Chris Rock had a rare reunion with his ex-wife, Malaak Compton-Rock, over the weekend to celebrate their daughter’s college graduation.
The couple, who had a contentious divorce in 2016, were on the campus of the University of Southern California (USC) as their daughter, 21-year-old Zahra, graduated with high academic distinction and received her bachelor’s degree in English.
Compton-Rock shared photos of the new graduate beaming with both of her parents in an Instagram post shared on Monday.
‘Congratulations, Zahra! Your mom and dad, and your entire family, are so proud of your extraordinary academic achievements,’ she began her caption.
Compton-Rock said it was her daughter’s ‘lifelong love of literature’ that inspired her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in narrative studies.
‘Celebrating your accomplishments over these last few days is a memory I will cherish forever,’ Compton-Rock continued, before thanking her extended family members for supporting and encouraging Zahra over the years.
Chris Rock made a rare reunion with his ex-wife, Malaak Compton-Rock (second to left), over the weekend to celebrate their daughter Zahra (center) as she graduated from college
The couple, who divorced in 2016, were on the campus of the University of Southern California (USC) as their 21-year-old daughter graduated with high academic distinction and received her bachelor’s degree in English
‘Zahra, as your mommy, I know how hard you worked and how deeply dedicated you were to your studies. I don’t know if I told you enough, but reading some of your papers left me astonished by your ability to synthesize complex literature with such insight and depth,’ Compton-Rock gushed.
‘I cannot fully express how proud I am of the brilliant, thoughtful, compassionate young woman you have become,’ she continued. ‘Watching you walk across that stage was more than a celebration of academic success, it was a reflection of your perseverance and your beautiful spirit.’
Among Compton-Rock’s photos was a close-up of Zahra’s red-and-gold stole on a chair, with text indicating that she had graduated magna cum laude, or with high academic distinction, from USC’s School of Dramatic Arts and the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
Zahra posed for several photos with family on campus, including a shot with just her parents.
Rock, 61, opted for a casual–cool workwear look featuring a bizarre blue jacket with patches for H. L. Wilcox Technical School’s carpentry program, along with an embroidered name patch for ‘Brian,’ which may have been an effort to go under the radar at USC.
However, Rock was more dressed up in a black pinstripe suit in photos his ex-wife snapped from inside the football stadium.
Compton-Rock, a former PR specialist–turned–philanthropist, wore a light-brown dress with a cream-colored jacket decorated with rows of thick buttons, but she cut a stylish figure at night with a golden ruched dress.
Compton-Rock shared photos of the new graduate beaming with both of her parents in an Instagram post shared on Monday. ‘Congratulations, Zahra! Your mom and dad, and your entire family, are so proud of your extraordinary academic achievements,’ she began her caption
‘Zahra, as your mommy, I know how hard you worked and how deeply dedicated you were to your studies. I don’t know if I told you enough, but reading some of your papers left me astonished by your ability to synthesize complex literature with such insight and depth,’ Compton-Rock gushed
Zahra’s comedian father favored a low-key workwear look, possibly to fly under the radar on campus
However, he dressed up in a pinstripe suite for a nighttime event at the football stadium. Rock and Compton-Rock wed in 1996 after meeting two years earlier, but he filed for divorce in 2014. He later admitted to cheating on his wife and being addicted to pornography
Rock and Compton-Rock tied the knot back in 1996 after meeting two years earlier at the Essence Magazine awards.
Compton-Rock, then still a publicist, had been at the show as part of her job when the comedian crashed the awards ceremony.
She and Rock were together for 18 years before he filed for divorce in December of 2014, though the divorce wouldn’t be finalized for two more years.
In his 2018 stand-up special, Chris Rock: Tamborine, the comic admitted to committing adultery during his marriage.
‘I was not a good husband,’ he said in the special, in which he also said he battled a pornography addiction toward the end of his marriage.
‘I was addicted to porn. I know, billion-dollar industry, just me, right? I was addicted to porn and, you know, I was 15 minutes late everywhere,’ he said on stage.
Rock, 61, first met Compton-Rock in 1994 when he crashed the Essence magazine awards. Compton-Rock was working as a Hollywood publicist at the time, according to a 1997 Rolling Stone profile. After dating for two years, the pair tied the knot on Nov. 23, 1996, before ultimately separating in 2014 after 18 years of marriage. They finalized their divorce in 2016.
The former couple shares Zahra and daughter Lola Simon, 23. Compton-Rock is also mom to daughter Ntombi, whom she adopted from South Africa.
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