Is Chris Rock Single? (Not Asking for Anyone in Particular)
Chris Rock
Comedian Chris Rock has been making audiences laugh since the early 1990s with his boundary-pushing stand-up routines and roles in popular films and TV shows. The 58-year-old funnyman is known for his observational humor about relationships, parenting, race issues and more.
While Rock cracks jokes about his personal life on stage and in his Netflix specials, he's also weathered some real-life romantic ups and downs over the years. This includes a nearly 20-year marriage to wife Malaak Compton-Rock, which ended in a difficult 2014 divorce, as well as a more recent relationship with actor Lake Bell.
Read on for more about Chris Rock's marriage and dating history.
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Who is Chris Rock's ex-wife, Malaak Compton-Rock?
IMAGO / ZUMA Wire
According to a 1997 Rolling Stone profile, Rock met his future wife at the Essence magazine awards, when she was working as a Hollywood publicist.
Compton-Rock holds a Bachelor's degree in arts and production management from Howard University as well as a Master's degree in global development and social justice from St. John's University. As if that's not impressive enough, she's also received honorary doctorates from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Salve Regina University and Utica College of Syracuse University.
With a focus on humanitarianism and advocacy, she previously worked for UNICEF and founded the Angelrock Project Foundation in 2008. The non-profit supports programs for underserved women and youth from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with a focus on South Africa.
And that's not all! Compton-Rock also serves on the board of the Children’s Defense Fund New York and authored the book If It Takes a Village, Build One: How I Found Meaning Through a Life of Service and 100+ Ways You Can Too.
How long was Chris Rock married to ex-wife Malaak Compton-Rock?
Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock tied the knot on Nov. 23, 1996 and were married for nearly 19 years before splitting up in 2014. Near the start of their marriage, in a 1997 interview with Ebony magazine, Rock praised his new wife’s impact on his life: “She’s changed me. She’s really calmed me down and centered my life.”
Though divorce rumors had swirled earlier in their relationship, the couple always put up a united front, with Rock telling reporters in 2007, “There is no real worst part. I mean, I'm a comedian—comedians like to work alone. So maybe I'm not the ideal guy to be married to, in that sense.”
However, behind the scenes there was allegedly infidelity on Rock's part. The couple’s divorce was finalized in 2016.
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Why did Chris Rock and his ex-wife get divorced?
In the years since his difficult split from his ex-wife, Rock has been surprisingly candid about his faults in the relationship. In his “Tamborine” comedy special in 2018, he admitted, “I cheated. Yeah. I'm serious. I'm not bragging. I cheated. When guys cheat … it's like, we want something new. We want something new, right? But, then, you know what happens? Your woman finds out. And now she's new. She's never the same again.”
It seems the cheating and subsequent loss of trust finally took its toll on the marriage, and what followed was a painful divorce that took two years to finalize.
“I had to pay for a lawyer to divorce me. That’s like hiring a hitman to kill you," Rock said in "Tamborine."
He also later joked, “Would I ever get married again? Not if it would cure AIDS.”
Does Chris Rock have kids with his ex-wife?
Yes, Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock share two daughters: Lola, born in 2002, and Zahra, born in 2004.
Compton-Rock also adopted a daughter, Ntbombi, from South Africa. Although the child was living with the Rock family prior to the couple's divorce, she was adopted after the fact by Compton-Rock only.
In June 2002, Rock told O, The Oprah Magazine that he and Compton-Rock decided to have their first child after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. “I said to myself, ‘The world’s falling down, and what have I done with my life?’ We’ve been married five years, but we’ve never planned anything—it has always been about today. After Sept. 11, I said, ‘It’s time. Let’s have a baby.’ ”
In 2007, he said having children has made him a better comedian, "I think I'm a better artist. Everything I've done since I've had kids is better than the stuff I did before I had kids.”
Are Chris Rock and his ex-wife friends?
It's hard to know what goes on behind closed doors. But in 2017, after their difficult split, the comedian told Rolling Stone magazine, “I have a mic, she doesn’t. God forbid people are bugging her in the supermarket. That’s not cool.” This suggests he wants to maintain a civil relationship, particularly for the sake of their daughters.
Who is Chris Rock dating now?
It's unclear who Chris Rock is dating at the moment. In summer 2022, Rock was reported to be dating actor Lake Bell after the two were spotted on several dinner dates and even a European vacation together. At the time, an insider told People magazine, "I can't say how serious this romance is or what it will become because it is way too early. But they create a storm of laughter when together and both are real people. It's a good match.”
Did Chris Rock date Jada Pinkett Smith?
Nope! But in her new memoir, Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that Rock once asked her out in the 1990s after hearing rumors she was divorcing husband Will Smith.
She told People magazine: “I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce. And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce. So he called me and basically he was like, ‘I'd love to take you out.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, aren't you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumors.’ He was appalled. And he profusely apologized and that was that.”
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Are Chris Rock and Lake Bell still together?
It doesn’t appear that Rock and Bell are still an item. On his most recent comedy tour and Netflix special, “Selective Outrage,” Rock confirmed that he is currently single and ready to start dating again. So it seems things fizzled out between him and Bell.
Who else has Chris Rock dated?
Megalyn Echikunwoke
Rock and the Arrowverse actress dated for four years, started in 2016, but they split amid reports that the comedian wasn't ready to settle down again after his divorce.
Carmen Ejogo
The Selma star went on a handful of dinner dates with the Madagascar actor in 2020, but their relationship didn't last long.
Lake Bell
Rock and the In a World actress were spotted engaging in some PDA in June 2022. By the time of his March 2023 Netflix special, however, Rock was declaring himself single.
Whatever romantic adventures the comedian gets up to next, audiences will surely be keen to see how he spins them into comedy gold.
