Chris Rock Net Worth, Comedian, Early Life

Whether you like sketch TV comedies, gritty action movies, or kids' cartoons, chances are high that you've come in contact with a piece of Chris Rock content at some point or another.

It's only right that we break down his life and illustrious career.

Here's your Chris Rock primer, where we'll dive into Chris Rock net worth, family life, relationships, career accomplishments, and more.

Who Is Chris Rock?

When you have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it's worth doing a deep dive into how you got there. Chris Rock's star sits at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in sunny Los Angeles, but it took a long road to get there.

Chris Rock is a standup comedian, actor, and all-around artist who has stood the test of time. He's an award-winning artist that has left his mark and continues to do so in all areas of his craft.

Chris Rock Net Worth

How much is Chris Rock worth? He was last reported to have a $100 million net worth, largely from his contributions to standup comedy, movies, and other aspects of Hollywood and entertainment.

He owns a $3 million home in a ritzy New Jersey suburb and has taken good care of his finances as long as he's been on the scene.

Growing Up Chris Rock

Like most celebrities of his stature, Chris Rock had humble beginnings. He was born on February 7, 1965, in Andrews, South Carolina.

Chris Rock immortalized his upbringing in the hit sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris", which lasted for four seasons. Here are some key points that made him into the man and artist that he is today:

Parents and Siblings

Though Rock was born in the south, the family packed up and moved to Brooklyn, New York early in his life. He was born to parents Rose and Julius. His mother Rose was a teacher and a social worker. She took the job in New York for better opportunities than the family had in the Jim Crow south.

Rock's father, Julius, was a blue-collar man who drove trucks, delivered newspapers and worked several odd jobs to put food on the table.

His parents were well-documented in the TV show, though there wasn't enough camera time to go around to re-enact the entire household. While Rock had one brother and one sister on the show, he's actually the eldest of seven brothers and sisters.

They grew up in a tight-knit family that stuck together through adversity, and they remain close to this day. Rock's father died when he was 56. Two of his brothers, Tony and Jordan, also performant standup comedy.

Brooklyn Upbringing and School Days

If you pay attention to Chris Rock's comedy, stories of bullying and surviving a tough upbringing are recurring themes. He started life in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, and the family eventually moved to Bedford–Stuyvesant, where he spent most of his childhood.

He was bused to white neighborhoods to attend school as part of the United States' efforts at integration. As a result, he was often the only African American kid in his school and was bullied severely until his parents eventually pulled him out.

Rock dropped out altogether as a sophomore and would go on to complete his GED. While bullying and racial discrimination were a source of trauma during Rock's childhood, he credits them with being the driving force that pushed him to become the artist that he is today.

Bitten By the Comedy Bug

After dropping out of high school, Chris Rock worked a series of restaurant jobs throughout the rest of his teenage years. He would eventually go on to do standup at spots all throughout New York City. On a particular night, his act caught the attention of Eddie Murphy, who liked him so much that he would serve as his mentor.

This became the launching pad that he needed to find his gift and learn his craft. Murphy gave Rock a role in Beverly Hills Cop II, and the two would spend a lot of time together writing and performing standup. It was during this time with Eddie Murphy that Rock learned how to treat it like a job and developed a blue-collar mentality for his comedy.

He matched that with the work ethic learned from his parents, and the rest was history.

A Chris Rock Career Breakdown

So, what should you know about Chris Rock's comedy?

His comedy style is introspective but brash, realistic but over the top. He often leaves the crowd with some philosophical bits between the laughs. For instance, he jokes about having the self-awareness to not blather on about how much you love your career to your friends who have jobs just trying to get by.

He also touches on the paradox that most people have to choose between either being married and bored or single and lonely – both parties searching high and low for happiness.

Opening Career Credits

In the early days, Rock would perform regularly at Catch a Rising Star in New York City. After developing his chops and gaining some acclaim, he would eventually land a role on the long-running TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL).

It was during his time on SNL that Rock would truly captivate a national audience, while also honing his skills in sketch comedy writing and performing. During his time on SNL, Rock was part of a murderer's row of comedic talent, including David Spade, Chris Farley, Rob Schneider, and Adam Sandler.

From there, he started getting movie roles in films like New Jack City, which starred Ice-T and Mario Van Peebles. It was in New Jack City that he played the memorable role of Pookie, a crack addict.

He also appeared in a few episodes of the cult hit sketch show In Living Color, which launched the career of heavy-hitters like Jim Carry, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson, Jamie Foxx, and Jennifer Lopez.

He also starred in the cult hit CB4, where he played a suburban kid turned fake studio gangster rapper.

Chris Rock Standup Specials

Though Rock has done a lot in his career, standup has always been and remains his bread and butter. He's gotten half-hour and hour-long specials year after year, which have appeared on a variety of networks.

Throughout each special, he's been able to provide commentary on society, which is why he has remained relevant from the 80s to today's Web 3.0 world.

His earliest and most noteworthy specials appeared on HBO, including his first half-hour special, "Big Ass Jokes." In 1996, his career went to another stratosphere when he released his first hour, called "Bring the Pain."

He maintained a great relationship with HBO over the years, releasing other specials, "Bigger and Blacker", "Kill the Messenger", and "Never Scared."

Rock won multiple Emmy awards for these specials throughout the years for the writing, along with the critical acclaim that garnered him notoriety as one of the greatest comedians of all time. After some years between his previous specials, and with technology and media changing, Chris Rock received a two special deal with streaming giant Netflix.

His first Netflix special, "Tamborine", was released on Netflix in 2018.

Movies, Music, and Commercials

Over the years, Chris Rock has been a mainstay in popular media. He hosted the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) multiple times in the late 90s and is known as both the greatest host the special has had and the last of a dying breed from when the VMAs were must-watch cultural television.

He's also been in plenty of commercials, most notably as "Lil Penny", the talkative and annoying action figure of NBA star Penny Hardaway. This commercial was a mainstay in the 90s, which also went a long way toward elevating Rock's profile.

Chris Rock also delved into music as he released the song "No Sex in the Champagne Room" in 1999. Rock delivered comedic spoken word vocals, while Gerald Levert sang the hook. In the music video, Rock spoofed a number of popular videos at the time, including those by Missy Elliott and Puff Daddy.

This was the perfect storm since Rock hosted the VMAs in the same year. While the HBO special got an Emmy, the CD release, which featured plenty of skits and musical selections between the comedic bits, won a Grammy for best spoken comedy album.

Chris Rock Relationship Status and Info

Rock's Netflix special "Tamborine" made a lot of noise for the fact that he delved into his failing marriage and eventual divorce. However, prior to his marriage failing, he was married to Malaak Compton-Rock for nearly 20 years.

In the special, he mentioned the pain brought about by it, and how he had to have a reckoning about what he learned about relationships.

Prior to ending their marriage, the couple raised two daughters.

While he's been mostly private about his relationship affairs since the divorce, he's been linked to actress Lake Bell.

Fun Chris Rock Facts

So, what are some fun facts you should know about Chris Rock? For one, he had a record deal to become a rapper early in life but never pursued it far. He chalked it up to being a boom period after the birth of hip hop, during which every record label was trying to sign inner-city New York kids to find the next big thing.

As you might know, his name generated a lot of buzz recently after the Oscars incident, in which Will Smith slapped him during live television. Immediately after the incident, Chris Rock's ticket sales went through the roof.

Rock has been mostly quiet about the incident, saying that he'll address it in full at a later date. With one more special on his Netflix contract, you can rightfully assume that it's going to generate a lot of viewership, to the point of possibly breaking records.

He hosted The Chris Rock show on HBO for 5 seasons. This was a late-night talk show on the network that featured musical performances and all sorts of guests. It also gave comedian Wanda Sykes a break into the industry, since she served as both a writer and on-air talent during the show's run.

One of his most quoted guest scenes came from the movie I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, in which Chris Rock played a broke restaurant customer asking if he can order a single rib.

Chris Rock Net Worth and More

Chris Rock is hailed as one of the greatest comedians to ever touch the mic. When you look at the road he paved to get where he is today, it's no wonder that Rock has been able to generate such wealth.

Our net worths are for entertainment purposes only. We do our best to provide accurate figures, but we cannot guarantee their accuracy. The figures are based on public information and estimates, and may not reflect the true value of assets or liabilities.