Ricky Gervais made his mainstream TV debut in 1998 and quickly rose to prominence as one of the UK’s foremost figures in comedy. Gervais’ most notable initial work was playing the obnoxious boss David Brent in the UK version of The Office. He won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role in the sitcom Extras.
His most notable work in recent years was After Life, which became the most-watched British comedy in the world. In addition to his lucrative paycheck from The Office, Gervais raked in millions in his career as a stand-up comedian. The Derek actor has performed five multinational stand-up comedy tours.
Ricky Gervais’s Earnings From Stand-Up Comedy
Ricky Gervais‘s first prominent stand-up show was part of the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show, named Rubbernecker, also featured other famous British comedians like Jimmy Carr, Robin Ince, and Stephen Merchant. Gervais’s first stand-up comedy tour took place in the UK in 2003.
He toured with his stand-up show Animals, which kick-started a themed live trilogy. Next in the trilogy was his show, Politics, for which he toured the country again in 2004. The third part, Fame, had its first show in Glasgow in 2007 and ended in Sheffield.
According to Chortle, the £25 ($32) seats for Fame were sold out within hours. Some tickets were even auctioned on eBay for £100 ($130). His show received some flak when Gervais included a joke about the Ipswich serial murders. Gervais’s fourth show, Science, took place in 2009, with nine different shows across the country. He also headlined the New York Comedy Festival in November 2009.
Gervais announced his fifth show in 2013 but later shared that he was too busy to do the tour due to film commitments. His next single gig stand-up show took place only in 2016, almost six and a half years after Science. He could only go through with his plans for his next stand-up tour Humanity in 2017 and continued it into 2018.
While his other shows had DVD releases, Humanity was his first special to be bought by Netflix. Gervais confirmed in a tweet that Netflix paid him $40 million for this show and his next special. His next tour and Netflix special, SuperNature, was announced in 2018. The shows started in 2019 and continued into 2020.
Many of the 2020 shows were canceled and postponed due to COVID-19. The tour resumed in August 2021 after the pandemic restrictions were lifted. Gervais and Netflix came under fire for his jokes about transgender people in the show. However, it won the Best Stand-Up Show at the National Comedy Awards.
Gervais’s next show, Armageddon, was also a huge success and got a Netflix special, probably earning him another $20 million or more. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Armageddon grossed nearly $30 million in ticket sales.
Ricky Gervais Broke Ticket Record For A Single Stand-Up Gig During His Armageddon Tour
On May 6, 2023, Ricky Gervais appeared at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as part of his Armageddon tour. The seats were jam-packed at his show and tickets were sold out at the venue, which had a capacity of 17,500. He raked in a massive £1.41 million ($1,790,206.50) for this single gig in Los Angeles. He entered the Guinness World Records with this record-breaking show.
In 2023, @rickygervais Armageddon at the Hollywood Bowl became the highest-grossing stand-up performance ever 👏
With a new Hollywood Bowl show announced for his 2025 ‘Mortality’ tour, we’re looking forward to the records he might break next! 😎 pic.twitter.com/4LEIvd5eZT— Guinness World Records (@GWR) October 21, 2024
Gervais was on cloud nine after his crowning achievement. He shared, “To find out about this record is the icing on the cake. I was happy enough when it didn’t rain” (via Daily Mail). His Armageddon tour concluded at Bristol Beacon in December of last year. The special was released via Netflix on December 25, 2023.
According to Ticketmaster, Gervais donated £1.9 million ($2.4 million) to support animal charities. The amount came from the profits generated by Platinum ticket sales of the tour, which were exclusively sold through Ticketmaster.
Is Ricky Gervais the Richest British Stand-Up Comedian?
According to a recent report from The Sun, Ricky Gervais is not the richest British stand-up comedian. Topping the list is comedian Peter Kay, who is famous for his role as John Redmond in the British sitcom Car Share. Ricky Gervais is third on the list, behind his The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant. Here’s The Sun’s list of the top five highest-paid British comedians:
| Ranking | British Comedian | Fortune |
| #1 | Peter Kay | $44.9 milliom |
| #2 | Stephen Merchant | $34 million |
| #3 | Ricky Gervais | $33.5 million |
| #4 | Russell Howard | $13.1 million |
| #5 | Jack Whitehall | $12.8 million |
However, the research used for this list is solely based on the value of the companies to which they pay their earnings. Celebrity Net Worth reports Gervais’s earnings to be at least four times this value. When the site reported an exhaustive list of the richest comedians in the world, Gervais was the richest British comedian on the list.
What Is Ricky Gervais’ Net Worth?
Ricky Gervais has a steady income thanks to the popularity of his stand-up shows and the continued relevance of his show The Office. Through creator, producer, and acting credits in The Office, Gervais might have earned tens of millions of dollars alongside his co-creator Stephen Merchant.
The show reportedly earned billions in royalties and fees. Celebrity Net Worth estimates that at least 10% of the syndication equity points lie with Gervais. These calculations suggest that Gervais has earned more than $100 million before taxes from The Office, making it his biggest asset.
He earns money whenever a deal is renewed or the rights of the show are sold to a new platform. Accordingly, he must have made a fortune when Comcast’s NBC paid $500 million for the rights to the show beginning in 2021.
When it comes to his real estate portfolio, Gervais and his partner Jane Fallon purchased their first London home in 2006 for nearly $6.5 million. They listed the property for $11.8 million and moved to a new $16 million residence in 2016.
Gervais also owns a $3.75 million apartment in Manhattan and another property in Los Angeles. Combining all these assets, his net worth is estimated to be $160 million, making him one of the richest comedians in the world.
Ricky Gervais Kicks Off His New Stand-Up Tour Mortality
Ricky Gervais’s new stand-up tour titled Mortality kicked off on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. The first show took place at Barbican in York. He has also announced the US and Canada legs of his show, including his return to the place where he set his Guinness Record.
Gervais will perform at the Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl on May 31, 2025 (via @HollywoodBowl | X). So far, Gervais has announced 20 dates in the UK and 4 in North America. All 20 dates in the UK have been sold out, but more shows will be announced soon including the dates for shows in London.
According to BirminghamLive, the general ticket prices for the shows were £51.50 ($67). It will probably add another fortune to the comedian’s net worth.
