Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan were one of Hollywood’s favorite couples for a magical moment.
The actors and accomplished dancers met on a movie set and got married a few years later.
When they decided to split after nine years, it took fans completely by surprise. Today,
we’re digging deeper into their marriage story, including how Tatum never shied away
from sharing their most private details and how Dewan was in agony when they broke things off.
The Magic Mike star and the Rookie actor began dating in 2006 after playing love interests in
Step Up. “We were basically together on the movie,” Tatum said back in October 2014. “It’s
interesting now because we can watch it and see; we can go, ‘Oh, wow, that was actually our real
first kiss.’ As soon as the movie wrapped, the lovebirds went back to L.A. and have
been together ever since. Well, up to a point. Both young actors who were trying to make it to
the big leagues, the couple quickly developed a relationship that lasted many years. According to
Tatum, the trick was learning how to communicate in public and in their most private moments.
During a Cosmopolitan discussion about their romance, Tatum claimed that Dewan was an
excellent lover who did not require him to do much of anything. “I just lay there … She’s
really athletic. We get down. We have a great sex life. We communicate very well.”
Candid moments like this had many thinking that the couple was bound for longevity. They tied the
knot in July 2009 at a private estate in Malibu and welcomed their daughter Everly in May 2013.
While the pair became a beloved celebrity couple,
Dewan admitted in February 2018 that they struggled. “We’ve always had the
same values. But we’re not perfect! Are you kidding?” she told Health magazine at the time.
“We disagree about things; we have days when we don’t really like each other.”
Unsurprisingly, just a few months later, the duo announced their split. “Absolutely nothing has
changed about how much we love one another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on
different paths for now,” they wrote. “There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our
decision — just two best friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live
the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible.” Just days later, Jenna’s representative shot
down a report that claimed the Foxcatcher star’s drinking led to the split, saying: “Happy to
clarify that absolutely none of these rumors are true. The situation is as positive as it can be.”
A source told Us Weekly at the time that Dewan and Tatum’s romance had turned more into a friendship,
adding that they were constantly traveling for work, and there wasn’t any crazy drama or
fighting. However, a second insider revealed that she gave him all the space he wanted,
but it became clear that he enjoyed being away, which was unsuitable for their marriage.
Aww, somehow it feels even more devastating than all the drama in the world…
Speaking out after they finally announced the split, Jenna shared her heartbreak over the
breakdown of their marriage. The actor was gutted. “It was the loss of an idealistic future for
myself and my life. What does that now look like for me? Where do I begin? I met him when I was 24,
I didn’t know life without Chan,” she said. Dewan eventually decided to address the reasons
behind dissolving her marriage to Tatum more thoroughly in her memoir Gracefully You: How
to Live Your Best Life Every Day. In the book, she explained that bringing their relationship to an
end wasn’t really in the cards for her. She noted it was “never on my docket of dreams,” discussing
the pain she went through as it happened. “I started to wonder if everything I believed
in and always talked about was real. Could anyone or anything ever be trusted?” The
separation tested her in ways she hadn’t thought possible. She was in a state of shock. One week
she’d be doing really well, and the next, she was slammed with a whole new slew of emotions.
“The rumor mill was churning out story after story.” It’s difficult enough ending a
relationship, but doing so in the public eye must have made it doubly so. There were many times she
hid under the covers, wondering what was next. “The pain hit me like a tumbling avalanche. I
was completely overcome with fear and sadness. It took many moments of sitting alone with my grief
to force me into surrendering to my roller coaster of a situation,” Jenna continued. Ultimately,
the actor explained why she and Tatum had decided to break up in the first place.
“I always say no one gets married to hopefully get divorced,” Dewan said.
“People grow, and they change, and sometimes they don’t grow and change together. So, it wasn’t an
overnight thing that happened.” Still, their decision to separate was agonizing for Dewan.
The Supergirl alum filed for divorce in October 2018.
She requested spousal support, while Tatum asked that her right to spousal support be terminated.
They were declared legally single the following year and decided that their daughter would
split time with her parents during the week and alternate weekends at their respective houses.
Though their romantic relationship is over, the two are still linked by their 8-year-old.
“We’re all aware that it’s a new normal, we’re all getting used to it,” Jenna told People. “You can
still have a relationship and just because the forms change as to who you are to each other,
it doesn’t take away from the love that we had or that we shared all those years.”
And even amidst a legal battle, the then-estranged couple reunited for Halloween to go
trick-or-treating with their daughter. The 21 Jump Street star shared a selfie with Dewan at the time
in their respective Genie and Cleopatra costumes. And they both did not waste time moving on. The
friendly outing occurred the same month that the world learned of their relationships with other
people. Us broke the news that Channing had been dating singer Jessie J for a couple of months,
while a source confirmed later that month that Dewan was seeing actor and singer Steve Kazee.
Dewan made headlines earlier this year when she opened up about taking a then-newborn Everly to
Canada with her for work without Tatum. She said he wasn’t there for her and the baby
for most of the time in the beginning. “You know, you’re up a couple of times
in the night, and then you’re working all day. I was breast-feeding, I was pumping,
I was without a partner — I mean, it was just craziness,” she noted on the Dear Gabby podcast.
The former World of Dance host later had to clarify her comments, of course. She said that
the quotes made it appear as she was slamming her daughter’s father, something Jenna would never do.
“Anyone who actually listens to the interview, something I encourage everyone to do,
will clearly see that my words have been distorted for clicks and to push false,
salacious gossip with no regard for the actual people involved, or the message intended,” she
wrote via her Instagram Story. Well, she’s not the only one suffering from that, is she?
Despite being officially divorced, Tatum and Dewan have yet to settle. As of December 9,
Dewan filed documents stating that she and Tatum were unable to negotiate the settlement.
The duo is battling out the cut each will receive from the Magic Mike franchise, which now includes
a live show set to premiere on HBO Max. The hearing had been scheduled to set a
trial date, but lawyers informed the court that the two were working on a settlement out of court.
Both legal representatives requested that no trial date be set and had a hearing scheduled
for February 24. Before that time, the former spouses — who were reportedly at odds about
percentages — must come to an agreement. Tatum and Jessie J were together on and
off until April 2020, and now he is rumored to have been dating Zoë Kravitz since early 2021.
They were spotted holding hands in October while on a stroll through New York City.
In addition, the pair celebrated their first Halloween together, dressing as
characters from 1976’s Taxi Driver. Zoë also supported a fan who wore a couple’s costume
inspired by her and Channing. Oh, how cute. Jenna eventually got engaged to Steven and
welcomed son Callum the following month. “When I was ready, I started dating someone
amazing,” she wrote of Kazee in her book. “It was this cosmically great thing where
we circled back around each other after a moment of instant recognition years ago.”
The actor also said that accepting change has led her to a place of happiness.
“I’m grateful that I now am at a place where I understand myself and what I want,
and I’m happy about this new chapter. I’m in a place of joy,” she said.
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