How 16 famous stand-up comedians successfully broke into comedy

John Mulaney, Ali Wong, and Dave Chapelle are stand-up comedians.NBC / Getty Images; Rick Kern / Getty Images; Lester Cohen / Getty Images

• Some of the most well-known stand-up comics have taken unique routes to get to where they are today.
• Several of the comedians, like Eddie Murphy and Jerry Seinfeld, knew they wanted to be onstage from the time they were young.
• Others, including Wanda Sykes and Hannah Gadsby, found comedy after trying out different careers.

There's not one single "right" way to break into comedy.

Whether stand-up comics find success performing nine sets per night (à la Ali Wong) or passing club flyers around Times Square in exchange for stage time like Aziz Ansari, the path is rarely, if ever, easy.

Not only are new comedians tasked with finding their voice and learning how to work a crowd, but they have to fight for stage time and deal with inevitable rejection and criticism as they hammer out the kinks in their sets. Then, they do it all again, usually while working a day job to pay the bills.

Comics like Dave Chapelle and Kevin Hart have reflected on their early years trying to make it in comedy, labeling the period as a trying yet instrumental stage in their careers.

Here's how some of the most well-known comedians got their big breaks.