Chris Rock became a certified Hollywood star in the ’90s — and he hasn’t slowed down since.
Rock gained traction after joining the Saturday Night Live cast in 1990. He remained on the series until 1993 and has since returned to host the late-night show multiple times over the years.
In his stand-up, Rock often gets real about politics and race — and he’s no stranger to making a controversial quip. The Everybody Hates Chris alum publicly faced the consequences of an edgy joke at the 2022 Academy Awards after commenting on Jada Pinkett Smith‘s shaved head.
“Will Smith just smacked the s— out of me,” Rock exclaimed at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles in March 2022 after the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum got out of his seat and walked onto the stage, striking Rock in the face. (Smith later returned to the audience and warned, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth.”)
The Academy Awards saga wasn’t the only time Rock made headlines. In a 2017 Rolling Stone interview, the Grown Ups actor got candid about his divorce from Malaak Compton-Rock after two decades of marriage. (The former couple were married from 1996 to 2016 and share two daughters.)
“My faults are magnified. Your significant other, if they really love you, has a high opinion of you. And you let them down,” Rock confessed to the outlet, noting that he’d toned down his remarks about marriage in his stand-up shows at the time. “It’s not fair. I have a mic, she doesn’t. God forbid people are bugging her in the supermarket. That’s not cool. I’m going to have to see her at weddings and graduations.”
Scroll down for a look back at Rock’s career highlights:
1990
Rock was cast on SNL and remained on the NBC sketch comedy series for three years.
1994
His first HBO comedy special, Big Ass Jokes, aired as part of the HBO Comedy Half-Hour.
1997
Rock’s star continued to rise after he earned two Emmys for his second special, Bring the Pain — Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special and Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program.
1999
Along with headlining two more HBO specials — Bigger & Blacker and Never Scared — Rock began to host The Chris Rock Show. His interviews with celebrities and politicians helped him win another Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program.
Before the end of the decade, Rock collected his first Grammy Award for his album Chris Rock: Roll With the New.
2005
Rock voiced Marty the zebra in the first Madagascar film. He reprised the role in 2008’s Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and 2013’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.
The same year, Rock hosted the Oscars for the first time.
2005 – 2009
Rock created a semi-autobiographical sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, starring Tyler James Williams as the titular character. The show aired for four seasons and was nominated for multiple awards, including three Emmys and a Golden Globe.
2009
The comedian’s fifth HBO special, Kill the Messenger, earned him yet another Emmy win for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program.
2010
The first Grown Ups film — starring Rock, Adam Sandler, Kevin James, David Spade and more — hit theaters. A sequel was released three years later.
2012
Rock continued to prove his acting chops in the romantic comedy 2 Days in New York, which was cowritten and directed by Julie Delpy. The NYU Tisch alum starred opposite Rock.
2015
Rock appeared as himself in Bill Murray’s A Very Murray Christmas. The Netflix holiday comedy starred Maya Rudolph, Jason Schwartzman, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Miley Cyrus and more.
2016
Rock returned to host the Academy Awards for a second time. During the ceremony, he made cracks about calls to boycott the event over its lack of diverse nominees. “We had real things to protest,” he teased. “When your grandmother is swinging from a tree, it’s really hard to care about Best Documentary Foreign Short.”
The same year, the Bad Trip actor finalized his divorce from Compton-Rock after two decades of marriage.
2019
The Fargo alum earned his fourth Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album for Chris Rock: Tamborine. He starred in the biopic Dolemite Is My Name alongside Eddie Murphy and Keegan-Michael Key that same year.
2022
While presenting the Best Documentary Feature category at the 94th annual Oscars, Rock was slapped in the face by Smith, who rushed the stage after the Longest Yard star made a quip about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Smith was subsequently banned from attending any Oscar-related events for the next 10 years and rescinded his membership from the Academy.
In the aftermath of the controversy, Rock frequently mentioned the slap in his stand-up comedy sets throughout 2022.
2023
While Rock is best known for his comedy chops, he showed his range when in his portrayal of civil rights leader Roy Wilkins in the drama Rustin.
2024
Rock returned to his SNL roots to host during the sketch show’s milestone 50th season.
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