Comedian Chelsea Handler has created a huge following for herself since she entered the talk show world in 2007, with her television show, “Chelsea Lately.” Multi-talented and business savvy, Handler continues to appear on the radar with her various comedic pursuits. Interestingly, one of the reasons behind the popularity of her initial show comes from the fact that producers posted clips of the show on YouTube, which in turn ended up garnering a huge fan base.
Though you might imagine the majority of Handler’s fortune comes from her television career, she actually has amassed most of her wealth from her hugely successful writing career. Since the year 2005, Handler has written five books. They cover a wide variety of subjects but are all creative nonfiction and hold Handler’s extra special touch — her wonderful sense of humor. Of those five books, four have hit the New York Times bestseller list and even reached number one. Three of them have even been turned into television series.
Matt Groening — $600 Million
You may not have heard Matt Groening’s name before, but you’ve almost certainly seen his work before. The television shows he’s created are so famous that they play on network television almost every night. Groening is the mastermind behind super hit shows like "The Simpsons" and "Futurama."
"The Simpsons" is the longest-running primetime TV series that has ever existed. You’d be very hard-pressed to find someone that hasn’t watched or at least heard of it. Not only does Groening have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his masterwork, but he has also won a total of 12 Emmy awards for "The Simpsons," so far.
Robin Williams — $50 Million
The beloved comedian, who tragically passed on way too soon, made an enormous fortune for himself. Thanks to his wonderful comedy style and charming personality, Williams quickly ascended in his career. Beginning as a stand-up comedian and mime, Williams eventually landed a comedy series, "Mork & Mindy," which was so immensely popular that it garnered him international fame.
Though Robin Williams is known for his comedic roles, he was also a talented and multi-faceted actor, playing serious roles such as John Keating, the teacher in "Dead Poet’s Society," and Sean in "Goodwill Hunting." Other famous and beloved roles included Mrs. Doubtfire in "Mrs. Doubtfire" and the genie in "Aladdin." Known for his range and ability to become the roles he was portraying, Williams was an incredibly talented artist. Upon his sad and tragic death, Williams left his $50 million to his three children. He continues to be missed among his many fans and friends.
Jerry Seinfeld — $950 Million
Like many comedians, Jerry Seinfeld started from small beginnings. He tried for years to make it big as a stand-up comedian and eventually hit the jackpot after creating the famous television sitcom, "Seinfeld". Since then, Jerry Seinfeld has blossomed into one of the most successful and highest-paid comedians of all time. Though Seinfeld made quite a fortune during the show’s filming, the majority of his wealth from the sitcom came after it was finished airing. His co-creator Larry David and himself receive enormous paychecks each time a re-run of "Seinfeld" airs, which as you might imagine, is quite a lot.
Not only has Jerry Seinfeld made a fortune from his namesake sitcom, but he has also brought in huge paychecks for himself from his work as an author, public speaker, and advertising endorser. In 2017, Seinfeld earned $69 million due to his smart partnership with Netflix. He probably never guessed he would land this much success when he was starting off as a stand-up comedian, but life can be pretty funny that way.
Bono — $800 Million
Rock superstar Bono has been the lead singer of U2 since 1976. This Irish singer has met massive success thanks to a regular touring schedule and a wise choice of investments. U2 is one of the most successful bands of all time and has the accolades to prove it with 22 Grammy Awards. It’s hard to imagine making this much money in one night, but the average U2 concert makes about $2.1 million. Though he certainly makes a lot of cash from his shows, Bono owns 2.3% of Facebook, which has earned him quite a lot of money over the years.
Though Bono is known for his humanitarian spirit, he’s also met some trouble with the law due to tax evasion. In 2007, he was reprimanded for not paying any taxes to Ireland, his home of origin. Though Bono claimed that 95% of his income came from outside the country and therefore, he didn’t owe tax money to Ireland, the people were still enraged. However, he still holds a huge fan base and is doing pretty well for himself.