Jerry Seinfeld tops Forbes' list of highest-paid comedians

 

Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld arrive on the red carpet at the "SNL" 40th Anniversary Special on February 15, 2015. Seinfeld has been named the highest paid comedian for 2017 by Forbes. Chris Rock and Louis C.K. also made the list. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI| License Photo

 

July 28 (UPI) -- Jerry Seinfeld has taken the No. 1 spot atop the Forbes annual list of highest-paid comedians, ahead of Chris Rock and Louis C.K.

The list, released Thursday, has the Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee star earning $69 million over the past year, thanks in part to a Netflix stand-up deal he signed and syndication checks from hit '90s sitcom Seinfeld.

Coming in second place is Chris Rock, who earned $57 million and then Louis C.K. with $52 million.

All top five comedians listed, including Dave Chappelle in fourth place with $47 million and Amy Schumer, the lone woman on the list, with $37.5 million in fifth place, made big profits over the past year due to deals with Netflix.

Last year's top earner Kevin Hart has fallen to sixth place with $32.5 million, as he has focused more on his film career then taking the stage for stand-up shows.

Seinfeld's lucrative deal with Netflix was announced in January, and includes bringing over his series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee to the streaming service along with filming two new stand-up specials and helping the company develop scripted and non-scripted programming.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)