Why does Chris Rock want Madagascar 4 after his divorce? The reason’s hilarious.
Chris Rock links his divorce to why he wants Madagascar 4 — and his reasoning is funnier than you’d expect.
On the press trail for his new movie Misty Green, Chris Rock didn’t just pitch a sequel to Madagascar—he turned it into a bit. Asked about the DreamWorks franchise that made him the voice of Marty the zebra, he tied his sequel hopes to a well-worn topic in his stand-up: his divorce from Malaak Compton-Rock.
“Do you understand I got divorced? I don’t have Madagascar money anymore,”
he joked to Variety, leaning into the punchline as only Rock can.
Why he wants it
Rock called the family series one of the biggest gigs of his career and wondered aloud why the mainline movies stopped at three, especially in an era when animated franchises tend to keep going. He pointed to counterparts like Ice Age, which stretched to five films, while Madagascar tapped out after a trilogy that earned roughly $1.9 billion worldwide.
- Madagascar (2005) — voice cast included Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
- Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)
“We only did three… I need another Madagascar. It’s time!”
There’s no fourth film officially in the works, but Rock made it crystal clear he’d say yes.
Post-slap perspective
Four years after Will Smith slapped him onstage at the 2022 Oscars, Rock told Variety he views that night with some distance now. He framed it against the tougher everyday problems people face and said returning to the Academy Awards stage doesn’t hold much appeal—unless it’s as a nominee, which he called unlikely and something he’s made peace with. The Academy’s 10-year ban on Smith attending its events remains in effect.
What he’s doing now
Rock is back behind the camera with Misty Green, marking a fresh directing turn, and he’s also popping up as a guest judge on Funny AF with Kevin Hart. Whether or not a zebra’s next lap ever happens, Rock’s already moved on to the next thing—while keeping one eye on Madagascar’s watering hole.