CULTURE

Chris Rock and Wife, Malaak, Split After 19 Years

2:16 PM PST 12/28/2014 by Ryan Gajewski

Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock at the 'Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted' premiere in 2012

The couple married in 1996 and have two children together

Chris Rock and wife Malaak Compton-Rock are splitting up, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

"Chris Rock has filed for divorce from his wife, Malaak," Rock's rep said in a statement released to THR. "This is a personal matter, and Chris requests privacy as he and Malaak work through this process and focus on their family."

See more Hollywood's 16 Biggest Divorces Ever

According to People, Compton-Rock said in a statement: "After much contemplation and 19 years of marriage, Chris and I have decided to go our separate ways."

The couple married in November 1996 and have two children: Lola Simone, 12, and Zahra Savannah, 10. Compton-Rock founded StyleWorks, a nonprofit salon offering free treatment to women going off welfare and joining the workforce.

Read more Chris Rock Pens Blistering Essay on Hollywood's Race Problem: "It's a White Industry"

Many of Rock's films have dealt with marriage difficulties, including his current Top Five and 2007's I Think I Love My Wife.

Email: Ryan.Gajewski@pgmedia.org
Twitter: @_RyanGajewski