GQ kicked off its 2026 Men of the Year rollout on November 3 with Chris Rock, and it set the tone for the whole issue. Rock is the first of three cover stars this year, followed by Andrew Garfield and Matt Damon. The shoot was photographed by Richard Burbridge, with the cover story written by GQ senior special correspondent Zach Baron.
Why It Hit
Most people know Chris Rock the stand-up. This cover is about Chris Rock the director. GQ is honoring him for Misty Green, the A24 drama he wrote, directed and stars in, his first time behind the camera since 2014’s Top Five. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, opened in limited theaters in October and hit Netflix on November 9.
The photos sell that shift. There’s no bit, no punchline pose. It’s clean, grown portraiture of a 61-year-old icon who wants to be taken seriously in a new lane. And the clothes line up with the way he talks about the work. In the interview, Rock compares his filmmaking to custom tailoring: “I make a tailored suit. My suits are made by hand, by one guy.”
The Conversation Behind the Cover
The interview goes deep. Rock talks about therapy, his divorce, his nonverbal learning disorder diagnosis and wanting his work to define him more than the 2022 Oscars incident. “I had a nice career before it,” he told GQ. “I have a plethora of art I’m trying to get out, and that’s what I want you to pay attention to.” He also says he’ll probably direct more and isn’t sure how much more stand-up he’ll do.
That’s what makes this the Shoot of the Week. The images and the words tell the same story: reinvention, on his terms. For the Head of State and Everybody Hates Chris generation, it’s a reminder that Rock is still writing new chapters.
Rock, Garfield and Damon are also co-hosting GQ’s Men of the Year events in Los Angeles this month, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Sources
- Tom + Lorenzo: GQ Men of the Year Features Chris Rock
- The Hollywood Reporter: GQ Expands Men of the Year Footprint in L.A.
- Wikipedia: Misty Green
- FandomWire: Misty Green Netflix release
- Variety: The New Chris Rock
Images: Richard Burbridge/GQ
