One of the children Chris Rock and his ex-wife Malaak Compton-Rock had is Zahra Savannah Rock. Unlike other celebrity children, Zahra has not followed her father’s career path in the entertainment industry, but she has inherited his activism and commitment to social justice.
While you will come to know more about Zahra, her father Chris Rock remains an award-winning American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker mainly known for his edgy humor on subjects that relate to human sexuality and race.
Zahra Savannah Rock is of Cameroonian Descent
Zahra was born on May 22, 2004, in Alpines, New Jersey, and she is currently 19 years old at the moment. She is a black American citizen whose paternal ancestry is traced to northern Cameroon. Zahra’s family was featured on the PBS series African American Lives 2 in 2008 and a DNA test showed that her father Chris is of Cameroonian descent, specifically from the Udeme (Ouldémé) people of northern Cameroon.
Also, Julius Caesar Tingman, the great-grandfather of her father, was held as a slave for 21 years before enlisting in the United States Colored Troops to fight in the American Civil War.
Her Parents were Married for 2 Decades
In December 2014, Zahra Savannah Rock’s parents, Chris Rock and Malaak Compton announced their separation after 20 years of marriage. The estranged couple first met in 1994 at the Essence magazine awards. They got married in 1996 and had 2 children before Rock filed for divorce from Compton in December 2014. Chris acknowledged having an addiction to pornography and cheating on his wife and August 22, 2016, marked the finalization of his divorce with Compton-Rock.
After divorcing, Savannah’s parents engaged in a custody dispute
Rock and Malaak’s acrimonious divorce battle was largely focused on whether Chris should provide child support for Ntombi, the daughter they were allegedly in the process of adopting at the time of their breakup.
Meanwhile, Rock claimed to have only two kids in his divorce petition, but Malaak asserted that they had a third child (Ntombi), who resided with them since before her first birthday.
Zahra’s parents had a general disagreement about child support because Rock believed Malaak had the ability to work and contribute to her own support, as well as the support and other financial needs of the children.
On the other hand, Malaak claimed in a counterclaim that she and her girls were fully supported financially by Chris throughout the marriage. The claim continued by stating that Malaak was a stay-at-home mother who raised the parties’ children and otherwise devoted her time to charitable and philanthropic endeavors with the support and encouragement of her ex-husband.
In order to give their girls the same standard of living they enjoyed while their parents were married, Malaak insisted on child support.
August 2016 saw the finalization of the ex-couple’s divorce, and Malaak independently continued the adoption of Ntombi.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Rock had started dating actress, screenwriter, and director Lake Bell on July 7, 2022. Also, his ex-wife moved on with Eric Maurice, a French entrepreneur who also happens to be the ex-husband of actress Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Zahra’s Father has Remained on the entertainment scene for 39 years
Zahra’s father began working as a stand-up comic in 1984 in New York City’s Catch a Rising Star. Upon seeing his act at a nightclub, Eddie Murphy befriended and mentored the aspiring comic. Murphy gave Rock his first film role and a big break in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). The American actor rose through the ladder of fame with several impressive film and TV credits that earned him multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best comedy album and four Primetime Emmy Awards as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination.
Chris has so far starred in dozens of movies and TV shows including I Think I Love My Wife (2005), Death at Funeral (2010), and Saturday Night Live (2020).
Her Mother gives back to the society
Malaak Compton is Zahra’s mother, as was previously mentioned. She also founded and serves as the executive director of StyleWorks, a non-profit full-service salon that offers free services to women transitioning from welfare to the job.
Similar to this, Compton-Rock has a strong commitment to charitable causes. In 2008, Zahra’s mother established the Angelrock Project Foundation in addition to her earlier work with UNICEF. The non-profit organization supports global programs for women and underserved youth from low socio-economic backgrounds in the U.S. and abroad, with a particular focus on South Africa. The organization also supports Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service, a program that offers international volunteer opportunities to young people from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in New York City.
Compton-Rock posted pictures on Instagram in April 2023 from a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, where she took part in initiatives that will uplift vulnerable young people.
Apart from her charitable works, Zahra’s mother is also an author. She wrote the book If It Takes a Village, Build One: How I Found Meaning Through a Life of Service and 100+ Ways You Can Too.
Meet Zahra Savannah Rock’s sister, Lola Simone Rock
Zahra and Lola Simone Rock are the two children that Chris and Malaak Compton had before getting divorced. Lola, Rock’s older daughter, was born in New York City on June 28, 2002. Although Lola and Rock shared a number of red-carpet appearances with her dad, her life has remained largely private. Her mother, on the other hand, has claimed that food and travel are her true loves and that she views the world through the perspective of sharing cuisine, culture, and community.
ALSO SEE: Who Is Lola Simone Rock? Everything About Chris Rock’s Daughter
Zahra Uses Her Instagram Platform to Advocate for Abortion Rights
As earlier mentioned, Zahra appears to have inherited her father’s spirit of advocacy. From her Instagram, she demonstrates her passion for activism, especially for abortion rights. Since Zahra and her sister were much younger, their father said he talked to them about the social justice issues in society.
Chris also said he taught his daughters about the Ferguson ruling, in which a police officer was not charged with killing an unarmed Black teenager.
Meanwhile, as of the time of writing, Zahra is said to be a student at the University of Southern California.
