To make someone laugh is one of the most difficult things in this world. It is a talent that is found only in a few individuals. This skill is widely acknowledged all across the globe. Comedians are casted in various movies and TV shows, to add humor and to entertain the viewers. Furthermore, many live comedy shows are organized from time to time where stand up comedians perform to entertain the live audience. People prefer comedy as it facilitates them to alleviate their stresses. And, comedians exactly do that; they generate laughter. There are some stand-up comedians who have taken live comedy to a whole new level and enthralled the audience by their wild imagination and sense of humor. In this post, we’ll discuss such stand-up comedians who master their art. We’ve curated a list of 25 best standup comedians who have bursted everyone’s belly with laughter.

Best stand up comedians:

George Carlin

American stand-up comedy artist, George Denis Patrick Carlin tops our list. In addition to his key role, he is also an actor and social critic. He is famous for black comedy and for adding political entities in comedy. Carlin has a cult following and this man is regarded as the most influential stand-up comedian.

He delivered his first stand-up performance as a comedian in 1977. He rose social issues and spread awareness through his comedy. Generally, he focused on socio-cultural criticism, including contemporary political issues. This gem of the comedy world was bestowed with Mark Twain Prize for American Humor after he had left the earth. But, his family must be really proud of him. Till date, he is the undisputed king of comedy.  

 Now, let’s have a look into other practitioners who are counted among best stand up comedians of all times.

Bob Newhart

Bob is an American stand-up comedian and actor who rose to stardom in1960s. He has many shows under his belt, but he is particularly popular for his comedic monologues: ‘The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart’. In fact, the album earned the status of a worldwide bestseller. It even occupied the numero uno spot in the Billboard’s pop album chart. His peculiar comedic style involves the delivery of dialogue, a slight stammer, and comedic monologues. These styles kept the masses hooked.

Bernie Mac

Bernard Jeffrey “Bernie” McCullough is a well-known name in the list of the best stand up comedians. Hailing from Chicago, this American stand-up comedian is also a famous voice artist and actor. He is best known for his blockbuster show named The Bernie Mac Show. Mac has won countless hearts with his sense of humor. In addition to stand-up comedy, he even made appearances in many films. One of his most loved roles was that of ‘Frank Catton’. He exhibited exceptional talent and perfect comic timing in movies like “Bad Santa ” and “Mr. 3000”.

Redd Foxx

John Elroy Sanford is known by his stage name “Redd Foxx”. He is a popular American stand-up comedian and actor. He is popular among masses for the portrayal of Fred G. Sanford in the show Sanford and Son. The series is a hit of the 1950s and 1960s. The American comedian is well known for his raunchy stand-up styles. His style featured foul language and adult subject matter. Foxx has been bestowed with the title of “King of the Party Records” by his fans.

Norm Macdonald

Norman Gene “Norm” Macdonald is a highly recognized comedian, producer, writer, and actor hailing from Canada. He has been an inspiration and influencer for many stand-up artists including big names such as Bob Newhart, Leo Tolstoy, Bob Hope, and Dennis Miller. His appearances on shows like ‘The Drew Carey Show’ and NewsRadio has gained him enough recognition. According to Comedy Central, he is named as #83 on the “five-part miniseries 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time”.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey is a famous Canadian-American comedian, actor, and producer. Born and raised in Ontario, he started with his first professional stand-up work in the “Toronto comedy club”. Through his humorous skills, he has proved himself as an incredible actor. Some of his best films include “The Mask”, “Dumb and Dumber”, and “Bruce Almighty”. Carrey earned immense recognition with a second Golden Globe Award nomination.

Bill Cosby

The great William Henry “Bill” Cosby Jr. is one of the best stand-up comedians. He is popularly regarded for the display of talents in the form of an actor, author, and activist. He has a quirky sense of humor and out-of-the-box imagination. Cosby started with the career as a stand-up comic at San Francisco.

Bill Hicks

William Melvin “Bill” Hicks was an excellent American comedian, satirist, and musician. He had a great style of presenting his sense of humor. Some of the popular humorous materials of the star include religion, politics, and philosophy. Many times, media has attacked him for his superficiality, mediocrity, and banality within the media.

Steven Wright

Steven Alexander Wright is a well known American stand-up comedian. Besides, he has also shown his talent as a writer and film producer. He won the Academy Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards for his exceptional work. His humorous style has earned him the status of the best stand up comedians of all time.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais is an English actor and comedian. He is also an eminent musician and producer. His initial career began in the music industry. He rose to fame as a pop star in the 1980s. However, finally, he turned into a standup comedian. His styles and senses of humor make him an exceptionally talented person.

Lewis Black

Lewis Niles Black is an American comedian, social critic and actor. The brilliant trifecta he has presented as a stand-up comedian gave him lots of critical acclaims. Black is popular among the humor lovers for the Comedy Central series ‘Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil’. He is also famous for the ‘Back in Black’ commentary segment.

Don Rickles

Donald “Don” Jay Rickles is famous as the acidic stand-up comic, author, and actor. Don Rickles gained recognition not just by telling jokes, but instead by insulting the audience. He even got the tag of “insult comic”. During his career, he has received worldwide exposure. He even featured as a guest on talk and variety shows like ‘The Dean Martin Show’, and ‘Late Show with David Letterman’.

Jim Gaffigan

James Christopher Gaffigan is a quite famous artist. He is an American comedian, writer, and actor. His popularity is marked for the co-creation of a TV Land television series namely ‘The Jim Gaffigan Show’. He even featured in the series which was a huge hit.

Kevin Hart

Kevin Darnell Hart is a famous American comedian, actor and producer. He kick-started his career by winning several comedy competitions. Hart got his first real break in the year 2001. Well known for his exceptional talent of presenting his humorous styles, he is a much-regarded comedian among masses.

Mitch Hedberg

Mitchell Lee Hedberg is one of the best stand-up comedians of all time. He is popular for his surreal sense of humor and unconventional styles. His comedy featured short, one-line jokes. Some of them also involved absurd elements and non-sequiturs. His stand-up career marked its beginning in Florida. After a big break in his career, he won the grand prize in 1997. He has also appeared in hit series like “That ’70s Show (1998)”.

Rodney Dangerfield

Jack Roy popularly known as Rodney Dangerfield was a famous American stand-up comedian, artist, actor, and producer. He is best recognized among humor lovers for his catchphrase “I don’t get no respect!” This catchphrase is still prevalent. His monologues on the theme have also got enough recognition.

Bill Burr

Bill Burr is a popular American stand-up comedian, actor, musician and writer. Burr has starred in six stand-up specials. He is famous for hosting “The Monday Morning Podcast”. He has also laid his co-foundation in the All Things Comedy network. Burr is also a writer and podcaster. He is remembered for his role as Patrick Kuby in the Breaking Bad, a crime drama series.

Steve Martin

Steve Glenn Martin, the American comedian, actor, producer, and musician is famous among the humor loving population. He took part in comedies at the Bird Cage Theatre in the early stage of his career. Later, he joined a comedy troupe. In the 1970s, he started with his performances in the comedy routines. With time, he has become a successful actor, pianist, author, and a remarkable banjo player.

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld is an American comedian by profession. Besides, he is also a writer, actor, and producer. His terrific sense of humor allowed him to develop an interest in the field of stand-up comedy. He has appeared on a Rodney Dangerfield HBO special. He has also caught the attention of the public starring in The Tonight Show. Seinfeld is well known for playing ‘Seinfeld’. Comedy Central has regarded him as the 12th best stand-up Comedian of All Time. He is even the richest comedian in the world.

Louis C

Louis C.K. is an American-Mexican stand-up comedian. He has received the Peabody Award and six Primetime Emmy Awards. He has worked in The Chris Rock Show and other stand-up specials. Later, he has also written for other comedians like David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, etc. In 2001, he came up with his debut comedy album, “Live in Houston”.

Chris Rock

Christopher “Chris” Julius Rock III is a successful American actor and comedian. Besides, he also holds exceptional talent as a writer, producer, and director. He has dedicated his time to stand-up career and small film roles. He was also famous as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. Rock has also starred in Down to Earth (2001), The Longest Yard (2005), the Madagascar series (2005–2012) and other acclaimed stand-up specials.

Eddie Murphy

Edward “Eddie” Regan Murphy is an American actor, singer, screenwriter, comedian, and film producer. He was a popular and regular member on Saturday Night Live. He has received Golden Globe Award nominations. His popular performances include the Beverly Hills Cop series, The Nutty Professor, and some others. He has played multiple roles including that of the main character. Murphy’s films have earned $3.8 billion in the United States.

Dave Chappelle

David Khari Webber Chappelle, popularly known as Dave Chappelle is an American comedian, actor, and producer. The start of his film career was marked in 1993. He starred in Mel Brook’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights. He has won two Emmy Awards and three Grammy Awards. The best part of his career is his exceptional style of iconic and acclaimed satirical comedy. He has made appearances in several films like You’ve Got Mail (1998), Undercover Brother (2002), and A Star Is Born (2018). In 2016, he had signed a $20 million-per-release deal with Netflix and, later he had released five stand-up specials.

Robin Williams

Robin McLaurin Williams was a hugely popular American comedian and actor. His stand-up career found growth in the 1970s in Los Angeles. He found fame with his work in alien Mork “sitcom Mork & Mindy ”. The presentation of the humourous styles has made him an exceptional artist.  Williams has starred in numerous films that gave him critical and commercial success. Some of his best works include The World According to Garp (1982); Good Morning, Vietnam (1987); Awakenings (1990); Patch Adams (1998); One Hour Photo (2002) and many others. He has received the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Grammy Awards.

Richard Pryor

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor, famous as Richard Pryor was an American comedian, social critic, and actor. The best aspects of his humor styles include trenchant observations and storytelling. He is regarded as one of the most influential and best stand-up comedians. Some of his exceptional concerts include Live & Smokin’ (1971), TIs It Something I Said? (1975) Live in Concert (1979), and Here and Now (1983). He starred in comedies like Silver Streak and dramas like Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar. He has received the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for “American Humor” in 1998.

This was our list of 25 best stand up comedians of the world. These comedians are best because they know how to generate laughter by running their wild imagination. Hope you enjoyed reading it!