One thing that's great about Ricky Gervais is that even though he's hit it big, he hasn't taken every project offered to him just to cash in. He's building a great comedy career on groundbreaking shows he created ("The Office" and "Extras") with smaller movie parts. He's also hilarious in the podcast he writes with Steven Merchant (who stole scenes in "Extras" as Ricky's manager). He did take the giant leap into leading-man status in the movie "Ghost Town" last month, and is currently working on more movies coming out in 2009. A comedian passing up on a big payday isn't something you see very often, and we're thrilled that he's chosen quality over quantity.

It can be argued that no one has meant more to TV in the past 20 years than Matt Groening. As the creator of the "The Simpsons," Groening brought animation back to prime time with great characters, brilliant writing, and a better sense of popular culture than anyone in history. He originally launched Homer's family in 1987 as a short on "The Tracey Ullman Show" before it took on the shape that we all know and love. The animation then was a bit cruder, but the brilliance and laughs were there. "The Simpsons" is currently in its stunning 20th season, making it one of the longest-running prime-time TV shows, and it's also won numerous Emmy awards. The Simpsons Movie was a major hit in 2007 and has earned more than $175 million in the U.S. alone. Before striking gold with "The Simpsons," Groening's claim to fame was the comic strip "Life in Hell." He's currently also the creator (and was executive producer) of "Futurama," also on Fox.

While the "Daily Show" may be hipper, its offspring, "The Colbert Report" is definitely funnier. And let's be honest, that's what really matters. Colbert has climbed the comedy ladder faster than anyone in recent years and from everything I read, he's even funnier off camera than on. He's had a bestselling book with I Am America (and So Can You!) (Grand Central Publishing, 2007), which has been a huge player in this year's election drama, and has also acted in movies. He's brilliant in managing to stay in character night after night. We're watching a special talent here.

One of the funniest stand-up comedians of the last 10 to 15 years, Chappelle is best known for turning down $50 million in 2005 to continue his groundbreaking and hilarious "Chappelle's Show" on Comedy Central. The show was an enormous hit, but Chappelle didn't like working the long hours or the direction many of the scripts were taking. Instead of showing up to work, he quit the show and bolted to South Africa for a little time to reflect and, it was reported, focus on his mental health. He returned home to Ohio where he currently resides, and released a documentary in 2006 called "Dave Chappelle's Block Party," which included a reunion of The Fugees. For someone so famous, he keeps a pretty low profile.

Bill Murray has been one of the funniest people alive for more than 30 years now, and doesn't appear to be slowing down. He's a legend. One of Murray's expressions can send anyone into blinding laughter, his late-night talk show appearances are still must-see TV. And the show he puts on while on the golf course is fantastic—especially because it so irritates the stuffed shirts that put on the tournaments. Murray's career has really blossomed as he's aged (his acting in "Lost in Translation" was particularly great) and will hopefully keep improving after his brutal divorce goes through. His latest movie is "The City of Ember," with Tim Robbins, and he also has at least three more films slated to come out in 2009.

Who knew that fart jokes could be work half a billion dollars? Love him or hate him, Stern has been an equal opportunity offender for almost 30 years now. He went from completely changing the landscape in one medium—mainstream radio—to giving birth to a new medium, the insanely addictive satellite radio. While his feats in radio are unsurpassed, he's also had a hit movie, two books on the New York Times bestseller list, and had numerous TV shows. He's a hero to stand-up comics who've had the chance to launch their careers in front of his millions of listeners. Next, look for remakes of "Porky's" and "Rock 'n' Roll High School" from this King of All Media.