Channing Tatum Reflects On 'Painful' Jenna Dewan Divorce And Where They Stand Today

Channing Tatum is opening up about the end of his marriage to Jenna Dewan, calling their split one of the most difficult chapters of his life. The "Magic Mike" star and Dewan first fell in love on the set of "Step Up" before tying the knot in 2009. But after nearly a decade together, the pair announced their separation in 2018, sparking what became a six-year legal battle over finances and custody of their daughter, Everly. Channing Tatum's divorce from Jenna Dewan was only finalized in September 2024.

Speaking to Variety while promoting his new film "Roofman," in which he plays Jeffrey Manchester, a convicted robber estranged from his daughter, Tatum admitted it wasn’t difficult to channel the role’s emotional weight. “Jenna and I are good now, but it was a painful break to have that fall apart, especially being so young,” Tatum revealed. “We tried to keep it together, tried for a year and a half, but we knew it was…” he trailed off, before cutting himself short.

The actor went on to share the hardest part of the split is co-parenting Everly. “It’s really tough not to have your daughter half the time. I wish I could just have her all the time,” he admitted.

What began as an amicable split quickly turned into a drawn-out legal war between Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. After announcing their separation in 2018, the couple spent the next six years locked in disputes over finances and custody arrangements for their daughter, Everly.

The biggest sticking points were tied to money. Dewan sought a share of profits from Tatum’s "Magic Mike" franchise, which launched into a multimillion-dollar empire with films, a Las Vegas residency, and an international live tour. Tatum countered that much of the success came after their separation and should not be subject to division.

Custody of Everly was another major hurdle, with both stars determined to secure significant time with their daughter. Court filings over the years revealed how contentious the negotiations became, with each side arguing over parenting schedules and financial support.

While their legal battle dragged on, personal tensions often spilled into the spotlight. Jenna Dewan detailed her struggles in her 2019 memoir "Gracefully You," where she admitted she felt “blindsided” by the news of Tatum’s romance with singer Jessie J.

“I was learning things about my ex most people wouldn’t have to face and over the internet, as it was happening,” Dewan wrote. “There I was, on a plane, alone, finding out about his new relationship. Choosing grace as I learned everything about my personal situation along with the rest of the world was really difficult.”

After years of back-and-forth, the former couple finally reached a settlement in September 2024.

The actor has previously opened up about the toll his breakup took. In a 2023 interview with Vanity Fair, Tatum admitted he and Dewan “fought for it for a really long time,” even as they both knew they had 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,” he explained. “When you’re actually parents, you really understand the 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.”

Looking back, Tatum said their split forced him into deep self-reflection.

“In the beginning, it was super scary and terrifying. Your life just turns on its axis,” he recalled. “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?’”

Still, the actor believes the breakup was ultimately necessary. “It was probably exactly what I needed,” he admitted. “I don’t think I would’ve ever done the work on myself in the way that I had to do the work on myself to really try to figure out what’s next.”

While the divorce may have been drawn out and painful, Tatum says he and Dewan have found peace.