Chris Rock

Chris Rock has been in the entertainment business for nearly 40 years. From stand-up comedy, films like his recent comedy thriller Amsterdam, television, and directing, he has kept busy and made quite the name for himself (especially in 2022 with his infamous Oscar slap).

But what exactly is Chris Rock’s net worth, and how did the controversial comedian gain his wealth?

AN EXPENSIVE DIVORCE, HOMES, AND SPORTING EVENTS AFFECT HIS MONEY

An expensive divorce depleted some of Chris Rock’s net worth in 2016. After being married for 20 years, he and his now ex-wife, Malaak Compton, called it quits. At that time, Page Six reported that Compton was seeking a large portion of his at-the-time $70 million net worth. 

Wealth of Geeks reports that Chris Rock’s divorce cost him a whopping $40 million, which surely still affects his net worth today. Other than ending a marriage, Rock has spent money on homes, accessories, cars, and more. 

The two largest real estate properties Chris Rock has purchased were homes in Alpine, New Jersey, and a Brooklyn townhouse. In 2018, People reported that he sold his longtime Brooklyn digs for a cool $3.35 million. He still owns his New Jersey mansion, estimated to have been purchased for $3 million.

Anyone who follows the celeb and his whereabouts knows of his passion for sports. Chris Rock is well-known for dropping his cash on sporting events. He is often seen courtside during NBA games and baseball games. 

CHRIS ROCK GREW UP IN BROOKLYN AND WAS DISCOVERED BY EDDIE MURPHY INSIDE A COMEDY CLUB

To understand how much the SNL alumni is worth financially, let’s take a look at where he came from. Unlike some successful celebs, Chris Rock came from an impoverished family.

He was born on February 7, 1966, in Georgetown, South Carolina. However, his family moved to Brooklyn, New York where he was raised.

Not doing well academically, Chris Rock dropped out of high school at 17. He certainly didn’t build his net worth from any degrees. But ditching school and becoming an aspiring comedian would prove lucrative in the long run. 

After leaving school, Rock found gigs in small comedy clubs around New York City. It was then that already successful Eddie Murphy would discover him while he was performing inside the Catch A Rising Star comedy club.

Soon after, Murphy became a mentor for Chris Rock, which lead to his acting career and subsequent lavish net worth. 

CHRIS ROCK’S NET WORTH STEMS IN PART FROM HIS 50 MOVIES

Since 1987, Chris Rock has built his net worth immensely on the big screen. He has been cast in more than 50 films. His first came in the late ’80s when he landed a role in Beverly Hills Cop II, thanks to the help of his friend Eddie Murphy. 

From there, he starred in a dozen more films through the ’90s. Some of these included mega-hit movies, like Eddie Murphy’s Dr. Doolittle, in which Rock provided the voice for Rodney, the infamous guinea pig. He also landed a part in Lethal Weapon 4, and Kevin Smith’s comedy-favorite, Dogma, where he played Rufus. 

Chris Rock kept cranking out movies through the first decade of the new millennium. He first starred in Nurse Betty and followed that up with his film Down to Earth. At this point, Rock was extremely busy in Hollywood and also starred in films like Bad Company, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Grown Ups. 

In 2005, Rock solidified his career as a successful voice actor. He joined the cast of Madagascar, a DreamWorks animation film that went on to become a trilogy with successful spin-offs still today. In the movie, Chris Rock plays the zebra, Marty, and surely increased his net worth by a major chunk when landing this part.

From there, he landed a role in The Bee Movie alongside comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Eventually, he brought zebra Marty back to life in Madagascar 2 and 3. Although he slowed his Hollywood career down a bit in the past decade, he had roles in films like Grown Ups 2 and The Witches.

CHRIS ROCK GREW HIS NET WORTH WITH VARIOUS TELEVISION SERIES

As if starring in more than 50 films wasn’t enough, Chris Rock also began a stint on TV early on. His first, and most prominent series came from his casting on Saturday Night Live. Joining the popular ranks of Adam Sandler and Chris Farley, he remained a regular cast member for three years before he left the show to join In Living Color. 

HBO took quite a liking to Chris Rock, offering him a plethora of stand-up comedy specials throughout his career. He even landed his own talk show on the network, The Chris Rock Show, which lasted for three seasons.

After that, he starred in the hit UPN series following the younger version of himself, Everybody Hates Chris.

One more recent hit role found Chris Rock cast as Loy Cannon, a mob boss from the fourth season of FX’s top-rated series, Fargo. But he has landed other paychecks from various hosting gigs. T

his would include the two times he hosted The Oscars, a place everyone this year spoke of the comedian, thanks to the slap heard ‘round the world.

HE ALSO MAKES MONEY AS A DIRECTOR

Chris Rock’s net worth doesn’t just come from his comedy acts, movies, and specials. He also occasionally lands his skills behind the director’s chair. He made his directorial debut with 2003’s Head of State. 

Again in 2007, he helmed I Think I Love My Wife. And in 2014, he was back for Top Five. He has also produced 22 projects that he has been tied to over the years, starting early 1993 with CB4.

CHRIS ROCK’S NET WORTH IS $60 MILLION

According to various sources, the 57-year-old’s current net worth sits at $60 million. That figure is $10 million less than it was six years ago during his divorce. Had he not lost money during that time, he may have toppled the $100 million mark today. 

Did The Will Smith Slap Harm Chris Rock?

The 94th Academy Awards will always be remembered for the shocking moment when Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock onstage. A year and a half after the incident, Chris Rock sought therapy to cope with the humiliation he experienced.

Leslie Jones, a longtime friend of Rock, expressed her anger over the incident and disappointment in Smith’s inability to take a joke during such a prominent event.

During the Oscars, Rock had joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia, which initially made Smith laugh before he suddenly slapped Rock and yelled at him. Leslie Jones believed Smith should have addressed the incident and apologized to Rock when accepting his Oscar for Best Actor.

The incident overshadowed Smith’s Oscar win, with social media criticizing him. The Academy banned Smith from its events for ten years.

Chris Rock later addressed the incident in his Netflix special, “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage,” emphasizing that he wasn’t involved in the underlying controversy and using humor to deal with the situation.