Amy Schumer has been a pioneer for female comedians in the past few years, and her work has paid off. Forbes announced that the comedian made $17 million last year, making her the fourth highest paid comedian in the world, and the first woman to make the annual list.
It’s really no wonder when you consider the year Schumer has had; with her tour with Aziz Ansari, concluding her Comedy Central show Inside Amy Schumer, a new book, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, a huge movie, Trainwreck, and a casual Super Bowl commercial.
Homegirl’s been busy.
But there’s still more work to be done considering the fact that Schumer is the only woman on the list, and the first one ever despite comic veterans like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Julia Louis-Dreyfus who have been in the business just as long, or longer than many of the men featured on the list.
In our August 2016 issue Fey spoke on the common idea that we are in a “Golden age for female comics.”
“When Amy [Poehler] and I were doing the Sisters junket, everyone was like, ‘Isn’t this an amazing time for women in comedy?’ and I was like, ‘I don’t know, is it? Do I make what Will Ferrell makes? No,” Fey said.
Not only do most female performers not make as much as their male counterparts, but they typically have to work more to come even close. Schumer’s busy schedule over the past year is a testament to that fact. But the gender disparity is something Schumer recognizes, and is working to change (Being one of the highest paid comedians in the world is just one of many steps).
“I feel like there won’t be enough change … until there’s no wage gap,” Schumer said in an interview with NPR. “And until someone says ‘You’re my favorite comic,’ not ‘You’re my favorite female comic.'”
Photos via HBO and Danielle St. Laurent for BUST
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