--- title: Chris Rock: Actor Files for Divorce From Malaak Compton-Rock description: They have two daughters together canonical: https://time.com/3648081/chris-rock-malaak-compton-rock-divorce/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-28T21:36:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T03:09:08.562Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Chris Rock files for divorce og:description: Actor splits from Malaak Compton-Rock after 19 years og:url: https://time.com/3648081/chris-rock-malaak-compton-rock-divorce/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt243814afc9d4dad8/69877760a988ca1bfe6ab9dd/115946459.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Chris Rock and Malaak Compton Rock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Chris Rock files for divorce twitter:description: Actor splits from Malaak Compton-Rock after 19 years twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt243814afc9d4dad8/69877760a988ca1bfe6ab9dd/115946459.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock Split After 19 Years by [People / Michele Corriston](https://time.com/author/people/) ## People / Michele Corriston Dec 28, 2014 9:36 PM UTC  Chris Rock and Malaak Compton Rock at the 65th Annual Tony Awards at the Beacon Theatre on June 12, 2011 in New York City. Chris Rock and Malaak Compton Rock at the 65th Annual Tony Awards at the Beacon Theatre on June 12, 2011 in New York City.Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images by [People / Michele Corriston](https://time.com/author/people/) ## People / Michele Corriston Dec 28, 2014 9:36 PM UTC [Chris Rock](http://www.people.com/people/news/category/0,,personsTax:ChrisRock,00.html) and his wife are divorcing after nearly 20 years together. “After much contemplation and 19 years of marriage, Chris and I have decided to go our separate ways,” Malaak Compton-Rock, a philanthropist and founder of the nonprofit styleWorks, said in a statement Sunday. “Being fortunate enough to lead a life of service by working with those most vulnerable makes me well aware of life’s blessings, even when faced with difficulties. “While recognizing that this is a significant change, my children remain at the center of my life and their well-being is my top priority. It is in this spirit that I sincerely ask that their privacy and the privacy of our family be respected during this transition in our lives.” Rock’s attorney, Robert S. Cohen, confirmed the couple has split. “Chris Rock has filed for divorce from his wife, Malaak,” Cohen said in a statement. “This is a personal matter and Chris requests privacy as he and Malaak work through this process and focus on their family.” The _Top Five_ star, 49, wed Compton-Rock, 45, in 1996\. They live in Alpine, New Jersey, with their two daughters together, Lola Simone, 12, and Zahra Savannah, 10. In 2010, they [shot down claims](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20353392,00.html) that Rock had fathered another child out of wedlock. Three years earlier, the stars defended their “happy” relationship and “beautiful family” amid [divorce speculation](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1554849,00.html). “The best part is just having a partner,” Rock [said in 2007](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20014456,00.html) of being married. “There is no real worst part. I’m not going to say there’s a 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.” [_This article originally appeared on People.com_](http://www.people.com/article/chris-rock-divorce) _Read next:_ [_Chris Rock and Questlove Talk the Greatest MCs of All Time and Collaborating on New Movie ‘Top Five’_](http://time.com/3628683/chris-rock-questlove-top-five/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3648081/chris-rock-malaak-compton-rock-divorce/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3648081/chris-rock-malaak-compton-rock-divorce/"},"headline":"Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock Split After 19 Years","datePublished":"2014-12-28T21:36:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:09:08.562Z","description":"They have two daughters together","url":"https://time.com/3648081/chris-rock-malaak-compton-rock-divorce/","keywords":["celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt243814afc9d4dad8/69877760a988ca1bfe6ab9dd/115946459.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"People / Michele Corriston"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt243814afc9d4dad8/69877760a988ca1bfe6ab9dd/115946459.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Chris Rock and Malaak Compton Rock","caption":"Chris Rock and Malaak Compton Rock","creditText":"Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3648081/chris-rock-malaak-compton-rock-divorce/","name":"Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock Split After 19 Years"}}]}] ```