In honor of the new year, Rolling Stone writer Matthew Love has updated his list of the
“50 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time.”
To determine who made the cut, Love “weighed artistic merit, technical proficiency and sense of timing, quality of their written material, their delivery and degree of influence — and often, their sense of what makes something, anything, funny.”
Bill Cosby’s still holding tight at number 8, but it’s great to see names like Reggie Watts (#46) and Tig Notaro (#35) make an appearance.
As of
this very moment, here are Rolling Stone’s top 50 picks:
- Richard Pryor
- George Carlin
- Lenny Bruce
- Louis C.K.
- Chris Rock
- Joan Rivers
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Bill Cosby
- Dave Chappelle
- Mort Sahl
- Steve Martin
- Robin Williams
- Bill Hicks
- Andy Kaufman
- Steven Wright
- Billy Connolly
- Bill Burr
- Kevin Hart
- Albert Brooks
- Mitch Hedberg
- Bob Newhart
- Jonathan Winters
- Don Rickles
- Eddie Izzard
- Eddie Murphy
- Rodney Dangerfield
- Redd Foxx
- Robert Klein
- Dick Gregory
- Woody Allen
- Sarah Silverman
- Patrice Oneal
- Janeane Garofalo
- Patton Oswalt
- Tig Notaro
- Daniel Kitson
- Sam Kinison
- Roseanne Barr
- Moms Mabley
- Garry Shandling
- Bernie Mac
- Phyllis Diller
- Amy Schumer
- Russell Peters
- Freddie Prinze
- Reggie Watts
- Elayne Boosler
- Margaret Cho
- Aziz Ansari
- Wanda Sykes
If you’re interested in a more comprehensive who’s-who of modern comedy, we suggest you peruse
Zach Broussard’s annual list of the top 1000 comedians around right now.
