Top 20 Funniest Comedians Of The Century (So Far)

These are the leaders of comedy's new era. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 20 Comedians of the 21st Century.

For this list, we'll be ranking the funniest, most popular and influential comedians of the modern era. These performers could've started their careers in the years prior to 2001, but it should be either their enduring appeal or a 21st century peak to merit their inclusion on this list.

The comedy of Jim Gaffigan is at once approachable, relatable and utterly hilarious. Sure, there's nothing overly edgy about Gaffigan's observational family humor, but Jim's deadpan delivery brings it all together with a charm that continues to win over new fans. His material always comes across as fresh, and his inner monologue commentaries are consistently a hit with audiences. Between 2013 and 2020, five of his comedy albums were nominated for Grammys. Jim Gaffigan is proof that sometimes just being naturally funny is enough to keep a comedy career going strong.

Sebastian Maniscalco did it old school when it came to working his way up the stand-up comedy ranks. Starting out in 2005, he did gigs at California's legendary Comedy Store, before taping shows for Comedy Central and Showtime - all of which seemed to do better than the last. More and more people seemed to be listening, so naturally Sebastian struck while the iron was hot, writing a memoir and moving into acting roles on such high profile films as "Green Book" and "The Irishman." Meanwhile, Billboard echoed this success when they named Maniscalco their 2018 "Comedian of the Year," bringing it all home with some much deserved validation.

Not every comedian feels like the stage has been calling them since day one, sometimes it takes a little while for that magic to happen. Tig Notaro actually worked on a different kind of stage, coming up in the music industry as a promoter before attempting stand up and working on her bold and varied style of deadpan observational comedy. We'd be remiss not to mention how Notaro faced her real life cancer journey head on within her work, discussing her personal struggle with both honesty and humor, while inspiring others at the same time. This doesn't define Notaro as a comedian, however, instead just serving as one step in her journey as one of comedy's freshest voices.

It's an honor and responsibility to sit behind that desk at Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," especially after all Jon Stewart did to elevate the satirical news program to its current heights. Thankfully, the show was placed in good hands when South Africa's Trevor Noah took over as host in 2015. The comedian had already honed his razor sharp wit with popular stand up specials at home, while simultaneously working as a TV host and public figure in South Africa. Today, "The Daily Show" is as funny as ever, despite early controversy regarding Noah's occasionally provocative style of comedy, as displayed on his Twitter feed. Thankfully, the host seems to have come out the other side unscathed.

The ubiquitous Tiffany Haddish seems to be everywhere these days, an in-demand comedian who's graced the worlds of cinema, television and awards shows. Haddish first broke into the mainstream with an acclaimed and raunchy performance in the 2017 film "Girls Trip," after which she quickly made the most out of her sudden fame. Haddish parlayed this interest into a stand up special, more movies, and made history on "Saturday Night Live" as the first female African-American comedian to host. Haddish shows no signs of slowing down, either, a busy comic workhorse with style and charisma to spare.

Aziz Ansari had already gained a loyal audience with his witty stand up and endearingly annoying portrayal of Tom Haverford on NBC's "Parks and Recreation." It was the comedian's Netflix series "Master of None" that proved there was more than a little depth to Ansari's creative voice, as the series balanced an expected level of humor with drama and style. Ansari's career did stumble despite this success, however, when an allegation of sexual misconduct emerged in 2018 from the website Babe.net. The comedian referenced the incident a year later during a stand-up special for Netflix, and it remains to be seen how this might affect Aziz in the years to come.

Nerd comics unite! Patton Oswalt discusses all of his personal obsessions when it comes to his stand up comedy, commenting about everything from his love of film and music, to comic book heroes and fast food excess. Patton is a multi-level talent, working on television and film, plus doing voiceover work for animated films, all the while retaining his unique comic voice. Oswalt also worked on Netflix's revival of the cult film commentary show "Mystery Science Theater 3000," bringing together his love of B movies and hilarious riffing to create a perfect storm of funny.

The modern era has created new and exciting opportunities for comedians to get their material out to the masses. Case in point? Bo Burnham, who actually started his comic life on YouTube before collaborating with Comedy Central on his first album, "Bo Fo Sho." Musical comedy is often a make-or-break proposition, but Burnham quickly earned a following for his quirky and often dark observational songs. He didn't rest on his laurels either, transitioning by writing and directing the buzz worthy indie film "Eighth Grade," all the while continuing to grow and mature as one of stand-up's most popular rising stars.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is what you might call a "ringer" in the comedy world, an infinitely talented performer with one hell of a batting average. Dreyfus has been a ubiquitous presence from her early days on "Saturday Night Live" through her breakout role as Elaine Benes on "Seinfeld." Her success and influence didn't end there, however, and she continued to grow as a comedian through "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and the hilarious political satire of "Veep." Dreyfus can do neurotic, she can do silly and she can do smart, often bringing all three together in a way that's inimitably and uniquely her own.

We're gonna continue on the "Seinfeld" train for a bit and give credit where credit is due to that show's co-creator and head writer, the one and only Larry David. We mentioned how Julia Louis-Dreyfus can create neurotic comedy quite well, but Larry has basically turned it into an art form. Nowhere is this better shown than on David's hit HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," where once again we follow what's effectively a terrible person through life's mundane eccentricities, set to David's borderline sociopathic sense of humor. Oh, and we also can't help but admire Larry's spot on impersonations of American Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during his appearances on "Saturday Night Live".

We discussed earlier the sexual misconduct allegations against Aziz Ansari, and we unfortunately need to address that subject here again with our next comedian, Louis C.K. It needs to be said that we, in no way, shape or form, condone these actions, but at the same time we'd be remiss not to include the impossibly influential C.K. on this list. Here, it becomes imperative to separate the artist from the art, and appreciate the level of quality present within Louis' brash, bare and often cringy brand of writing and comedy. His FX series, "Louie" was also formative to changing the ways comedians translated their material to the small screen, breaking the mold of what stand-up could be, and where it could go.

The comedy of Sarah Silverman can be described with many adjectives, but "boring" is never one of them. Silverman is a firebrand whose material often courts controversy, utilizing everyone as a potential target for her sarcasm and insults. Sarah often walks that fine line between the profane and the witty, a superb storyteller who doesn't care who she offends, so long as her audiences leaves laughing. Her instantly recognizable delivery has also made her tailor made for voice-over work, such as her portrayal of Vanellope von Schweetz in the "Wreck-it Ralph" franchise.

Many comedians make the transition to the silver screen, but Kevin Hart has absolutely DOMINATED in his bid to become one of the most recognizable (and bankable) comic stars. The proof is in the box office receipts for any number of Hart's big time movie hits, including "Ride Along," "Central Intelligence" and "Jumanji" - all of which have increased Kevin's profile big time. Hart has honed a stand up persona that's funny and engaging, yet unafraid to be self-deprecating and silly. It's a refreshing break from convention that's spoken to legions of fans, as evidenced by his 2015 concert film "Kevin Hart: What Now?", filmed in front of an audience of over 50,000 people.

Bill Burr is who comedians go to see when they want to see comedy. Burr's creative voice is born and bred for the stand-up world, and comes without many of the commercial trappings that often come with a comic's transition into the mainstream. If anything, Burr has essentially remained true to his rough 'n ready New England roots, despite enjoying more and more visibility on shows like "The Mandalorian," "Chappelle's Show" and his own Comedy Central series, "The Ringers." Burr's approachable, yet clever observational comedy hits on an "every man" sort of level, with loud and boisterous bits peppered with real life illumination - making him truly one of a kind.

To discuss Jerry Seinfeld is to discuss comedy itself, a clear and ever-present voice in a room where everyone seems to be talking at the same time. That's because Seinfeld's "comedy about nothing" continues to be relevant and influential to every new generation of comic, much like the iconic voices of Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Lenny Bruce before him. Quite simply, there's no one who observes life quite in the same way as Jerry Seinfeld, taking the minutiae of human behavior and commenting in a way that's made him a legend to so many young comedians in his wake.

Comedy isn't always about being nice, and no one exemplifies this sort of confrontational appeal more than Ricky Gervais. This English actor, writer and former 80s pop star has earned a reputation for saying what he feels, and sparing no one's feelings in the process. At this point, it's almost become expected; a calling card of sorts for Gervais' fans, who can't wait to hear what he says next. Of course, there's also that business of co-creating a little thing called "The Office," which helped make Gervais one of the world's most recognizable comic voices. He hasn't wasted a second resting on any laurels of his success, either, continuing to push creative boundaries to this day.

John Mulaney is a multi-talented kind of guy, as evidenced by everything from his stand-up work to his bits with friend and fellow comic Nick Kroll. Mulaney earned his stripes writing for "Saturday Night Live," where he helped create lasting characters such as Bill Hader's "Stefon." His comedic voice is witty yet subversive, capitalizing on his sharp wardrobe and good looks to deliver material that's layered, smart and occasionally scathing. Not everyone could get away with the jokes that John Mulaney does, but at the end of the day, it's all part of his charm, and evidence that he's clearly on to even greater achievements in the future.

Some comedians just seemed destined to achieve greatness, for someone to recognize their innate talent and give them a shot. Such was the case with Tina Fey, who was encouraged to send scripts to "Saturday Night Live" by her fellow Second City improv alumni Adam McKay. The rest, as they say, is history, for Fey quickly rose up the ranks from writer to performer, before eventually ending up as one of the show's most popular cast members. More success followed, as Tina Fey further honed her comic voice, writing the screenplay for "Mean Girls" and creating the television hits "30 Rock" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Simply stated: there seems to be nothing that Tina Fey can't do.

Is Dave Chappelle the funniest man alive? Well, many people seem to think so, and they can't all be wrong. Chappelle just seems to possess “it”, that inimitable magic that comes alive whenever he hits the stage. Dave's standup has matured over the years, from a brash observational style to something multi-layered, deep and complex. His Netflix specials in particular are reactionary in a way to modern political climates, while also tying into Dave's classic delivery and loose, conversational approach. The proof is in the pudding, as Chappelle received the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2019, all the while doing things the only way he knows how: his way.

Before we name our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions!

Ali Wong

Zach Galifianakis

Hannibal Buress

Mitch Hedberg

Demetri Martin

It's no secret that "Saturday Night Live" has bred some of the world's best and brightest comedians, from Chevy Chase and Eddie Murphy to many of the other names we've discussed here. You can add Chris Rock to that list, as well, a comic genius who serves as one of SNL's brightest talents. If anything, it's Rock's work after exiting the show that proved his iconic delivery and original point of view could be applied on both the big and small screens. Whether it was writing the hip hop parody "CB4" or any number of his classic stand-up specials, Chris Rock's sense of humor has transcended generations, growing funnier over the years like some sort of fine comedic wine.