The 10 Richest Comedians in South Africa

Have you ever wondered about the richest comedians in South Africa? You might think of Barry Hilton, Tumi Morake, or David Kau, but none come close to Trevor Noah. Trevor Noah is not just the richest comedian in South Africa but a global comedy heavyweight. 

He has a whopping net worth of $100 million, Trevor hosted The Daily Show on Comedy Central from 2015 to 2022, wrote a bestseller, and dropped some killer comedy videos. He grew up in apartheid South Africa. 

This blog post spills the tea on Trevor Noah’s incredible ride with other richest comedians in South Africa, starting from their beginnings and victories to the shiny awards they won and future plans in showbiz and making a difference. 

Get ready for some belly laughs with their hilarious jokes, stories, and their unique take on current happenings. If you’re a fan or just curious to know about these richest comedians, then this blog post is for you. Stay tuned and enjoy your reading!

The Richest Comedians in South Africa

Here is a detailed breakdown of the 10 richest comedians located in South Africa:

1. Trevor Noah ($100 million) 

Trevor Noah is a guy with many talents – he’s a comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and used to host a TV show. Born in 1984 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a Xhosa mom and a Swiss-German dad, his parents’ mixed-race love story was against the rules during apartheid. 

Growing up in a divided society wasn’t easy, but he kicked off his career in South Africa in 2002, doing radio and TV gigs and cracking jokes on stage. In 2011, he made a move to the United States, even showing up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, making history as the first South African comedian to do so. 

Later, he became the host of the daily show, rocking it until 2022 and winning two big awards. Besides all that, he wrote a super popular book called Born a Crime and did a bunch of hilarious comedy specials. Now, he’s got a cool $100 million to his name!

2. Barry Hilton ($7 million) 

Barry Hilton is another funny guy and also one of the richest comedians in South Africa. He’s an actor, TV dude, and a motivator. Born in 1956 in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe), to a French Mauritian mom and a dad from Lancashire, England. 

His family hopped around a bit, landing in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1969. Barry didn’t stick around school for long, leaving at 15 to become an electrician. His comedy journey kicked off in 1983 when friends dared him to perform at a nightclub – and he did! Barry got popular in South Africa, hosting TV shows and doing awards gigs. 

He took his comedy show on the road, hitting places like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Sun City Extravaganza, and even the Laugh Factory in Hollywood . He is known for his funny and clever jokes, he goes by the nickname “The Cousin.” Now, he’s sitting on a nice $7 million as his net worth. 

3. Tumi Morake ($5 million) 

Tumi Morake is a funny lady who does a bit of everything – comedy, acting, writing, and producing. Born on December 22, 1981, in the Free State, she moved to Gauteng in 2000 to study Drama at Wits University. Tumi kicked off her career with Arepp Theatre for Life, a traveling educational theater company. 

In 2005, she dove into the comedy scene, making people laugh at festivals and shows. You might have seen her hosting TV gigs like Our Perfect Wedding, Red Cake, and WTFTumi. She’s also graced the big and small screens in movies and series like Seriously Single, Tumi or Not Tumi, and Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. 

Tumi became the first African woman with her own set on Netflix in 2018 and the first woman to host Comedy Central Presents in Africa. Her talents earned her awards like Best Comedian at the YOU Spectacular Awards in 2016 and the Mboko Women in the Arts Award for Comedy Excellence in 2013. 

She’s not just a comedian – Tumi also penned a book titled “And Then Mama Said”. She is married to fellow actor Mpho Osei Tutu, she’s also a proud mom of three. Tumi’s estimated net worth is a cool $5 million!

4. Deep Fried Man ($5 million) 

Deep Fried Man isn’t just a funny guy; he’s a musical comedian and writer. Born as Daniel Friedman on January 9, 1981, in Johannesburg, he’s the son of political analyst and columnist Steven Friedman. Mentioning the richest comedians in South Africa without Deep Fried Man is inevitable. 

After studying journalism, philosophy, and drama at Rhodes University and completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Wits University, he ventured into alternative folk music before making folks laugh as a comedian in 2010. 

Winning the Comedy Showdown hosted by Joe Parker opened doors for him, leading to a spot in the UN Comedy Show. The guy with the guitar nabbed the “Best Newcomer” title at the first Annual South African Comic’s Choice Awards in 2011. You might have caught his acts in comedy shows like Heavyweight Comedy Jam, Blacks Only, and Jew Must Be Joking. 

He’s also made appearances on TV shows like Laugh Out Loud, Tonight With Trevor Noah, and Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola. If that’s not enough, he even had a cameo in the film Material. Describing his style as “stand-up comedy with a guitar,” Deep Fried Man is worth around $5 million!

5. David Kau ($1.5 million) 

David Kau is a funny guy who does a bit of everything – comedy, acting, TV stuff, and producing. Born on April 18, 1978, near Kroonstad in the Free State, he kicked off studying electrical engineering but decided it wasn’t his thing and left in 1996. Then, he tried out speech and acting at the University of Cape Town, graduating with a diploma in 1998. 

His comedy journey began in 1998 at the Smirnoff International Comedy Festival. You might know him from The Pure Monate Show, a TV comedy series he co-created and produced in 2003. David also hosted shows like Blacks Only, The Channel O Music Video Awards, and So You Think You’re Funny!. 

Acting-wise, he’s been in films and series like Taxi Ride, Material, and Ses’ Top La. People love his funny, clever, and physical comedy, and they call him “The Cousin.” He’s married to Thalia Zarkalis, and they’re rocking three kids. David’s got around $1.5 million net worth. 

6. Skhumba Hlophe ($1 million)

Skhumba Hlophe is another funny guy and also one of the richest comedians in South Africa. He is also does radio and acting. Born on August 31 in Tembisa, Johannesburg, he finished school in 1996 and worked as a personnel officer at the SAPS for 13 years. Skhumba jumped into comedy in 2010 at the Soweto Comedy Festival. 

You might recognize him as Bheki Zulu, the bossy mechanic dad in the SABC1 sitcom Thandeka’s Diary. He also did his thing in the film Taxi Ride and its spin-off series. You can catch him on Kaya FM, where he hosts Good Friday with Skhumba and Ndumiso. Plus, he created and starred in his own comedy show, Trippin with Skhumba, airing on Showmax in 2019. 

Skhumba’s comedy style is musical, witty, and easy to relate to, this earned him the nickname “Big Banger.” He’s married with two kids. Sadly, he lost his firstborn son at only nine weeks. Skhumba’s estimated net worth is around $1 million. 

7. Marc Lottering ($700,000) 

Marc Lottering is a guy who wears many hats – he’s a comedian, actor, TV guy, and a producer. Born on December 4, 1967, in Cape Town, South Africa, he grew up in the Retreat townships on the Cape Flats. After trying electrical engineering at Pretoria Technikon but deciding it wasn’t his thing, he switched gears. 

In 1998, he went to the University of Cape Town to study speech and acting, graduating with a diploma in speech and drama in 1998. His comedy journey started at the Smirnoff International Comedy Festival in 1998. You might know him from The Pure Monate Show, a TV comedy series he co-created and produced in 2003. 

Marc also hosted shows like Blacks Only, The Channel O Music Video Awards, and So You Think You’re Funny!. Acting-wise, he’s been in films and series like Taxi Ride, Material, and Ses’ Top La. People love his funny, clever, and physical comedy. He’s married to Anwar McKay, and they’re rocking three kids. Marc’s got around $700,000 in his pocket!

8. Mpho Popp ( $500,000)

Mpho Popp is another funny guy and one of the richest comedians in South Africa – he also does radio and acts. Born on June 10, 1987, in Tembisa, Johannesburg, he finished school in 1996 and worked as a personnel officer at the SAPS for 13 years. 

Mpho jumped into comedy in 2010 at the Soweto Comedy Festival. You might recognize him as Bheki Zulu, the bossy mechanic dad in the SABC1 sitcom Thandeka’s Diary. He also did his thing in the film Taxi Ride and its spin-off series. You can catch him on Kaya FM, where he hosts Good Friday with Skhumba and Ndumiso. 

He created and starred in his own comedy show, Trippin with Skhumba, airing on Showmax in 2019. Mpho’s comedy style is musical, witty, and easy to relate to. He is also married with two kids. Mpho’s estimated net worth is around solid $500,000!

9. Riaad Moosa ($400,000)

Riaad Moosa is a funny guy who does a lot of things – he’s a comedian, actor, doctor, and producer. Born on June 18, 1977, in Western Cape, South Africa, his parents had a tough time because they came from different backgrounds. Riaad faced a lot of difficulties growing up in a country where people were divided by race. 

He went to the University of Cape Town to study medicine and became a doctor. But, he also loved making people laugh, so he started doing comedy in 1999 at the Smirnoff International Comedy Festival. You might have seen him from The Pure Monate Show, a TV comedy series he helped make in 2003. 

Riaad’s been on TV hosting shows like Laugh Out Loud, Red Cake, and WTFTumi. Plus, he acted in movies and TV series like Material, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. People like his funny, clever, and funny comedy.

He talks about all kinds of things like Islamic humor, Indian culture, racism, politics, and medical stuff. He has won some awards too, like the Comics Choice Award in 2011 and the SAFTA for best actor in 2013. Riaad’s married to Farzanah Bemat, and they’ve got three kids. His net worth is around $400,000.

10. Tats Nkonzo ($200,000)

Tats Nkonzo is another talented guy and also among the richest comedians in South Africa – he is a singer, musician, and TV personality. Born on March 19, 1985, in Mdantsane, South Africa, he finished school in 1996 at Phomolong Secondary School. 

Tats went to Rhodes University and then Wits University, studying journalism, philosophy, and drama. Before doing comedy in 2010, he played alternative folk music in Johannesburg. Tats won the Comedy Showdown hosted by Joe Parker, which let him perform in the UN Comedy Show. 

He was named Best Newcomer at the first Annual South African Comic’s Choice Awards in 2011. You might have seen him in comedy shows like Heavyweight Comedy Jam, Blacks Only, and Jew Must Be Joking. 

He’s been on TV too, in shows like Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola, Tonight With Trevor Noah, and even hosted SA’s Got Talent from 2012 to 2016. He had a little role in the movie Material too. Tats calls his comedy style “stand-up comedy with a guitar.” His net worth is around $200,000.

Who is the richest comedian in South Africa? 

The richest comedian in South Africa is Trevor Noah. He has an estimated net worth of $100 million. He is the host of the popular show “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central and has also written a best-selling memoir and released several comedy specials. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential comedians in the world. 

Who is the highest paid comedian in South Africa? 

The highest paid comedian in South Africa as of 2024 is still Trevor Noah. He earned a whopping $40 million in 2024, making him the second highest paid stand-up comedian in the world after Kevin Hart. 

He is the host of the popular show “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central and has also written a best-selling memoir and released several comedy videos. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential comedians in the world. 

Conclusion

We talked about Trevor Noah, one of the richest comedians in South Africa if not the richest among all and one of the most important comedians globally. We saw how he went from a simple beginning to hosting the daily show, writing a super popular book, and becoming famous worldwide.

We also checked out the tough stuff he faced like racism and criticism. Trevor isn’t just a funny guy – he’s also clever, brave, and inspiring. What do you think about Trevor Noah and what he has done? Do you have a favorite joke or story from him? How do you feel he represents South Africa globally? Share your thoughts in the comments below – we want to hear from you!

Thanks for reading this blog. If you liked it, share it with your pals. Don’t forget to check back for more cool stuff about South African celebs, culture, and lifestyle. Stay tuned for our next blog post, It’s gonna be interesting!

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