Subscribe
NewsOne Featured Video
CLOSE

Although he may be riding high off of the critical acclaim of his latest film, “Top Five,” comedian Chris Rock and his wife announced today that they are divorcing after nearly 20 years of marriage, reports People.

SEE ALSO: “Exodus” Banned In Egypt For Depicting Ancient Egyptians As “Savages” 

“After much contemplation and 19 years of marriage, Chris and I have decided to go our separate ways,” says Malaak Compton-Rock, in a statement released on Sunday.

“While recognizing that this is a significant change, my children remain at the center of my life and their well-being is my top priority. It is in this spirit that I sincerely ask that their privacy and the privacy of our family be respected during this transition in our lives.”

Rock, 49, wed Compton-Rock, 45, in 1996. They live in Alpine, New Jersey, with their two daughters, Lola Simone, 12, and Zahra Savannah, 10.

In 2007, Rock faced a paternity suit, but a test proved that the child was not his. In 2012, the comedian settled yet another lawsuit with a Hungarian model who claimed that he sexual assaulted her and was also the father of her child. Another paternity test proved him to not be the father, and Rock was not charged criminally.

The comedian has always dodged speculation about the state of his marriage — including during the promotion of his 2007 film, “I Think I Love My Wife,” where the main character considers an extra-marital affair.

“The best part is just having a partner,” Rock said of marriage that year, according to People. “There is no real worst part. I’m not going to say there’s a worst part. I mean, I’m a comedian – comedians like to work alone. So maybe I’m not the ideal guy to be married to, in that sense.”