Chris Rock Returns to TV with 'Everybody Still Hates' 'Chris' Animated Series

The new show's predecessor, Everybody Hates Chris, previously ran on UPN and later The CW from 2005 to 2009

By
Amethyst Tate
Amethyst Tate
Amethyst Tate is a Digital News Writer at PEOPLE. She joined PEOPLE in June 2022.
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Published on August 2, 2022 03:05PM EDT
Chris Rock performs
Chris Rock. Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty

Chris Rock has another major career move in the works.

On Tuesday, MTV Entertainment Studios announced that the 57-year-old comedian will executive produce Everybody Still Hates Chris, "a reimagined animated version" of his popular award-winning sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, which aired from 2005 to 2009 on UPN and later The CW. Like the original series, Everybody Still Hates Chris is also inspired by Rock's teenage years.

Chris McCarthy, President/CEO, Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios, spoke about the project in a press release. "Chris Rock is one of the most gifted comedians of all time and we're excited to partner with him, 3 Arts and CBS Studios to bring this to life and welcome it as the next big hit," McCarthy said.

The half-hour animated series will feature Rock narrating stories inspired by his experiences growing up as a skinny nerd in a working-class family in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, in the late 1980s.

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Chris Rock is seen in SoHo on April 26, 2022 in New York City
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In addition to Rock, Sanjay Shah, Ali LeRoi, Michael Rotenberg and Dave Becky will executive produce the series. Shah will also serve as the showrunner.

Currently, the three-time Grammy award-winning comedian is on his Ego Death World Tour through November. He also recently addressed the incident at March's Oscars ceremony when Will Smith infamously "smacked" Rock on stage.

Smith, 53, issued a public apology to Rock last week and said his "behavior was unacceptable.".

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Hours after the video apology dropped, Rock commented on the incident as he took the stage at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

"Everybody is trying to be a f---ing victim," Rock said. "If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith ... I went to work the next day, I got kids." (Rock's reference of Smith as "Suge Smith" appeared to be a play on the name of currently jailed Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight.)

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Meanwhile, Rock is currently dating actress/director Lake Bell. They have been spotted spending time together in various locations in recent weeks, including New York City and Croatia.

"Chris has a busy work schedule right now," a source tells PEOPLE. "Lake joins him on tour when she can. They are making it work. They seem happy. Chris is very attentive and seems to really like spending time with her."