When it comes to making people laugh, comedian Chris Rock, 57, has had a large audience to practice on since a very young age. Born to parents Rose and Julius Rock back in 1965, Chris would go on to be the eldest of seven siblings: six brothers and one sister.
Growing up in the 1980s in Brooklyn surrounded by an eccentric and fast-paced family would prove to be the perfect material for Chris, and he went on to base the hit show ‘Everybody Hates Chris‘ on his own teenage experiences, with Tyler James Williams playing the titular role. Though the beloved family sitcom may have gone off the air in 2009, Chris’ real-life family have continued their shenanigans, and each built their own unique lives as adults. Learn everything to know about Chris’ seven siblings, here!
Charles Ledell Rock
Though Chris may be the eldest in his nuclear family, he has one older half-brother: Charles Ledell Rock, Julius’ son from a previous relationship. Born just two years before Chris, in 1953, Charles also shared a close relationship with Chris’ younger brother Tony, who called Charles “Charles tragically passed away at the young age of 52 in February of 2006. Charles, who struggled with alcohol and addiction throughout his life, reportedly died while living in a homeless shelter.
Andre Rock
Chris’ firstborn brother, Andre Rock, has remained a largely private figure, even in the face of his brother’s spotlight. Born in 1967, Andre hasn’t often been seen publicly with Chris or his family. However, Andre still found his own way to honor his family history in Brooklyn; though he may not have created a TV show loosely based on its events, Andre reportedly runs a trucking business, Julius Rock Trucking Inc., named after his late father. Julius died in 1988.
Tony Rock
If Chris thought he would be the only Rock brother with a knack for entertainment, he was proved wrong when Tony Rock came along in 1974. A stand-up comedian himself, Tony’s had roles on sitcoms like ‘Living Biblically‘ and ‘All of Us,’ and even had a recurring role on his own somewhat-true-to-life series. Tony became known for guest-starring as the hilarious Uncle Tony (reportedly based on his and Chris’ actual uncle) on ‘Everybody Hates Chris.’
In a 2008 interview with The Washington Post, Tony opened up about pursuing comedy in his brother’s footsteps, something he said came naturally in some ways after he grew up in their Bedford-Stueyvsant home listening raptly alongside Chris to records of comics like Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Eddie Murphy. Tony shared that ultimately, coming after his brother is both a blessing and a curse. “I’m not afforded the luxury of just taking a set casual, taking the night off,” he explained. “Because if I bomb, it’s ‘Oh, he’s not funny — he’s just doing it because of his brother.’ ”
Something else that may have affected Tony as Chris’ brother is the “slap heard around the world” at the 2022 Oscars, during which Will Smith, 53, slapped Chris after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith‘s bald head. Apparently, Tony and Will were quite close, and in the first public apology he made since slapping Chris, the King Richard star addressed Tony directly. “I want to apologize to Chris’s family. Specifically, Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. And this is this is probably irreparable,” he said. Tony has not addressed the apology as of this writing.
Brian Rock
Much like his sibling Andre, Brian Rock has chosen to stay out of the spotlight and is rarely seen publicly alongside his less camera-shy brothers, let alone on social media. According to some reports, Brian currently serves as a church minister.
Kenny Rock
Born in 1979, Chris’ brother Kenny Rock has found a solid balance between trying his hand at entertainment and staying out of the spotlight. Though he’s had a few acting roles, including films like Vesuvius and Coincidental Killer. Though Kenny doesn’t take too often to his Instagram, he loves sharing photos of his family, from selfies with Chris to throwback pictures of matriarch Rose. Back in 2020, Kenny shared a sweet selfie of him and Chris to honor Chris’ birthday, captioning the post with heartwarming hashtags like “brotherly love,” “black comedy,” and “family first.”
Opening up about Chris in a 2017 interview with The New York Times, Kenny detailed how he sees his brother, regardless of his ease in front of stadium-sized crowds, as an introvert. “Chris has a different, high-caliber circle of people around him, and he’s very socially awkward,” Kenny shared. “When you’re around him outside of work, you’re not going to get many words out of him at all. He’s very introverted.”
Andi Rock
Chris’ one and only baby sister, Andi Rock was born in 1985 and managed to hold her own among her enormous band of brothers. Currently based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Andi is reportedly a therapist specializing in working with children with autism. Andi’s elder brothers are clearly beyond fond of her and all she’s accomplished, and Kenny sweetly referred to her as his “lil sis” in an Instagram shot of Andi, Jordan, Kenny, and Chris posing happily together in celebration of the holidays.
Jordan Rock
Chris’ mom Rose once famously joked there may be comedy genes in her “breast milk” given how many of her sons pursued the career, and youngest Rock brother Jordan Rock would prove to be no exception. Born in 1991, by the time Jordan began pursuing comedy Chris was already a superstar, and brother Tony had gotten his start as well. But instead of being scared away by his older siblings’ success, Jordan dove into creating his own lane, eventually nabbing roles in projects like HBO Max’s ‘Love Life‘ and the film Big Time Adolescence, where Jordan acted opposite Pete Davidson.
Once described by his brother Tony as the “hipster, cool kid, skateboard and wise beyond his years” Rock brother, Jordan grew up in South Carolina and moved to Brooklyn to pursue comedy (and be near his brothers) after dropping out of high school. Jordan’s millennial-aimed brand of comedy includes jokes like the opener: “I’m Jordan Rock. I’m the younger brother of Chris Rock. You guys have probably never heard of me. Because I’m the Solange of my family.” Although Tony shared that at first, he was hesitant to support Jordan in comedy, today, he sweetly refers to his youngest brother as his favorite comedian…even over Chris!