Canadians Russell Peters, Howie Mandel among top 10 comedian earners

The economy is ailing and the public is glum, but stand-up acts like Dane Cook, Russell Peters and Larry the Cable Guy are still laughing all the way to the bank.

Comedy's 10 top earners — a list that also includes George Lopez, Jeff Foxworthy, Howie Mandel and Terry Fator — collectively raked in $256 million US between June 2008 and June 2009. While each of them have been padding their wallets with stand-up earnings, they're also finding ways to cash in on merchandise, DVDs, television and Hollywood flicks.

Jerry Seinfeld tops the list. He earned $85 million during the 12-month period. Syndication deals for his eponymous sitcom, which he produced, wrote and starred in, made up the bulk of his income. Off the air for more than a decade, the show about nothing continues to mint money. The funnyman was able to bolster his TV earnings with a pricey Microsoft campaign and lucrative stand-up gigs.

Seinfeld's next project is a reality show titled The Marriage Ref, which he'll produce for his former network, NBC. The premise: opinionated stars will comment, judge and offer differing strategies to real-life couples in the midst of marital disputes. Despite heavy fan interest, the General Electric-owned network's one-time golden boy will reportedly remain behind the scenes.

Chris Rock lands at No. 2 on the list with $42 million. Over the course of the year, he added a slew of big-screen flicks to his résumé (Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, the upcoming Death at a Funeral and Grown Ups), released a new top-rated HBO comedy special (Kill the Messenger) and snagged another book deal with Grand Central Publishing. Come fall, his TV show Everyone Hates Chris, which he created and narrates for the CW, will kick off its syndication run.

Even more lucrative, Rock hit the road for his first worldwide stand-up tour. In addition to typical stateside stops like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, his "No Apologies" tour touched down in the UK, Australia and South Africa.

"He was the first American comic to really break open international markets," says Steve Levine, Executive Vice President of the Concert Department at ICM, which counts Rock among its star clients. "The old saw was comedy doesn't translate, but that's definitely not the case with Chris Rock. They loved him."

Ventriloquist a YouTube sensation

Rounding out the top three: ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, who banked an estimated $30 million over the course of the year. His placement on this list is hardly a shock when you consider the red-hot year the YouTube sensation and relentless touring act — he performed some 145 shows during the 12-month time period — has had. 

Among the résumé highlights: the most-watched Comedy Central special in the Viacom-owned cable network's history and the best-rated Amazon DVD of all time. Still more impressive, Dunham was crowned North America's top-grossing touring comedy act of 2008 and has a Comedy Central sitcom slated to debut later this year.

"The one thing I'm proud of most is that my show has no social redeeming value whatsoever," jokes Dunham.

"I'm not here to teach anybody anything. You come and leave your brain at the door."

And that's just what today's audience is after.