Channing Tatum is finally opening up some more about his heartbreak…
In an interview with Variety on Tuesday, the 45-year-old actor offered rare insight into his difficult divorce with Jenna Dewan. The pair met on the set of the 2006 film Step Up, fell in love IRL, and got married three years later. Jenna and Channing welcomed a daughter, Everly. However, the power couple didn’t get a happy ending together — they broke up in 2018, in a move that shocked a lot of fans!
The divorce eventually became super nasty between them, resulting in a six-year-long legal battle over the profits from Magic Mike and more. Everything was finally settled in September 2024. And now, looking back on that time, Channing called the whole thing “painful.”
Related: Ethan Hawke Talks ‘Humiliating’ Split From Ex-Wife Uma Thurman!
When asked about playing a character who misses his daughter in the new film Roofman — something a little close to home for the divorced dad — Channing reflected on the breakup, saying:
“I know for a fact I’m able to understand it. Jenna and I are good now, but it was a painful break to have that fall apart, especially being so young.”
Does Jenna agree that they “are good” these days? Hmm. He continued:
“We tried to keep it together, tried for a year and a half, but we knew it was.…”
Sorry, for A YEAR AND A HALF?! We had no idea they were having problems for so long! They really kept those marriage problems under wraps for so long! Channing seemed to realize he was saying too much. The 21 Jump Street alum stopped himself from getting into too much detail about what went wrong in their marriage, adding:
“Not to go into all that. It’s in the past.”
Although the two are seemingly on better terms now, having to co-parent their 12-year-old daughter is tough for him. Like many divorced parents with shared custody, the Blink Twice star wishes she were with him constantly:
“But it’s really tough not to have your daughter half the time. I wish I could just have her all the time.”
Oof. According to Channing, he can play Jeffrey Manchester in Roofman now because of everything he has “experienced” over the years — like heartbreak and loneliness:
“I’ve lived six or seven different lives. Life gives you fuel. If you’ve really been heartbroken, and really been in pain and felt real, true aloneness … I’ve experienced enough life that I have something to offer. The technique and the ability to actually deliver.”
It sounds like Channing used a lot of what he went through with the divorce and co-parenting for this role!
What are your reactions to Channing’s comments, Perezcious readers? Drop ‘em in the comments (below)!
[Image via WENN, The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube, Jenna Dewan/Instagram]