Brian Rock, Chris Rock, Rose Rock and Jordan Rock at a 2009 afterparty in New York City.Photo:Stephen Lovekin/Getty
Stephen Lovekin/Getty
Chris Rockmay take center stage hostingthe OscarsorSaturday Night Live, but growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he shared the spotlight with his six brothers and one sister: Charles, Andre, Tony, Brian, Kenny, Andi and Jordan.
Chris set a high bar for his siblings, particularly for aspiring comics Tony and Jordan. “People will say, ‘He’s funny, but he’s not as funny as Chris,’ ” Jordan toldC-Villein November 2022. “They already have this bar that I have to be at.”
Family matriarch Rose toldTodayin April 2008 that her goal was always to raise children who would “be great.” She added, “Great doesn’t mean to be movie stars or artists. Great means to be wonderful people.”
In March 2022, Chris’ family rallied around him afterWill Smithslapped him at the Oscars in response to a joke about his wifeJada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. (Pinkett Smithhas alopecia, a disease that causes hair loss.).
“WhenWill slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. But he really slapped me,” Rose later toldWIS News. “Because when you hurt my child, you hurt me.”
Chris' brother Kenny also spoke about the incident, telling theLos Angeles Times, “It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
So who are Chris Rock’s siblings? Here’s everything to know about Charles, Andre, Tony, Brian, Kenny, Andi and Jordan Rock.
Charles “Shabazz” Ledell Rock
The oldest Rock sibling, Charles “Shabazz” Ledell Rock, was born on Oct. 5, 1953.
Charles made a particularly strong impact on his younger brother Tony. “He always included me. … He was a big part of my life,” Tony toldStudio Qin January 2017, noting that he would often cut school to hang out with Charles at work.
He added, “On the weekend, he would work out a lot, I would work out with him. … I wanted to play basketball because he played basketball. He taught me how to box, I boxed for a few years because he boxed. … He included me in his life.”
Charles died in Harlem, New York, on Feb. 4, 2006, at the age of 52.
Andre Rock
Throwback photo of Chris Rock and his family.Kenny Rock Instagram
Kenny Rock Instagram
Born on April 16, 1967, to Rose and Julius, Andre is two years younger than his brother Chris. He was raised in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. In December 2016, Rose toldThe Sun Newsthat Andre loved her cooking — specifically her sweet potato pies.
Andre runs the freight-hauling business Julius Rock Trucking, named after his father, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He has otherwise largely lived his life out of the public eye.
Anthony “Tony” Rock
Chris Rock and Tony Rock during a CW launch party in 2006.Chris Polk/FilmMagic
Chris Polk/FilmMagic
Anthony “Tony” Rock, born on June 30, 1974, is the fourth-born son of the Rock clan. He started his career early on, following first in his dad’s footsteps delivering papers and later in his brother’s doing comedy.
“I had a job with my father at 14 working at theNew York Daily News,” Tony toldBlackDoctor.orgin June 2016.
He pivoted his focus to comedy, treating Chris’ accomplishments as a to-do list. “Chris was always, ‘Get out of here,’ ” Tony toldStudio Q. “I was the nuisance little brother. So it made me say, ‘Everything he does, I’m gonna master. Just to show him that I can do it.’ ”
He got his big break in 2006 with a stint on HBO’sDef Comedy Jam. However, he’s said that being Chris’ younger brother has been “the gift and the curse” of his career. “I’m not afforded the luxury of just taking a set casual, taking the night off. Because if I bomb, it’s, ‘Oh, he’s not funny — he’s just doing it because of his brother,’ ” Tony toldThe Washington Postin August 2008.
In December 2012,NBC Newsreported that Tony founded the MyRock Foundation, a charity that aims to raise awareness about diabetes among Black Americans, in honor of his late father.
Brian Rock
Brian Rock and Chris Rock at an afterparty in 2009.Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage
Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage
Born around 1976, Brian Rock is the fifth Rock sibling. In 2016, Rose toldThe Sun Newsthat he was a minister. Little else is known of his personal life, but he has supported Chris at public events. Brian was photographed with his mom and siblings at a New York City afterparty for Chris’ filmGood Hairin October 2009.
Kenneth “Kenny” Rock
Chris Rock and Kenny Rock taking a selfie.Kenny Rock Instagram
On April 16, 1979 — exactly 12 years after Andre was born — Rose and Julius welcomed their sonKenneth “Kenny” Rock. Like Chris and Tony, Kenny is an actor with film roles inVesuvius(2018),Coincidental Killer(2016) andHope a Brooklyn Story(2014). In 2016,The Sun Newsreported that he worked for Scholastic. According to hisInstagram page, he is “the rebellious one of the Rock family.”
In June 2022, Kenny said inan interviewthat he boxed in his youth. He later won a celebrity boxing match againstThe Real World: D.C.’s Josh Colon.
Andi Rock
Chris Rock and sister Andi Rock taking a selfie.Andi Rock Instagram
Andi Rock Instagram
Andi Rock is the only girl in the Rock brood and was born on March 18, 1985. Andi relocated from New York to South Carolina with her family and studied at Winthrop University. In 2016, Andi was working as a therapist for children with autism and lived in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
While she largely stays out of the spotlight, Andi tied the knot with husband Brett Nelson on Nov. 14, 2020, in what she described as a “micro wedding” onInstagram. She is also close with her famous brother, calling Chris one of her “favorite people” in a May 2017Instagram post.
Jordan Rock
Jordan Rock and Chris Rock smiling backstage.Jordan Rock Instagram
Jordan Rock Instagram
The youngest of the family,Jordan Rock, was born on Feb. 10, 1991. Unlike his older siblings, Jordan grew up in Georgetown, South Carolina, after Rose moved the family there, according toThe New York Times.
He later dropped out of high school and moved to Brooklyn at 18 to pursue his own dreams of comedy. “I grew up around comedy, watching my brothers. They are inspirations,” Jordan toldKSDKin May 2019.
Still, being Chris’ brother also came with challenges. “Sometimes I do wish my name was just Ronaldo or whatever,” he said toC-Ville. Jordan has also likened his relationship with his brothers toBeyoncéand her family, calling himself “theSolange” of the Rocks in a 2018 interview withFrom the OH.
In 2015, Jordan joined his big brother Tony on the road. One year later, he had his breakout role on the Netflix seriesLove. “I didn’t have [a big break] until that happened. I went to work and didn’t know what I was getting into,” he told KSDK. “It felt like a ride and I am amazed that it happened.”
Away from the cameras, he’s connected more with his big brother Chris. “As I get older, I get closer and closer to him,” Jordan toldC-Ville.“I’m trying to go places that he’s been before. He’s the person I can call and talk to and get reassurance that the game works a certain way.”
source: people.com
