Out of thousands of unique comedic acts, it was a chore to streamline this list to give just the 20 best comedians of all time. However, we tried our best and gave the most-rated.
According to HelpGuide.org in 2024, laughter is considered a strong medicine. It stimulates circulation and aids muscle relaxation, which eventually reduces stress symptoms.
That said, one way we can help boost life’s longevity through laughter is by listening to funny content, and for many decades (and years), the comedians on this list have been giving us a lot to laugh about.
Comedians come in different forms. Some are naturally funny, and everything they say or do instigates laughter. However, we also have to admit that others have had to go through tutelage.
It is pertinent to mention that this list does not discuss the King of Comedy, Jerry Lewis. He was active from 1931 till 2017 when he passed at the age of 91.
Jerry was dubbed the ‘King of Comedy’ because his goofy comedies made him the world’s highest-paid star.
So, let’s get right into our top 20 Best Comedians of All Time…
20 Best Comedians Of All Time
1. Dave Chappelle
Born David Khari Webber Chappelle on August 24, 1973, this American comedian and actor shot into the entertainment scene in 1990 and carved a niche in the comedy industry.
Chappelle’s comedic style earned him the ‘comic genius of America’ nickname. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series, Chappelle’s Show. However, Dave quit the show mid-way through the third season and went on a hiatus.
Upon his return, Chappelle began touring the U.S., doing stand-up comedy.
2. George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was born on May 12, 1937, and was widely known as an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor, narrator, and author. His comedic skills earned him the title of ‘one of the most important and influential comedians of all time,’ and he was dubbed the ‘dean of counterculture comedians.’
Due to the side of him that loved to critique societal happenings, George Carlin infused dark comedy into his acts and would critique politics, psychology, religion, the English language, and whatever was considered a taboo.
3. Bill Cosby
It may seem like Bill Cosby’s career is a thing of past glory now because of the scandal that riddled him and eventually put him in jail in 2018. However, there was a time when this man was known as one of the biggest deals in the comedy industry in America and even internationally.
Bill Cosby was born on July 12, 1937, and is known for being a comedian, an actor, and a media personality. Cosby’s notable works include The Bill Cosby Show, Bill Cosby: Himself, and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
To date, he has the most Grammy Comedy Awards for Best Comedy Album after breaking into the entertainment industry back in 1961. In 2022 rumors made waves that he was considering returning to his comedic tours after being released.
4. Richard Pryor
1963 saw the birth of one of the best comedians of all time when Richard Pryor began his journey into entertainment. He was born on December 1, 1940, and is known for being a stand-up comedian, actor, and TV personality.
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor is dubbed one of the greatest and most important stand-up comedians of all time, having won the first Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, 5 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Writers Guild of America Award.
He was also listed as the greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central. He retired from entertainment in 1999 and passed away 6 years later.
5. Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider was born on October 13, 1925, and was best known by his stage name, Lenny Bruce, since he began comedy in 1947. He was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist recognized mostly for his open and critical style of comedy infused with satire on topics bordering politics, religion, sex, and vulgarities.
On Rolling Stone magazine’s ranking of its top 50 best stand-up comedians of all time, Lenny was placed in the third spot, just after Richard Pryor and George Carlin.
His notable works include The Lenny Bruce Originals, The Carnegie Hall Concert, Let the Buyer Beware, and How to Talk Dirty and Influence People.
Because of his style of comedy, Lenny Bruce was arrested and convicted of obscenity in 1964.
His career ended in 1966 following his death on August 3, 1966, at the age of 40.
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6. Bob Hope
In 1952, at the 25th Academy Awards, Bob Hope was awarded the Honorary Award for his contribution to the laughter of the world, his service to the motion picture industry, and his devotion to the American premise.
He has 4 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles for Radio Broadcasting, Television, Live Performance, and Motion Pictures.
Born Leslie Townes Hope on May 29, 1903, the British-born comedian began his journey in entertainment in 1922 when he began earning pocket money from singing, dancing, and performing comedy on the street.
He passed away in 2003 but had retired from entertainment 9 years prior.
7. Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian born on April 29, 1954. His style of comedy centers around observational humor, which basically means that he draws inspiration for his jokes from everyday life activities and experiences.
For his comedic contributions, Seinfeld won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards. He also received 4 Grammy Award nominations and made it to 12th place on Comedy Central’s ‘Greatest Stand-up Comedians of All Time’ list.
In 2017, Jerry was named the 7th-greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Rolling Stone.
8. Eddie Murphy
We all know Eddie as a great actor, but many people of this generation do not know that he started off as a stand-up comic before acting came into the picture.
Edward Regan Murphy was born on April 3, 1961, and in 2015, received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Additionally, the comedian and actor has also received a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Cecil B. DeMille Award.
His rise to fame is mostly attributed to the Saturday Night Live show, where he made regular cast appearances for 4 years (from 1980 to 1984).
9. Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born on January 26, 1958, and is widely known for her TV show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
She began stand-up comedy in the early 1980s and, by 1986, she starred on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
She has on her shelf of awards a Mark Twain Prize for American Humor alongside 20 People’s Choice Awards, making her the most awarded in this category.
Ellen released The Beginning in 2000, Here and Now in 2003, Relatable in 2018, and For Your Approval in 2024 as part of her stand-up works.
She has been an active entertainer since 1978.
10. Alan King
Irwin Alan Kniberg was born on December 26, 1927. His comedic style included angry humorous rants as well as biting wit.
He became active in 1942 until 2004 when he passed away.
King was invited to go on a nationwide comedic tour at the age of 14, and when he was 15, he dropped out of school to continue his pursuit in the comedy industry. He began performing comedy at the Hotel Gradus.
Alan King eventually merged his career in comedy with that of boxing, but after getting a broken nose, he quit boxing to focus on comedy. He continued comedy under the name of the last boxer who beat him—King.
11. Jack Benny
Jack Benny is considered one of the leading entertainers of the 20th century. Born Benjamin Kubelsky on February 14, 1894, Jack’s comedy career was highly popular on radio, television, and film.
His style caused bouts of laughter whenever he took a long pause or infused his hilarious expressions, and, of course, there was his signature exasperated summation ‘well!’ which was known to leave the audience in stitches.
12. Milton Berle
In the early 1930s, Milton Berle, born Mendel Berlinger on July 12, 1908, became a successful stand-up comedian. He was inspired by Ted Healy, one of the top comics of Vaudeville. However, he performed many mute movies as a child actor and, at the age of 12, made his stage debut in the musical comedy revival of Florodora.
13. Tiffany Haddish
Comedian and actress Tiffany Cornilia Haddish was born on December 3, 1979. Her shot to stardom was courtesy of her appearance in the comedy film Girls Trip, where she played the lead role.
Tiffany Haddish picked up comedy to help her get through her rough childhood and teenage years. She would use her talent to calm her mother, who was schizophrenic, and also get her fellow students to protect her and do her assignments.
Although she began as an unknown comedic genius, she eventually worked her way up the ladder after having a breakthrough in the 2000s.
In 2021, Haddish won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for Black Mitzvah.
14. George Burns
Nathan Birnbaum adopted the name George Burns to hide his Jewish heritage, although he gave several other reasons for the decision.
He was born on January 20, 1896, and only began his career in comedy when he met his wife, Gracie Allen, in 1923. That was when people realized he had a funny side to him, and so he milked the opportunity.
Burns and Allen got married in 1926 and were married for 38 years, during which they began and groomed a career in motion pictures having a series of comic short films together.
15. Larry David
Lawrence Gene David started his career in stand-up comedy but eventually went on to television comedy. He was voted as the 23rd greatest comedy star ever in 2004 by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Born on July 2, 1947, Larry David was also an actor, television producer, and writer who briefly wrote for Saturday Night Live.
Larry also worked with Jerry Seinfeld on the NBC TV sitcom Seinfeld.
His comic style involved observational comedy, improvisational comedy, black comedy, insult comedy, satire, cringe comedy, deadpan, and blue comedy.
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16. Chris Rock
Chris Rock gained fame in the 1980s for his stand-up comedy, which explored topics on observational comedy, race relations, and human sexuality.
He has received 3 Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album and was ranked 5th on Comedy Central’s ‘100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time’. On Rolling Stone’s ‘50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time’ list, Chris Rock ranked 5th.
Chris Rock has been active since 1984 and is known for his comic contributions to films as an actor and filmmaker.
17. Kevin Hart
Kevin Darnell Hart, born on July 6, 1979, started his comedy career by competing in and winning several stand-up comedy competitions.
After starring in the TV series Undeclared in 2001, Hart’s fame began to spread rapidly. In 2009, he released his first stand-up comedy album titled I’m A Grown Little Man. Since then, the comedian has released 4 more comedy albums.
Kevin Hart’s comedy explores topics such as observational comedy, surreal humor, black comedy, self-deprecation, satire, sarcasm, insult humor, and more.
His comedy shows have been nominated for several awards, including Artist of the Year by the Acapulco Black Film Festival and Best Actor at the BET Awards for Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain.
18. Trevor Noah
One of Africa’s topmost comic exports, Trevor Noah, hails from South Africa and was born on February 20, 1984. He is best known for his ability to mimic several accents. This raw talent infuses into his comedy, which explores topics like observational comedy, political satire, surreal humor, insult comedy, deadpan, and more.
Noah became a sensation in the entertainment industry through hosting roles when he worked at the South African Broadcasting Corporation in 2008.
In 2010, he began hosting a late-night talk show titled Tonight With Trevor Noah, which lasted for a year. He has been nominated for several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award. Noah also received nominations for the Producers Guild of America Award, Writers Guild Award, and People’s Choice Award amongst many more.
Some of these awards, he won in certain years for his numerous contributions to the comedy industry.
19. Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers, who lived for 81 years (born in 1933 and died in 2014), was a renowned American stand-up comedian whose stint in the entertainment industry began in 1957.
She began her career in comedy clubs in Greenwich Village. At the time, her colleagues and peers were the likes of George Carlin, Woody Allen, and Richard Pryor. Her comedic style was established after she played a guest on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show.
Since then, Joan hosted several other shows by herself and even won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host for her show The Joan Rivers Show. This is just one of the numerous awards Joan won in her lifetime.
Rivers is regarded as a pioneer for women in comedy.
20. Tina Fey
Tina Fey is more than a comedian like many others on this list. However, she became a comedian when she joined ‘The Second City’ improvisational comedy group as a featured player.
Since then, she began comedy on American politics, American culture, current events, social awkwardness, self-deprecation, and pop culture, among other subjects.
Tina Fey was born on May 18, 1970, and has won the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence from the Writers Guild of America. She is also a recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, being the youngest recipient ever of the award.
