Chris Rock is a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director from the United States of America. He has a net worth of $60 million. His net worth may be significantly higher, but he lost tens of millions of dollars (up to $40 million) in a divorce deal with his wife of 20 years, Malaak Compton. They split in 2016 following a 20-year marriage.
Chris first achieved prominence in the early 1990s as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” but he is now highly recognized for his acting ability in films such as “The Longest Yard” (2005), the “Madagascar” film trilogy (2005–2012), and “Grown Ups” (2010). He also created and produced “Everybody Hates Chris,” a semi-autobiographical sitcom that aired 88 episodes between 2005 and 2009. He was rated the fifth-greatest stand-up comic in a poll conducted by Comedy Central.
Private Life
On November 23, 1996, Rock married Malaak Compton-Rock, and the pair resided in New Jersey with their two daughters (born in 2002 and 2004). In December 2014, Rock filed for divorce, admitting to infidelity and a pornographic addiction. In 2016, their divorce was finalized. Chris reportedly had to compensate his ex-wife for approximately $40 million in real estate and liquid assets.
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND! After 5 years, I’m returning with my Ego Death World Tour 2022 this August.
I can’t wait. Tickets on sale Fri 18 March: https://t.co/H0deIjBRKR pic.twitter.com/BDYlxnqqhf— Chris Rock (@chrisrock) March 9, 2022
Childhood and Career
Christopher Julius Rock was born on February 7, 1965, in Andrews, South Carolina. Rock and his parents relocated to Brooklyn shortly thereafter, eventually settling in Bedford-Stuyvesant following a second relocation. As a child, he was bused to schools in predominantly white neighborhoods of Brooklyn, where he faced bullying and abuse from white kids. As the bullying intensified, he dropped out of high school and worked at fast-food restaurants to acquire his GED.
Rock made his stand-up comedy debut in 1984 at New York City’s Catch a Rising Star club. As he performed, he earned fame and even landed a few roles, including one in the television series “Miami Vice.” During these formative years, Eddie Murphy met Rock while he was playing at a nightclub, mentored him, and even gave Rock his first film job in “Beverly Hills Cop II” (1987).
Saturday Night Live and Comedy Shows Have Been a Success
In 1990, Rock became a cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL). They became known as the Bad Boys of SNL, along with fellow new cast members Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, and David Spade. In 1991, he published his debut comedy album, “Born Suspect.” He gained critical acclaim the same year for his portrayal of an addict in the film “New Jack City.”
Rock quit SNL two years later to participate in its prime-time rival, the largely African-American sketch show “In Living Color.” He appeared in six episodes, though, as the show was canceled a month after he arrived. Rock then developed and acted in the comedy “CB4”, which cost only $6 million to produce but grossed $18 million.
Rock’s debut HBO special, “Big Ass Jokes,” premiered in 1994, but it was the 1996 follow-up, “Bring the Pain,” that garnered him two Emmy Awards and established him as one of the country’s top comedians. He increased his notoriety as a commentator for Comedy Central’s “Politically Incorrect” during the 1996 United States Presidential Elections, for which he received another Emmy nomination.
View this post on Instagram
His HBO comedy specials “Bigger & Blacker” (1999) and “Never Scared” (2004) earned him the title of “the funniest man in America” from Time and Entertainment Weekly. Additionally, HBO broadcasted his chat program, “The Chris Rock Show,” in which he interviewed celebrities and politicians and earned an Emmy for writing. Among his other Grammy-winning projects from this era are the humor albums “Roll with the New,” “Bigger & Blacker,” and “Never Scared.” In September 2008, Rock’s fifth HBO special, “Kill the Messenger,” was released, earning him another Emmy nomination for best writing for a variety or music program.
Earnings
Chris is consistently one of the highest-paid comedians in the world when he goes on tour. For instance, Chris Rock made nearly $60 million between June 2016 and June 2017. Chris earned $30 million between June 2017 and June 2018.
Chris Rock Net Worth
Career in Film
Rock was able to acquire prominent roles in films such as “Down to Earth” (2001), “Bad Company” (2002), “The Longest Yard” (2005), “Death at a Funeral” (2010), “Grown Ups” (2010), and “2 Days in New York” (2012) as a result of his comedy career (2012). He also gave the voice for Marty the zebra in three installments of the animated film franchise “Madagascar.”
Along with acting in front of the camera, Rock has worked as a writer and director. He wrote, directed, and performed in the critically praised films “Head of State” (2003), “I Think I Love My Wife” (2007), and “Top Five” (2014). In 2009, he also made a documentary named “Good Hair” about the attitudes and history of American women’s haircuts.
View this post on Instagram
Additional Initiatives and Ventures
Rock has not only written and directed films but also worked as a television producer. He was the executive producer and narrator of the 2005 UPN comedy series “Everybody Hates Chris.” Later that year, the show moved to The CW, where it concluded its final season in 2009. The show’s storyline was largely inspired by Rock’s own adolescent experiences, and it was nominated for a 2006 Golden Globe for Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy), a 2006 People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy, and two 2006 Emmy Awards for costume and cinematography. Additionally, Rock developed the television series “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell” (2012).
Rock hosted not only the 77th Academy Awards in 2005 but also the 88th Academy Awards in 2016. Rock, who is known as a “passionate cannabis consumer,” invested in Lowell Herb Co., a California-based cannabis firm, in August 2019.