There’s a shake-up at the top of the list of most profitable comedy tours, according to Billboard. In its midyear report (covering October 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025), Sebastian Maniscalco topped the list of highest-grossing comedians on the road. On its September charts, however, Billboard reports that an old favorite has surged to the top of the charts.
Here are the top five comedians out on tour right now, based on the fat paychecks they’re stuffing in their bank accounts…
Matt Rife
Don’t Miss
Rife was a top-three performer in the mid-year report, and the crowdwork comic continues to bring in the big bucks. He grossed $3.5 million in September, selling more than 42,000 tickets to his 10 shows that month.
Gabriel Iglesias
Fluffy continues to be a road warrior, edging out Rife with $3.6 million in September. He sold nearly 50,000 tickets to his 12 shows, indicating Rife must have charged a higher price of admission.
John Mulaney
Mulaney, currently hitting theaters with his “Mister Whatever” tour, brought in $4.5 million for his 15 September shows. Mulaney knocked stand-up Leanne Morgan off the list — she was the #5 top-earning comic in August.
“Weird Al” Yankovic
Is this guy ever going to stop? The 66-year-old wonder performed more shows than anyone else on this list (16), raking in $5.7 million for his trouble.
Nate Bargatze
Bargatze didn’t make Billboard’s mid-year list, but he’s going to dominate the year-end version. September was the comedian’s third month in a row topping the charts. His “Big Dumb Eyes” tour is a monster, filling arenas while others below him on the list play theaters. It’s not the most satisfying stand-up experience from an audience perspective, but it’s profitable. Bargatze made $13.3 million in September, nearly triple the cash that Mulaney pulled in over the same period. The comedian made even more in August, a $16.6 million windfall that should buy a lot of Nashville real estate for that theme park of his.
Billboard says two September stops earned Bargatze the lion’s share of his cash. A three-set stint at Denver’s Ball Arena earned $3.7 million from 47,200 tickets, more than Rife or Iglesias pulled in for the month. And his three performances at New York City’s Madison Square Garden grossed $4.6 million, meaning that weekend alone would have earned him the third spot on this list.
When it comes to comedy profits, Bargatze and his big dumb eyes aren’t so dumb after all.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: feeds.feedburner.com
