Seth MacFarlane began his career as an animator at Hanna-Barbera before skyrocketing to fame as the creator of the animated sitcom Family Guy. He went on to create three more hit shows: American Dad, The Cleveland Show and The Orville. Beyond TV, MacFarlane achieved silver screen success with films like the Ted franchise.

In 2009, MacFarlane negotiated a five-year, $100 million (£74.4m) deal with Fox – then the largest contract in TV history. He later left Fox for Universal, signing a five-year, $200 million (£149m) deal in 2020. These salaries exclude merchandise and DVD royalties for his animation empire, which reportedly earns him upward of $20 million (£14.9m) per year. His estimated net worth today is $400 million (£298m).

Meet the world's 21 richest comedians who are laughing all the way to the bank