Thanks to his divorce, you may be seeing a lot more of Chris Rock on your TV screen soon.
The 51-year-old comedian treated audiences at the New York Comedy Festival to a surprise performance on Friday and he didn’t shy away from jokes about his personal life. (The comedian finalized his divorce from Malaak Compton-Rock in August, after 19 of marriage and two daughters. They announced their split in February 2014.)
“When you see me on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ . . . I’m not on crack, that’s just alimony!” Rock reportedly told the crowd at the Apollo Theater, right before Hannibal Burress took the stage.
Given Rock’s blistering take on marriage, we can’t say we’re surprised he went there.
“Marriage is so tough, Nelson Mandela got divorced,” he once joked. “He got out of jail after 27 years of torture, spent six months with his wife and said, ‘I can’t take this shit no more.’”
Jokes aside, it is true that Rock is returning to TV. In August, the comedian signed a contract with Netflix for two $20 million standup specials — a payout that surpasses those earned by Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart and Amy Schumer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
As for his romantic life, Rock has been dating “Arrow” actress Megalyn Echikunwoke. The pair took their relationship public when they were first spotted together at Clive Davis’s 40th annual pre-Grammy Awards gala in February 2016.
In a red carpet interview with People in September, Echikunwoke shut down engagement rumors, but still gushed about Rock’s qualities as a boyfriend.
“What can I say? I have a boyfriend,” she said. “He’s a comedian. He’s funny. He’s really wonderful. He’s a very dreamy guy, and I’m a lucky girl.”
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