Since 2008, Chris Rock has kept the Madagascar film franchise going, hosted Saturday Night Live, wrapped up his TV series Everybody Hates Chris, and starred in movies like Death at a Funeral and Grown Ups. He’s kept busy, yes, but one realm he hasn’t revisited in that time is stand-up comedy.
Rock released the HBO comedy special Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger in 2008, but he’s been largely away from the stage since then. That’s about to change pretty soon, however, as he just announced that in 2017, he’ll hit the road for a new stand-up tour.
In a live Facebook video from The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, Rock spoke about how he, his contemporaries, and some of his idols got started at the legendary comedy venue, before making this announcement: “Tonight, I am announcing that I, Chris Rock, am going on tour. That’s right. The Total Blackout Tour is coming to your town in 2017. […] First time in nine years, haven’t done it in awhile. Been a little busy, you know, writing Pootie Tang 3 and everything. But hey, it’s time.”
This is beautiful news, but perhaps an announcement that we saw coming. In October, it was revealed that Rock had inked a deal with Netflix to produce two stand-up specials, reportedly for the lofty sum of $40 million.
Although Rock hasn’t done a bona fide tour or special since ’08, he has found opportunities to share his gift for comedy. Here are a couple headline-making sets from the past few years, namely, his opening monologue from SNL in 2014, and his monologue from the Oscars earlier this year.
Are you excited to have Chris Rock back onstage? Chime in with your thoughts!
Featured image: BET
