Striking comedy gold? Chris Rock’s net worth exploded after his Netflix deal. The longtime comedian released the first-ever live comedy special on the streaming platform and he made big bank from his two specials.
Born Christopher Julius Rock on February 7, 1965, in Andrews, South Carolina, he eventually moved to Brooklyn, New York. His primetime TV show Everybody Hates Chris is based on his life growing up. After garnering small roles in shows like Miami Vice, Chris broke out into the comedy scene and eventually landed in the cast of Saturday Night Live. After starring in the sketch comedy show, he ventured out to more Hollywood-type roles and toured where he would continuously be one of the top-earning comedians each year.
So what is Chris Rock’s net worth? Read more below to find out.
What is Chris Rock’s net worth?
Image: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
What is Chris Rock’s net worth? Chris Rock’s net worth is estimated to be around $60 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Rock joined the Saturday Night Live cast along with Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade, in which they became known as the Bad Boys of SNL. He later starred in In Living Color which later got canceled but he ended up writing and starring in CB4 which produced $18 million at the box office.
Rock rose to even more prominence when he hosted his own HBO comedy specials starting with Big Ass Jokes. His second special Bring The Pain helped him launch as one of the biggest comedians of all time. Other HBO specials include Bigger & Blacker, Never Scared, Kill the Messenger and Chris Rock: Tamborine. HBO also aired his talk show, The Chris Rock Show, which gained critical acclaim for Rock’s interviews with celebrities and politicians. The show won an Emmy for writing. He also starred in movies Bad Company, The Longest Yard, Death at a Funeral, Grown Ups and voiced Marty in the Madagascar animated film series.
In 2005, Rock produced and wrote Everybody Hates Chris which was based on his life growing up. In 2009, he had a spot on the earned $42 million thanks to a multitude of revenue streams, including his No Apologies tour, four films, a television show, an HBO special and a book. In an interview with Vulture in 2014 he talked about his preference for performing comedy live. “There’s more money. It’s far more lucrative. And there’s a lot of compromise in movies. Whereas stand-up, you don’t even have a director. You literally make every decision. But kids, man. Kids, and schedules, and traveling.” He also talked about how he earns more money by performing solo to Rolling Stone: “I mean, if Simply Red can play Wembley Stadium in London and then the Beacon in New York, I can do that,” he says. After soundcheck, he lets me in on a secret. “The great thing about comedy is the low overhead,” Rock says. “I don’t have to split the money with a band. I make more money per gig than the drummer in Metallica.”
How much did Chris Rock make from his Netflix special?
Image: Kirill Bichutsky/Netflix © 2023
How much did Chris Rock make from his Netflix special? In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Rock secured a whopping $40 million for his two specials, Chris Rock: Tambouring and Chris Rock: Selective Outrage the latter of which dropped on Netflix on March 4, 2023, and directly references Will Smith, his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, and the infamous Oscars slap.
“Chris Rock is a beloved actor and director, and his remarkable stand-up makes him comic royalty. There is no one like him, and Netflix offers the global platform and creative freedom that will serve as a perfect home for someone with his incredible talent,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement.
How much money did Chris Rock charge for Will Smith’s slap?
Chris Rock, Will Smith. Image: Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
How much money did Chris Rock charge for Will Smith’s slap? After the Oscars Slap, Chris Rock did not press charges against Will Smith. Will and Chris’s incident occurred live at the 94th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony on March 27, 2022, when the Saturday Night Live alum made a distasteful joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya,” Rock said in part, making a comparison between Jada’s shaved head and actress Demi Moore’s buzz cut in the 1997 movie, G.I. Jane. Jada, for her part, has gone public with her years-long struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that attacks hair follicles and can result in hair loss and balding. She was visibly upset at Chris’s comment, rolling her eyes from her seat as he defended the joke. Will then stepped on stage to slap the comedian.
Although the live broadcast quickly began to censor the exchange between Will and Chris, uncensored footage that aired internationally revealed what was really said between the actors. “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me,” Chris said in disbelief. From afar, Will could be heard yelling at the comedian to not speak about Jada. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—king mouth,” he screamed twice. Though the King Richard actor publically apologized, the two are still not on amicable terms and Chris aired out the drama in his new Netflix special.
An eyewitness during one of Rock’s comedy sets in the summer of 2022 told Entertainment Tonight.“During the evening, he did describe that he declined an offer to go onto Oprah to do to a sit-down interview and even a Super Bowl commercial with Will Smith himself,” Harrison shared. “He said, ‘You are not gonna see me on any interviews crying my heart out about this. I am not going to be a victim.’”
He also said during his set, “I’m OK. I have a whole show, and I’m not talking about that until I get paid,” referring to the slap. Though he mentioned the slap in great detail in his new Netflix special. “Chris Rock said he was asked to host next year’s Academy Awards at his Sunday night show at Arizona Financial Theatre, and that he refused the offer,” one eyewitness shared to ET. “He also noted that he was offered the chance to do a Super Bowl commercial that he also declined.”
How much was Chris Rock’s divorce settlement?
Image: Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
How much did Chris Rock’s divorce cost him? Chris Rock married his ex-wife Malaak Compton-Rock in 1996 and they have three children together. In 2014, Rock filed for divorce from Compton-Rock. It’s reported that he paid a huge chunk for the divorce settlement. Divorce papers obtained by Page Six say she and Rock agreed to 50-50 child custody. The court filings say Compton-Rock deserves a payout “commensurate with the marital standard of living” because of all her child-rearing and charitable endeavors.
In an interview with Rolling Stone he admitted that he cheated on his wife as well as had a pornography addiction that contributed to the downfall of his marriage. He considered his Total Blackout comedy tour in 2014. “It’s the alimony tour. I’ve got to make some money first… Getting divorced, you have to fucking start over,” he told the magazine. “You get to reset. It’s not a breakdown, but something in your life broke down.”
“It was my fault, I was a piece of shit,” Rock told on his comedy tour in 2014. “Was it my fault?” He lets it hang in the air for a moment. Then he mumbles, “Who the fuck knows.” He spoke of how the divorce affected his public image. “My faults are magnified. Your significant other, if they really love you, has a high opinion of you. And you let them down.”
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