The highest earning comedians of 2024 have been revealed but the funnyman who’s name has secured the top spot might leave some surprised.
Nate Bargatze has topped the world ranking after raking in an incredible £56million over the course of the year.
The American stand-up comedian and actor, 45, known for his clean humour, has made several appearances on Saturday Night Live.
Nate launch his career in 2013 as part of Jimmy Fallon’s Clean Cut Comedy Tour and released his first stand-up album, Yelled at by a Clown, the following year.
His has three Netflix specials under his belt and one on Prime Video titled Hello World.
The comic launched The Nateland Podcast in 2020 and also broke a record at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena after drawing in 19,365 attendees.
The highest earning comedians of 2024 have been revealed but the funnyman with Nate Bargatze topping the world ranking
The American stand-up comedian and actor, 45, known for his clean humour, has raked in an incredible £56million over the course of the year
Nate made a triumphant return to host Saturday Night Live for the second time back in October.
The comedian, whose molasses-slow delivery has made him one of the most popular stand ups in the country, gave SNL fans what they had been craving by reprising his Washington’s Dream sketch.
He also got some help rocking out during the musical segments from Coldplay and frontman Chris Martin, who were promoting their new album Moon Music, which was released on Friday, and Andy Samberg’s sketch trio The Lonely Island, which returned with their first music video of the season.
The original version of Washington’s Dream, which became an instant classic, featured Bargatze, 45, playing George Washington as he tried to inspire a group of soldiers fighting in the American Revolution.
But instead of outlining his hopes for their military strategy or dreaming of a grander country they were hoping to found, the general-turned-first president of the United States aspired to institute the United States customary system of measurements and to adopt the Fahrenheit scale instead of temperature readings, as opposed to Celsius.
Nate was joined by SNL stars Bowen Yang, Mikey Day, Kenan Thompson and James Austin Johnson when he appeared in his first sketch of the night as George Washington.
For the UK Peter Kay topped the 2024 rich list thanks to his residency tour, which earned him an impressive £27million.
The comedian’s Better Late Than Never tour came up trumps, beating Michael McIntyre’s £10.3million earnings.
Nate made a triumphant return to host Saturday Night Live for the second time back in October
Tickets to the 51-year-old comic’s gig cost an average of £59.70 in stark comparison to Michael’s £43.35 tickets.
According to The Sun, Pollstar claimed Peter dominated the box office’s earnings for comedians.
Pollstar’s JR Lind said: ‘The mainstreaming of stand-up comedy continued in 2024, shoving its way into the serious sides of the discourse.
‘The proliferation of streaming, social media and podcasting has accelerated the career velocity of a working comic and changed the calculus.
‘The new math gives comics the ability to reach an audience anytime, anywhere, building a fanbase as rabid and dedicated as a pop star, they no longer can be pigeonholed as the court jesters skewering the powerful and humorously noting their shortcomings.’
Peter announced 21 new dates in November 2024, kicking off in February 2025 and will finish his show in February 2026.
Pete Kay Live originally kicked off in December 2022 and the new dates will see him visit 16 cities over the course of a year.
The new tour which will run in 2025 and 2026 will include his first dates at Aberdeen P&J Live, Brighton Centre, Bournemouth International Centre and Isle of Man Villa Marina.
Peter has already broken records during the tour after selling out 45 dates at London’s O2 Arena, the only artist to do so in the world.
For the UK Peter Kay topped the 2024 rich list thanks to his residency tour, which earned him an impressive £27million (pictured in 2017)
Peter’s Better Late Than Never tour came up trumps, beating Michael McIntyre’s £10.3million earnings (Michael pictured in 2024)
The funnyman also performed a record 100 shows at the Manchester AO Arena – breaking all attendance and performance records.
Peter recently caused concern among US Netflix bosses after he ad-libbed an English idiom in the Wallace and Gromit Christmas special that went completely over their heads.
Making a big comeback for the animated duo, Vengeance Most Fowl premiered on Christmas Day on BBC One, marking the comedian’s first TV role in four years.
And employing his usual comedic talents and charm, Peter, 51, couldn’t resist improvising some of his lines as Chief Inspector Mackintosh.
The special saw the return of Wallace and Gromit’s arch-nemesis Feathers McGraw – 16 years after their previous adventure together.
And after it was watched by a whopping 9million in the UK on Christmas Day, it will be streamed for all the world on Netflix from next week.
But executives for the streamer were reportedly left scratching their heads over one of Peter’s ad-libbed lines and worried the well-known English phrase was offensive.
Tickets to Peter’s gig cost an average of £59.70 in stark comparison to Michael’s £43.35 tickets
Peter recently caused concern among US Netflix bosses after he ad-libbed an English idiom in the Wallace and Gromit Christmas special that went completely over their heads
The idiom, ‘flippin’ Nora’ is commonly used in the North as as an expression of surprise or dismay.
Chief Inspector Mackintosh’s cries out the words after the criminal penguin Feathers successfully escapes prison.
But according to The Sun, Netflix were baffled by it, with Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park telling the publication: ‘Peter ad-libs quite a lot.
‘At one point he’s astonished at something and shouts “flippin Nora”. One day we did get a note back to ask “Who is Nora and why is she being flipped?”‘
While creative director Merlin Crossingham explained they rushed to explain to the execs that it was entirely ‘innocent’.
He said: ‘[We had to explain to them that] it’s not rude, it’s not an expletive, it’s an innocent turn of phrase.’