Ellen DeGeneres

The first female comedian to have her name on the list of the richest comedians in the world is Ellen DeGeneres. She grew raised in Metairie, Louisiana, a New Orleans suburb. She attended the University of New Orleans for one semester before dropping out.

Her first employment was working at J.C. Penny and TGI Fridays as a waitress. She rose to prominence in stand-up comedy, which led to a television career. DeGeneres' character on "Ellen" came out as homosexual not long after she came out in real life on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." For the time, it was a contentious episode, and "Ellen" was discontinued the next year due to low ratings.

Since 2003, DeGeneres has hosted "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," a talk show on which she has had the most success. She earns about $50 million per year from the show, which includes a 60 percent cut in advertising and product placement income. She also enjoys making money by flipping houses.

There's also the issue of harmful workplace culture.

"Never follow anyone else's path. Unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path. Then, by all means, follow that path." —Ellen DeGeneres

Net worth: $370 million

Age: 63

Country: United States