Chris Rock files for divorce from wife Malaak Compton-Rock

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/dec/29/chris-rock-divorce

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US comedian Chris Rock has filed for divorce after nearly two decades of marriage.

An attorney representing the comedian confirmed the pending split between Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock, a philanthropist with whom he has two daughters, in a statement on Sunday.

“Chris requests privacy as he and Malaak work through this process and focus on their family,” Rock’s high-powered divorce attorney, Robert S Cohen, said in a statement obtained by the New York Post.

Malaak also released a statement confirming the split.

“After much contemplation and 19 years of marriage, Chris and I have decided to go our separate ways,” she said on Sunday. “Being fortunate enough to lead a life of service by working with those most vulnerable makes me well aware of life’s blessings, even when faced with difficulties.

“While recognising 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.”

Malaak is the founder of the nonprofit Style Works, which helps women leaving welfare find work. She married Rock in 1996, and together they have two daughters, Lola Simone, 12, and Zahra Savannah, 10.

Rock repeatedly joked about marital relations in his standup routines. In a bit on married people and soulmates, Rock said:

“The problem with relationships is that people want too much, everybody is looking for a soulmate … You are never going to get a soulmate, you are never going to find the perfect person, you’ll never find someone who likes Seinfeld and the Wu-Tang Clan – it ain’t happening.”