Channing Tatum is finally ready to open up about what went wrong in his marriage.
While appearing as Vanity Fair’s February 2023 cover star ahead of the long-awaited Magic Mike’s Last Dance, the actor got vulnerable about the demise of his and ex-wife Jenna Dewan’s marriage.
Related: Channing Gave Sandra Bullock An ‘Angry Lap Dance’ To Pony!
The dancer couple’s split announcement in 2018 was so shocking, many hoped it was an April Fools joke. Sadly it was all too real. But they seemed so perfect! What happened?!
The actor explained in Tuesday’s interview:
“I was working a lot. I had gotten to work with some of my favorite directors. I had checked boxes that I would never have hoped to dream about. But something just wasn’t quite filling me up. I was sort of kind of just trying not to be bad in movies, instead of being good. And I was kind of going, ‘What’s…’ And it really had nothing to do with my work. It was really about my life.”
Whoa.
The couple made some really serious attempts to save their relationship before throwing in the towel, too. He explained:
“We fought for it for a really long time, even though we both sort of knew that we had sort of grown apart. I think we told ourselves a story when we were young, and we just kept telling ourselves that story, no matter how blatantly life was telling us that we were so different. But when you’re actually parents, you really understand differences between the two of you. Because it is screaming at you all day long. How you parent differently, how you look at the world, how you go through the world.”
Channing and Jenna, both 42, began dating back in 2006 after co-starring in Step Up, and later married in 2009. The two welcomed their daughter, Everly, in 2013, and five years later, announced their separation, before officially finalizing their divorce in 2019.
Following that, the 21 Jump Street star noted life was, “super scary and terrifying,” adding:
“Your life just turns on its axis. This whole plan that you had literally just turns into sand and goes through your fingers and you’re just like, ‘Oh, s**t. What now?’”
Related: Wait, Channing & Jenna Are STILL Battling It Out In Court??
However, the star was thankfully able to recognize some positivity in the life-altering change:
“It was probably exactly what I needed. I don’t think I would’ve ever done the work, I think, on myself in the way that I had to do the work on myself to really try to figure out what next. And really, it just started with my daughter. I just dropped everything and just focused on her. And it was truly the best possible thing that I ever could have done. Because in the alone time that I have with just me and her, we’ve become best friends.”
As of now, the Dog actor claims he has no plans to remarry, noting:
“Relationships are hard for me. Even though I am a bit of a monogamist. In business, I have no real fear of anything being destroyed. But heart things, when it comes to people I love, I have a really hard time. I end up trying too hard, you know?”
Since their split, Jenna has moved on with Shameless alum Steve Kazee; they got engaged and welcomed a son, Callum, in 2020. Channing, on the other hand, was first linked to Bang Bang singer Jessie J, before becoming one half of yet another power couple alongside Zoë Kravitz. At least it all worked out — for BOTH of them! See his full cover (below):
What are YOUR thoughts on The Lost City star’s recount of his divorce, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below.
[Images via Images via MEGA/WENN]