Channing Tatum is one Hollywood star who is always in the news. If it is not for his acting prowess in movies such as Step Up, Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street, The Vow, G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, She’s The Man, and White House Down, then it will be for his other creative pursuits that include him serving as a producer of some Hollywood blockbusters.
Another aspect of Tatum’s life that regularly fascinates the news hunters is his love life. The actor was formerly half of one of the most beloved couples in the movie industry. That union has since come to an end several years after it began and the Magic Mike star has found himself on the singles market once more with all the idiosyncrasies that come with it.
Going from Stripper to Professional Dancer
Channing Matthew Tatum was born on the 26th of April 1980 in the town of Cullman, Alabama. His mom, Kay (nee Faust) was an airline worker while his dad, Glenn, was a construction worker. The actor also has a sister named Paige.
Tatum spent his formative years in Mississippi and later, Florida. He started his education at Gaither High School and completed it at Tampa Catholic School in 1988. While in school, the future Hollywood star excelled in sports such as baseball, football, soccer, and martial arts. He, however, had a hard time with academics due to Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
Despite these challenges, Tatum was able to land a football scholarship to Glenville State College where he briefly studied before dropping out. On leaving school, he worked various odd jobs. He also worked as a male stripper at a local club known as Male Encounter in 1999. He stripped under the name Chan Crawford.
While working as a male stripper, Channing Tatum was spotted by a casting director who offered him the role of a dancer in a music video. He accepted and was paid $400 for the gig. From there, the Alabama native commenced modeling for big brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Dolce & Gabbana, Nautica, and Armani, among others. He was also featured in ads for beverage giants such as Pepsi and Mountain Dew.
Channing Tatum Tasted Success with Roles in Step Up, Magic Mike, and 21 Jump Street
Channing Tatum landed his first movie role in 2005 in Coach Carter. From there, he went on to appear in movies such as She’s The Man, Havoc, and Supercross, also in 2005. The actor got his big break the following year as he landed the lead role in the 2006 dance film, Step Up. Even though the movie did not receive positive reviews from critics, it did marvelously well at the box office and spurned four sequels.
Since his breakout year of 2006, Tatum has solidified his status as a Hollywood star, appearing in several movies and winning many awards. One of his most popular movies to date is Magic Mike (2012) and Magic Mike XXL (2015). Both movies center on male stripping and are partially based on Tatum’s real-life experiences. The movie featured stars such as Matthew McConaughey and grossed over $289.2 million combined at the box office.
Another noteworthy project that Tatum has starred in is the 2012 action-comedy, 21 Jump Street. In it, he teamed up with Jonah Hill to portray two police officers who go undercover as high schoolers in order to bust a drug ring. 21 Jump Street was an overwhelming critical success and fetched Tatum the Teen Choice award for the best comedy actor.
Tatum’s Work as a Producer
Many of us know Channing Tatum as one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood but what is not well known is that he is equally a fast-rising producer and that his production aspirations go way back.
Following the release of Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street in 2012, Tatum was literally the biggest film star on the planet. People Magazine named him the sexiest man alive as he appeared on the cover of several other magazines. Through all the euphoria, the Alabama native remained calm headed and stated that his aspirations were to produce all the movies he features in so as to have a hand in every part of the creative process.
Tatum has kept his eye on that plan and has founded two production companies; Iron Horse Entertainment and 33andOut productions. He has also served as the executive producer of about 10 projects thus far; 8 movies, 1 TV series, and 1 documentary. Some of the works he has produced include Magic Mike, Magic Mike XXL, 10 Years, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, Step Up (TV series), and 6 Balloons.
These works have gone on to garner not only positive reviews from fans but also perform well at the box office. For instance, Magic Mike was named on the top ten movies of the year by critics such as Indiewire, Newsday, The New Yorker, and The A.V. Club. It also grossed $167.2 million on a budget of just $7 million; and all this spurred Tatum and his team to go back and drop the sequel, Magic Mike XXL, in 2015. XXL grossed slightly lesser than the original, $122 million, but still received positive reviews.
Channing Tatum also served as the producer of 21 Jump Street. The film impressed moviegoers and won the award for best comedy movie at the Teen Choice Awards. It also spurned a sequel, 22 Jump Street, in which both Tatum and Hill reprised their roles, this time as undercover college students. 22 did even better than the original, grossing $331 million against its predecessors’ $201.6 million. It has a score of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been described as the rare sequel which improves on the original.
Understanding What Went Wrong in Channing Tatum’s Marriage To Jenna Dewan
Channing Tatum was previously married to his Step Up co-star, Jenna Lee Dewan. They fell in love while filming the movie and tied the knot in July 2009. The couple remained together for nearly nine years during which they collaborated on some projects, including the YouTube series of Step Up. They also welcomed a daughter, named Everly, in May 2013.
Tatum and his wife were one of the most loved couples in Hollywood. The fairy tale, however, came to an end in April 2018 when they announced their separation. They officially filed for divorce in October 2018. The couple never gave any elaborate reason for their divorce save for the fact that they were heading on different paths and wanted to help each other have the most joyous and fulfilled lives possible. They maintained that no salacious secret informed their decision and asked the public to respect their privacy.
This was of course not respected as several theories flew about the couple. The consensus, however, remained that they had simply fallen out of love, a fact that was worsened by their busy schedules which limited their time together. The couple’s divorce was finalized in January 2020 and child custody was split evenly between the two. They also agreed not to put their daughter in any sponsored posts on social media.
His On and Off Romance with Singer Jessie J
Following his separation from his wife, Channing Tatum flew solo for a few months before striking up a romance with superstar British singer, Jessie J, who has dropped several hit singles such as “Price Tag” and “Bang Bang” and is the first British female musician to have six singles from a solo album reach the top ten on the UK Singles Chart. She has received several awards and performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.
Tatum and J were first spotted together in October 2018. Things quickly proceeded from there and before long, the actor was spotted at his girl’s performance at Wiltern Theatre. She in turn also attended the opening night of Magic Mike Live in London in November 2018.
The couple’s romance ran for about a year before they called things quits in November 2019. They subsequently got back together in January 2020 and made a series of red carpet appearances at the MusicCares Person of the Year Awards as well as Pre-Grammys gala. The couple, however, broke up again in April 2020 and the Magic Mike star appears to have remained single ever since.
