Channing Tatum Makes Rare Comment About ‘Painful’ Jenna Dewan Divorce: ‘Tried to Keep It Together’

Channing Tatum is opening up about his difficult divorce from Jenna Dewan.

“Jenna and I are good now, but it was a painful break to have that fall apart, especially being so young,” Tatum, 45, told Variety in an interview published on Tuesday, September 2. “We tried to keep it together, tried for a year and a half. … It’s in the past.”

The White House Down actor, who shares 12-year-old daughter Everly with Dewan, 44, also discussed the downside of coparenting with his ex-wife.

“It’s really tough not to have your daughter half the time,” he admitted. “I wish I could just have her all the time.”

Tatum and Dewan tied the knot in 2009, three years after they met on the set of 2006’s Step Up. The pair welcomed Everly in May 2013.

Us Weekly confirmed in April 2018 that Tatum and Dewan had called it quits after nine years of marriage.

“We have something we would like to share … It feels odd that we have to share this kind of thing with everyone, but it’s a consequence of the lives we’ve chosen to lead, which we also happen to be deeply grateful for,” the pair said in a joint statement at the time. “We’re living in an incredible moment in time, but it’s also a time where truth can easily get distorted into ‘alternative facts.’ So we want to share the truth so you know that if you didn’t read it here then it’s most certainly fiction. We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple.”

Tatum and Dewan reassured fans that “no secrets nor salacious events” led to their split.

“[It was] just two best friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible,” they continued. “We are still a family and will always be loving dedicated parents to Everly. We won’t be commenting beyond this, and we thank you all in advance for respecting our family’s privacy.”

Dewan filed for divorce in October 2018. She and Tatum were declared legally single the following year.

Though Dewan and Tatum’s split was initially amicable, the divorce turned contentious in April 2024, when Dewan’s legal team alleged that Tatum had concealed details about his Magic Mike earnings and argued that she should receive a portion of the profits since she was married to the actor when the film was made. Tatum denied Dewan’s request in a filing of his own. Later, in August 2024, they accused each other of trying to prolong the divorce proceedings. The divorce was ultimately settled in September 2024.

Dewan wrote about closing one chapter of her life and entering another in an essay for InStyle in January.

“This past year I learned that life has a way of bringing you exactly what you need to learn at exactly the right time,” she shared. “The transitions weren’t just changes; they were invitations to grow, to lean into the discomfort and discover the strength I didn’t know I had. In 2024, especially, I learned a lot about myself, my resilience and my voice. I learned to let go of over-accommodating in my relationships and to sit with uncomfortability.”

Dewan continued, “Fresh starts, I’ve realized, don’t wait for calendars or big proclamations. They happen in the quiet choices: forgiving yourself, showing up again, trusting the process even when it feels hopeless.”

Dewan moved on with Steve Kazee after her split from Tatum, and the pair got engaged in 2020. They share kids Callum, 5, and Rhiannon, 14 months.

Meanwhile, Tatum was engaged to Zoë Kravitz from October 2023 to October 2024.