What is Chris Rock’s net worth? The American stand-up comedian and actor has writing, directing, and producing credits as well as his accomplishments in the performing arts. His talents range from voiceover work and turning his own life into comedy, to producing television shows for luminaries such as Kamau Bell.
After coming into prominence as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the 90s, Rock has won Emmys, Grammys, and has twice served as the host of the Academy Awards. Known as an incisive wit and an outspoken observer of American culture, Chris Rock was also voted 9th out of 100 Greatest Standups in the U.K.
About Chris Rock
Creator: Gilbert Carrasquillo Credit: FilmMagic
Chris Rock was born in South Carolina on February 7, 1965, as Christopher Julius Rock. His parents, Rosalie and Julius Rock, moved the family to Brooklyn, New York. The comedian has younger brothers (Tony, Jordan, and Kenny) who are also involved in show business. Rock’s half-brother Charles died in 2006.
Chris Rock has connections to important civil rights moments in U.S. history; his great-great-grandfather, Julius Caesar Tingman, was a slave and later a soldier. Tingman later fought for the Union in the Civil War, helping to end America’s involvement in the global slave trade.
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High School Trouble
Some sources report that Rock was bullied in his school days–so badly that he dropped out of high school completely and got a GED instead. After a stint of working fast-food jobs, he started doing stand-up at Catch A Rising Star in 1984 and managed to land bit parts in films and television, including the popular TV police drama Miami Vice. Chris Rock was also lucky enough to be spotted by none other than Eddie Murphy, who reached out to Chris Rock and later offered him a film role in Beverly Hills Cop II.
But it would be New York City, not Hollywood, that would happen next for the actor/comedian. His star was rising when he became a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the 1990s and it would not be long before he wound up returning to the silver screen. First, he’d made a side journey as a cast member of In Living Color.
The move might have seemed good at the time as the show was popular with a core of devoted fans. However, the series ended only six episodes after Rock joined the cast. Chris Rock was not quite finished with television, on and off screen, as we’ll explore below. Cable comedy was calling, and Rock had some more television producing to do even if he didn’t know that was coming just yet.
HBO Comedy Specials
Rock landed two HBO comedy specials: Bigger & Blacker in 1999, and 2004’s Never Scared. Time Magazine called him the funniest comedian in the United States, and during this time Chris hosted an HBO talk show program called, The Chris Rock Show, which earned an Emmy.
His screen roles include Down to Earth, Head of State, The Longest Yard, plus the Madagascar series. Television would still figure prominently in this actor’s career even as his big-screen success made him even more popular; Chris Rock wrote and developed the television comedy Everybody Hates Chris from 2005-2009, and later appeared in the comedy series Louie.
The Everybody Hates Chris years were important for Rock. The show got its start on UPN in 2005. It later moved to The CW, and ended its run in 2009. The writing of Everybody Hates Chris was based on Rock’s own experiences growing up. The show was nominated for many awards including a 2006 Golden Globe for Best TV Series (Musical or Comedy), 2006 People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy, plus 2006 Emmy Awards for costuming, and cinematography.
The comedian hosted the Academy Awards twice, once in 2005 and again in 2016. Chris Rock’s accolades include four Emmy Awards and three Grammy Awards. He would return to producing television with the 2012 series, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.
Chris Rock Personal Life
Rock got married in 1996 to Malaak Compton. She is known as the founder and executive director of StyleWorks. That is a non-profit offering free services for those who transition from government assistance programs back into the workforce. Chris and Malaak lived in New Jersey and had two daughters. Lola Simone was born in 2002 and Zahra Savannah was born in 2004. But come 2014, Chris Rock filed for divorce.
Throughout the actor’s career, he has been outspoken against systemic racism in American culture. Many sources cite a 2013 episode of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee where driver/host Jerry Seinfeld is pulled over with Rock as his passenger. Chris Rock went on the record to Seinfeld stating that if Rock had been pulled over alone, he would be scared. The immortal quote from this incident? “Yeah, I’m famous…still black.” Chris Rock would later report being pulled over three times in as many months in the earliest part of 2015. Each time, the actor posted selfies of the incident without comment.
Chris Rock Assets
In the early days when the comedian was still working at Saturday Night Live, he purchased a property in Brooklyn. He later rented it out for $8k per month after he moved to the suburbs to start his family. That home went on the market in 2017 for more than $3 million. In 2001, Rock purchased property in Alpine, New Jersey for some $3 million.
Chris Rock’s Net Worth
Chris Rock’s net worth is said to be roughly $60 million. His actual worth could be far more. But he reportedly saw some $40 million awarded to his Malaak Compton in the 2014 divorce settlement. Rock is one of the highest-paid comedy performers in America. In one twelve-month period alone he earned $60 million.
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Joe Wallace specializes in personal finance, military affairs, and consumer protection topics. Since 1995, his work has appeared on Air Force Television News, The Pentagon Channel, ABC and a variety of print and online publications. He is a 13-year Air Force veteran and collects unusual vinyl records, which gives him an excuse to write the vinyl blog Turntabling.net.
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