- Chris Rock is a comedian, known for his many comedy specials and movie roles like in ‘Madagascar.’
- He was married to Malaak Compton-Rock for almost 20 years from 1996 until their split in 2014.
- Chris and Malaak have two daughters: Lola and Zahra.
- Chris joked about his daughters in his new Netflix special ‘Selective Outrage.’
“Being a comedian, 80 percent of the job is just you notice sh-t, which is a trait of schizophrenics too. You notice things people don’t notice,” Chris Rock told New York Magazine in 2014. “You try to give yourself other things to focus on. I always say, my children saved me from my miserable self.” Those children are Lola Rock and Zahra Rock, two daughters Chris had with his ex-wife, Malaak Compton-Rock.
Chris, 58, and Malaak, 53, married in 1996, and their marriage fell apart nearly two decades later. “I was not a good husband,” Chris admitted in his 2018 Netflix special, Chris Rock: Tamborine, admitting to being addicted to porn and unfaithful to his wife, per Indiewire. The couple split in 2014 and finalized their divorce in 2016.
Since then, Chris has done his best to co-parent his children with Malaak, and he opened up a little bit about his daughters in his latest Netflix special Selective Outrage. The comedian showed how proud he is of his daughters, but he also joked that they were “spoiled,” because of his success. He said that his daughters “went to the best schools on earth”, “speak multiple languages”, ride horses, ski, and fence. Here’s what you need to know about Chris’ two girls.
Lola Rock
Lola Simone Rock, 20, was born on June 28, 2002, per AP News. When speaking with New York Magazine, Chris reflected on how his daughters have grown up in a much different world than him. “I mean, I almost cry every day. I drop my kids off and watch them in the school with all these mostly white kids, and I got to tell you, I drill them every day: Did anything happen today? Did anybody say anything? They look at me like I am crazy.”
“It’s partly generational, but it’s also my kids grew up not only with a black president but with a black secretary of State, a black joint chief of staff, a black attorney general,” added Chris. “My children are going to be the first black children in the history of America to actually have the benefit of the doubt of just being moral, intelligent people.”
Lola has lived a life in relative peace and privacy, which was a goal set out by Malaak’s attorneys during her divorce. “Although Chris Rock is a celebrity, Malaak and the children are not. Protecting the privacy of her family remains of utmost importance to Malaak,” David Aronson of Aronson, Mayefsky & Sloan, told PEOPLE.
However, an unverified Instagram account attributed to Malaak may have shared insight into Lola’s life. She graduated high school in June 2020 and would “begin University in Europe.” The account reportedly belonging to Malaak said food and travel are Lola’s “love language, and she sees life through the lens of communicating through food, culture, and community.”
While Lola’s graduation was undoubtedly an exciting moment for the Rock family, Chris did claim that his daughter was kicked out of a school before transferring to the high school she graduated from in Selective Outrage. He said that during a class trip to Portugal, Lola and some of her friends snuck away from their class and got drunk. “They got busted. Rich white schools, they don’t play that s***,” he said. He revealed that the other parents got lawyers, and his ex-wife also wanted a lawyer. “We’re going sue this school. We’re going to sue this dean. We can sue these teachers. I can’t even believe they let her out of their sight!” he claimed his ex said.
Chris said that he had gone to the school and asked them to kick her out to teach her a lesson. He even joked that neither his daughters nor his wife would find out about his request until the Netflix special came out. He then said that after she was kicked out, she became the “coolest” person, and he gushed about how after she graduated from high school, she moved to Paris to attend culinary school, which he called his “greatest achievement.”
“My oldest daughter Lola Simone graduated from the Bergen Passaic chapter of Jack & Jill of America this past weekend!” Malaak wrote on June 3, 2020. “Jack and Jill has a mission to nurture future African-American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving, and civic duty. … The senior teen advisors outdid themselves with a wonderful surprise drive-by celebration and a moving and enriching Zoom graduation ceremony. Fantastic surprises included a memorable, wisdom-filled speech by MC Lyte and a surprise visit from Will Smith!” The surprise from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star was of course about two years before the infamous slapping incident between Chris and Will at the 2022 Oscars.
Zahra Rock
Zahra Savanna Rock, 18, was reportedly born on May 22, 2004. Like her sister, she’s lived a life outside of her father’s spotlight. She made a rare appearance alongside Chris in April 2022, weeks after Chris had his physical altercation with Will Smith at the 94th Academy Awards.
According to the Instagram account attributed to Zahra’s mother, Chris Rock’s youngest daughter was a teenage equestrian. “Proud mama this weekend as my daughter Zahra once again competes in the Wellington Equestrian Festival at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center!” reads the caption of a January 2020 photo of Zahra on a horse.
In August 2021, she began her senior year in High School. “It feels surreal as both of us feel it’s gone faster than it should have because COVID-19 interrupted 10th and 11th grade. Grateful that she is attending her senior year at Spence in person, and the welcome this morning brought tears to my eyes!” reads the caption of another IG post.
However, as Zahra began the next chapter of her life in April, her days as a rider came to a close. “Yesterday was a bittersweet day for me. I have been a horse mom to Zahra for the last ten years and a horse “grandma” to 7 beautiful horses over the years,” Malaak wrote on Apr. 16, 2021. “While this is the end of the road, for now, I am looking forward to what is to come! Zahra will make a decision about how this sport will fit into her life as she moves on to the next phase. Zahra, I have loved being your horse mom and all of the precious moments we have spent together.”
Malaak still occasionally shares updates about both of her daughters. She shared a sweet photo of the two girls in January 2023, after they both returned to college. “My two big girls, Lola and Zahra, are back at university. Oh how I loved the month that they were home for the holidays!” she wrote. “I think I was doing pretty good with both of them being away, but I am now feeling their absence something terrible.”
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