It was no easy task to determine which funny people deserved recognition at the end of 2013. We decided early that this list would not be a definitive "The Funniest People of 2013," because let's face it, such a task would be a fool's errand. Plenty of the funniest and most beloved comedy writers, performers and personalities simply had a quiet year, and more power to them. We're glad that the crowded field of comedy saw some new voices to pop out, and some established voices got new opportunities.
We also want to be clear that this list is made up of intentionally funny people. Sorry, Rob Ford, Anthony Weiner and Ted Cruz.
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Of course, we know you will have an opinion or two about the list. And we want to hear them! Let us know what you think in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Amy Poehler
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She stars in NBC's best sitcom, breathed a breath of fresh air into the Golden Globes and the comedy theater she co-founded is still going strong.
Louis C.K.
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"Oh My God" was an incredible comedy special by any measure, and his surprisingly poignant "Conan" clip about our smart phone obsession instantly went viral. His appearances in the movies "Blue Jasmine" and "American Hustle" almost made us forget that we didn't get a new season of "Louie" this year.
Stephen Colbert
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Few people are as good at anything as Stephen Colbert is at his job. He deserved that Emmy.
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Jon Stewart
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The voice of the reasonable. As long as the reasonable doesn't eat deep-dish pizza.
Conan O'Brien
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Few other talk shows hosts seem to delight in -- or have the raw talent for -- madcap, clever comedy like Conan O'Brien. And his Team Coco website has changed the way talk shows interact with their fans.
Jimmy Fallon
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The "Tonight Show" heir encouraged late night television to step up its game.
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Sarah Silverman
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Silverman not only performed her first HBO special this year, she showed remarkable thoughtfulness in discussing the challenges of being a female entertainer this year.
Seth Meyers
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He's leaving "SNL" after 12 years and is about to become the next host of "Late Night."
Jimmy Kimmel
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This year, Kimmel moved up to the big leagues with an 11:30 time slot, pulled off one of the greatest pranks in TV history and even got in a public feud with Kanye West. Not bad for the "Man Show" guy.
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Amy Schumer
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"Inside Amy Schumer" marked the raunchy comic's move from stand-up to bigger things, and she even signed a film deal with Judd Apatow this year.
Aziz Ansari
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In both his stand-up special "Buried Alive" as well as Tom Haverford's story arcs on "Parks & Recreation," his comedy is growing wiser and more mature.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
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Who else can say that they've portrayed two of the funniest TV characters of all time? This year, she surpassed Lucille Ball's Emmy nomination record (and won the big award, too). She also earned a Golden Globe nominee for her film role in "Enough Said."
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Andy Samberg
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"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" has proven to be a very funny post-"SNL" vehicle, even scoring him an Emmy nomination.
Nathan Fielder
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Comedy Central's "Nathan For You" proved to be one of the most inspired new shows of the year, and he pulled off the impossible by coordinating a Twitter prank that was actually funny.
Kevin Hart
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"Let Me Explain," his theatrically-released stand-up film, was one of the year's best. And if you haven't seen "The Real Husbands of Hollywood" on BET, you're missing out.
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Key & Peele
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"Key & Peele" premiered on Comedy Central last year, and the world was introduced to President Obama's anger translator Luther. But 2013 has turned out to be the year where the world has truly discovered Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as the brilliant performers and satirists they are, and not just Obama-spoofers.
Rob Delaney
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One of the original kings of Twitter comedy put out his first book this year, "Rob Delaney: Mother, Wife, Sister, Human, Warrior, Falcon, Yardstick, Turban, Cabbage."
Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg
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They co-wrote, as well as respectively directed and starred in, one of the funniest and best films of the year, "The World's End."
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Kate McKinnon
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She's undeniably a breakout star on "Saturday Night Live," thanks to her discipline and range. Plus, no one does a better Ellen impression.
Taran Killam
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Dominating the male roles this year on "Saturday Night Live," Taran's become one of the bright spots in a cast of immense talent.
Jay Pharoah
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He easily could have been pigeonholed after taking over President Obama duties on "SNL" last year, but this year, Pharoah has broken out into a multi-faceted performer with an arsenal of other impressions and music parodies.
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Chris Hardwick
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Right now, he's the king of the geeks thanks to his Nerdist digital empire, but based on "Talking Dead," "Talking Bad" and "@Midnight," chances are we'll be seeing the stand-up comic rule all media in the near future.
Billy Eichner
AP
If you haven't seen Billy harass New York pedestrians about pop culture, stop what you're doing and watch Funny or Die's Billy on the Street.
Tom Scharpling
Twitter
After 13 years, the New Jersey native called it quits on "The Best Show on WFMU," one of the most original and exhilarating radio shows of all time. We don't know what's next for Tom, but we can't wait.
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Seth Rogen
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Sitting in the director's chair for the first time, Rogen (and his comedy partner Evan Goldberg) knocked it out of the park with the comedy thriller they also wrote, "This is the End."
John Oliver
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His summer stint hosting "The Daily Show" was excellent, and resulted his own show on HBO launching next year.
The Correspondents of "The Daily Show"
AP
Jon Stewart (and this summer, John Oliver) may be the face of "The Daily Show," but the correspondents -- Samantha Bee, Jason Jones, Al Madrigal, Aasif Mandvi, and Jessica Williams -- are what keeps the show at the top of its game. There's not a weak one in the bunch.
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Will Ferrell
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The Funny or Die cofounder reminded us that not only is he a brilliant actor and writer with "Anchorman 2," he showed superhuman stamina with the promotional blitz.
Danny McBride
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His compelling turn as a villain in "This is the End" coupled with the brilliant final season of "Eastbound and Down" made this a red-letter year for Danny McBride.
Lena Dunham
AP
"Girls" continues to shock, titillate and inspire laugher like no other show on TV.
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Marc Maron
AP
Only a few years ago, the veteran comedian started a podcast as a last refuge to salvage his career. Cut to 2013, and he released a well-received memoir, and IFC let him create and star in his own show about his life.
Bob Odenkirk
AP
Who could have guessed that one of the most respected sketch comedy writer/actors would receive his most fame from a comic relief role on an acclaimed gritty TV drama? In addition to "Breaking Bad," he co-starred in the film "Nebraska" and brought The Birthday Boys to IFC this year.
Pete Holmes
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Conan O'Brien handpicked Holmes to follow him on TBS. If you haven't checked it out yet, we recommend it.
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Aisha Tyler
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She hosts the reboot of "Whose Line is it Anyway," along with voicing a character on "Archer" and hosting/producing her great podcast "Girl on Guy."
Scott Aukerman
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The hardest-working man in the podcast/spoof talk show game. "Comedy Bang! Bang!" has become a siren call for comedy nerds of all stripes, especially when IFC ordered another 20 episode season this year.
Nick Kroll
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"Kroll Show" was one of the most original sketch shows Comedy Central has aired in years, and his performance on "The League" is always a delight.
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Maria Bamford
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Her stand-up album "Ask Me About My New God!" is a high point for Bamford, and an example of a brilliant comic operating at the top of her game.
Ken Marino
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The "State" alum and "Burning Love" star also popped up on film ("We're the Millers," "In a World") and TV ("Eastbound & Down," "Axe Cop") we loved this year. We predict the rise of Ken Marino in the near future.
Stephen Merchant
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"Hello Ladies" showed that the lanky Brit has a distinctly different -- and no less hilarious -- style of comedy than his sometime partner Ricky Gervais.
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W. Kamau Bell
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It may have been a year of ups and downs for "Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell," but we think it still nets out as a strong year for the comedian and former talk show host. FX probably sealed the show's fate by moving it to its sister channel FXX, but Bell and his team made waves while it lasted. We're excited to see what happens next.
The "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Gang
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Can you believe that "Sunny" has been on for nine seasons? And that it somehow still feels as fresh and funny as it did early on?
Chuck Klosterman
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Pop culture critic Klosterman became the New York Times' Ethicist columnist last year, and has been crushing it. This year, he released a very funny and thought-provoking book of essays exploring villainy, "I Wear the Black Hat."
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Michael Cera
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Not only did he return as George Michael for the return of "Arrested Development," he was even credited as a writer for the season. His streak of wily wit was again on display in a contribution to The New Yorker, and with short films on the YouTube channel JASH.
Melissa McCarthy
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Her co-starring role in "The Heat" is one of the most powerful comedy performances in years.
Mike Birbiglia
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Birbiglia workshopped and toured with his show "My Boyfriend's Girlfriend" for two years before ending its run at Carnegie Hall this year. Just this November, the show was released on Netflix and DVD to rave reviews.
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Tony Hale
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Tony Hale pulled off one of the best Emmys stunts of all time when he won the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy, and remained onstage to act out a bit with his "Veep" co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus when she won. And Buster's "Arrested Development" storyline provided some of the biggest laughs of the new season.
Zach Galifianakis
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The film series that made him a star ended this year, but even without "The Hangover," Zach is one of the most consistently fearless performers out there. Who else could get away with spanking Justin Bieber?
Tim & Eric
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"Awesome Show" ended and their "Billion Dollar Movie" is almost two years old, but Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim have no intention of slowing down any time soon. Their Adult Swim Halloween special with Zach Galifianakis was outrageous, and they continue to put out off-kilter, bizarre sketches and series on the YouTube channel JASH.
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Jim Norton
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This year been a good one for comedian Jim Norton. A regular on "Opie & Anthony" and a veteran of comedy clubs, he's proven that stand-up comics can pay attention to their health and engage in debates about sexism and bigotry -- while remaining of the absolute funniest, filthiest guys around. His new special "American Degenerate" is not for the easily offended.
Jake Fogelnest
Twitter
We could go on about Fogelnest's excellent podcast, "The Fogelnest Files," but we're too busy laughing at a joke we remembered about how if Banksy were a dog he would be called Barksy.