After nearly two decades together, Chris Rock, 49, and his wife, Malaak, are divorcing, the couple confirmed.
The couple have two children together: Lola Simone, 12, and Zahra Savannah, 10.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Robert Cohen” author_title=”Chris Rock’s lawyer”]
Chris Rock has filed for divorce from his wife, Malaak. This is a personal matter and Chris requests privacy as he and Malaak work through this process and focus on their family.
[/quote]
Compton-Rock, who married the comedian in 1996, is a philantropist and founder of styleWorks, a nonprofit organization the assists women with finding employment after receiving welfare, according to ABC News.
People magazine reports that the split was a long time coming, according to a source close to the couple. Rock reportedly knew the marriage was not salvageable for some time.
In 2010, the couple shot down claims that Rock fathered a child out of the marriage. In 2007, amid speculation that the couple was heading for divorce, they called their relationship a “happy” one. The pair took to the pages of People to deny divorce rumors, saying in a statement, “We remain, as always, very happy and committed to our marriage and the beautiful family that we have built.”
Rock has said that his family is the inspiration for his work, and he spends most of his time with his children. Still, he has always been brutal in his criticism of marriage in his comedy, saying that it is incredibly tough, according to CNN.
In his 2004 HBO special “Never Scared,” Rock also portrayed marriage as miserable and sexless, saying that Nelson Mandela, after spending 27 years in prison, spent six months with his wife before calling it quits.
