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The most important role of comedy is to make us laugh, even when we don't feel like laughing. And as audiences change over the years, so do the comedians they respond to.
The comedians of the '60s and '70s may or may not feel relevant today, just as the comedians of today might not be relevant in 10 years.
To determine the most famous comedian, we used Nielsen ratings for popular shows, award winners from each year, and looked subjectively at how much of a cultural impact each had.