![Channing Tatum and ex-wife Jenna Dewan smile at each other on the red carpet](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Channing-Tatum-with-his-former-wife-Jenna-Dewan.jpg)
Channing Tatum Calls Divorce From Ex-Wife Jenna Dewan ‘Exactly What I Needed’
When Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan announced that they were separating back in 2018, fans were shocked. The famous Hollywood couple had been together since 2006, when they both starred in the dance flick, Step Up. Three years after meeting, they became husband and wife, and in 2013, they welcomed their daughter, Everly, into the world. And while some people were holding out hope that their separation wouldn’t be permanent, the pair officially divorced in 2019, a decade after marrying.
At the time of their separation, Tatum and Dewan issued a joint statement expressing their mutual love for each other. They prioritized their daughter and shared that they wouldn’t be releasing any statements beyond their agreed-upon post. However, in the years since, both actors have spoken more about their relationship. In fact, the Magic Mike star recently opened up about parting ways with his ex-wife.
![Channing Tatum and ex-wife Jenna Dewan smile at each other on the red carpet](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Channing-Tatum-with-his-former-wife-Jenna-Dewan.jpg?strip=all&quality=89)
Channing Tatum reflects on his divorce from Jenna Dewan
“In the beginning, it was super scary and terrifying,” Tatum shared with Vanity Fair about the initial decision to separate from his then-wife. “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, sh*t. What now?’” Continuing on, the Dog actor shared that while the divorce was hard and jarring, it was ultimately what was best for him.
“It was probably exactly what I needed,” Tatum shared of the drastic ways his life shifted following his divorce from Dewan. “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.”
The ‘Magic Mike’ actor admits that he and his ex-wife fought hard for their marriage
In the aforementioned interview, Tatum also shared that he and Dewan did everything in their power to remain husband and wife. “We fought for it for a really long time, even though we both sort of knew that we had sort of grown apart,” the actor said of his marriage. Ultimately, however, the couple came to the conclusion that they were moving in different directions. This became abundantly clear when they began parenting.
“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,” Tatum explained. “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.”
Tatum is dating Zoë Kravitz, but is Dewan currently in a new relationship?
Though the decision to split up was likely a difficult one, it seems like Dewan and Tatum’s decision to split up was the best thing for them. Dewan is now engaged to Steve Kazee, with whom she has a son. Meanwhile, Tatum seems content to be dating Zoë Kravitz, whom he admits he has “no chill” about.