The Rock

Chris Rock became an A-lister in Hollywood after being cast on 'Saturday Night Live' in the '90s — see his career in photos.

(The former couple were married from 1996 to 2016 and share two daughters.) Smith subsequently gave up his membership to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was [banned from Oscars-related events](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/will-smith-reacts-to-academy-ban-after-chris-rock-oscars-slap/) for 10 years. “Getting divorced, you have to f–king start over,” he said. He remained on the series until 1993 and has since [ returned to host the late-night show](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/snl-stars-who-landed-a-list-romances-pics/) multiple times over the years. [he’d toned down his remarks about marriage](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/chris-rock-recommended-his-ex-wifes-divorce-lawyer-to-john-mulaney/) in his stand-up shows at the time. In a 2017 Rolling Stone interview, the Grown Ups actor got candid about Rock added that he simply “shook that s–t off” and got back to work. (Smith later returned to the audience and warned, “Keep my wife’s name out your f–king mouth.”) “Yeah, that s–t hurt, motherf–ker. “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” he teased during a July 2022 performance in New Jersey. “I’m not a victim, motherf–ker,” he told the crowd. “SNL is still a pretty white show,” Rock recalled during an interview on “WTF With Marc Maron” in 2011.