Earlier this week, Billboard revealed its year-end Boxscore charts, ranking the top tours, venues, and promoters of 2024. We’re breaking it down further, looking at the biggest live acts, genre by genre. Today, we continue with comedy.
The comedians on 2024’s list of biggest earners have been at this for a while. With one exception, they’ve been playing clubs, theaters and arenas for at least two decades. That experience has served them well, adding up to record grosses and eye-popping show counts.
The top 10 comedy acts of 2024 grossed a combined $396.7 million, up 52% from last year and setting a new high for the genre. The No. 10 comedian is in the same spot as he was last year, but with nearly double the gross. His $26 million take in 2024 would’ve landed him at No. 4 in 2023.
Further, every ranking comedian in the top 10 outearned last year’s counterpart, topped by an $80 million gross at No. 1. That act – keep reading to find out who – sets a new record for the biggest one-year gross by a comedy performer in Boxscore history.
One major advantage for comedy acts on the road is mobility. Typically just one performer with relatively small production and low stress on vocal cords, they can perform for four, five, or six nights in a row, compared to most bands’ two-to-three night stretches. And with lower ticket prices and brief shows, sometimes they manage multiple performances in a single night. Collectively, the top 10 acts performed 944 shows during the year-end tracking period, which is 83% more than the next closest genre (Latin) and more than double any other genre’s upper tier.
Keep reading to check out the 10 highest-grossing tours by comedy performers, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. All reported shows worldwide between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, are eligible.
10. Jo Koy (Gross:$26M Attendance: 368,000 tickets)
9. Adam Sandler (Gross: $27M Attendance: 261,000 tickets)
8. Jerry Seinfeld (Gross: $27.8M Attendance: 199,000 tickets)
7. Trevor Noah (Gross: $29.7M Attendance: 392,000 tickets)
6. Bert Kreischer (Gross: $29.7M Attendance: 388,000 tickets)
5. Sebastian Maniscalco (Gross: $36.5M Attendance: 293,000 tickets)
4. Katt Williams (Gross: $37.5M Attendance: 399,000 tickets)
3. Gabriel Iglesias (Gross: $42.8M Attendance: 603,000 tickets)
2. Matt Rife (Gross: $57.5M Attendance: 733,000 tickets)
1. Nate Bargatze (Gross: $82.2M Attendance: 1,100,000 tickets)
