia became a huge hit after premiering at the end of 2018
- Trevor Noah’s 2016 book, Born a Crime, is still ranked No. 1 on the New York Times’ bestseller list for paperback nonfiction.
- And his stand-up tour and TV hosting duties have helped put him in the top 10 richest comedians for the first time.
How much money does Trevor Noah have?
However, despite almost cracking the top three, Trevor Noah still has some way to go before he can get anywhere near the top of the pile. Kevin Hart, who has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters and Amazon Prime exclusives, is sitting pretty with nearly $60 million in the bank after a year’s work.
Jerry Seinfeld is usually top of the charts, as the 90’s favourite has to settle for second in 2019. Mr Seinfeld doesn’t have to graft as hard as others on the list, as he makes a lot of his money from the streaming rights to his self-titled sitcom. A recent Netflix special and a residency at The Beacon in Manhattan have kept his bank balance healthy.
Jim Gaffigan completes the top three, and Sebastian Maniscalco sneaks into the top five. Amy Schumer remains the world’s highest-paid female comedian, thanks to a sell-out US tour and yes, you guessed it, by making a special stand-up show for Netflix. It really is where the money lies…
Top ten richest comedians in the world
- Kevin Hart – $59 million / R909 million
- Jerry Seinfeld – $41 million / R632 million
- Jim Gaffigan – $30 million / R462 million
- Trevor Noah – $28 million / R431 million
- Sebastian Maniscalco – $26 million / R401 million
- Gabriel Iglesias – $22 million / R339 million
- Amy Schumer – $21 million / R323 million
- Terry Fator – $17 million / R262 million
- Jeff Dunham – $15 million / R231 million
- Aziz Ansari – $13 million / R200 million
It’s worth noting that all earnings estimates listed by Forbes are from 1 June 2018, through 1 June 2019. Figures are pretax; fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted. Earnings estimates are based on data from Pollstar Pro as well as interviews with industry insiders.
