Channing Matthew Tatum was born on April 26, 1980,[1][2] inCullman, Alabama, to Kay Tatum (née Faust), an airline worker, and Glenn Tatum, a construction worker.[3][4] He has a sister named Paige. He is of Irish, French, and German ancestry.[5] His family moved toGautier, Mississippi, in thePascagoula area, when he was six. Until he was ten years old, he lived in a rural setting near thebayous along thePascagoula River.[6][7]
Tatum spent most of his teenage years in theTampa area, where he initially attendedGaither High School. His parents wanted more effort and gave him the option of selecting a private high school or attending a military school; he choseTampa Catholic High School, where he graduated in 1998 and was voted most athletic.[10] He later attendedGlenville State College inGlenville, West Virginia on a football scholarship, but dropped out.[11]
Us Weekly reported that around this time Tatum left his job as a roofer and began working as astripper at a localnightclub under the name "Chan Crawford".[12][13] In 2010, he told an Australian newspaper that he wanted to make a film about his experiences as a stripper.[14] That idea led to the filmMagic Mike.[13]
Career
2000s
In 2000, Tatum was first cast as a dancer inRicky Martin's "She Bangs" music video,[15] after an audition inOrlando, Florida; he was paid $400 for the job. His experience in the fashion industry began as a model working for noted clients such asArmani andAbercrombie & Fitch. He soon moved into television commercials, landing national spots forMountain Dew andPepsi in 2002. He subsequently signed with Page 305 (Page Parkes Modeling Agency), a modeling agency inMiami. He was cast by Al David forVogue magazine and soon after appeared in campaigns forAbercrombie & Fitch,Nautica,Dolce & Gabbana,American Eagle Outfitters, andEmporio Armani. He was picked as one ofTear Sheet magazine's "50 Most Beautiful Faces" of October 2001. Tatum signed withFord Models in New York City.[16]
Tatum in 2009
In 2006, Tatum starred inShe's The Man oppositeAmanda Bynes, which was named "the greatest Shakespeare adaptation since '10 Things I Hate About You'" byBusiness Insider.[17] Later that year, Tatum starred opposite his future wifeJenna Dewan inStep Up, which was his breakout role. Although it was widely panned, it has earned $115 million worldwide.[18]
Tatum also starred inMagic Mike, a film based on his eight-month experience as a stripper in Florida. The film was directed by Soderbergh,[25] was co-produced by Tatum and Soderbergh, and starred Tatum as Mike. He is a featured performer at a Tampa, Florida, male strip club who takes a younger dancer (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing to show him how to hustle "on and off stage".[25] The film's cast also includedMatt Bomer,Joe Manganiello, andMatthew McConaughey.[25]
Tatum reprised his role from21 Jump Street in its sequel,22 Jump Street, which was released on June 13, 2014.[30] Also in 2014, he co-starred withSteve Carell inFoxcatcher, the story ofJohn du Pont, who had schizophrenia and killed Olympic wrestlerDave Schultz, the brother of the character played by Tatum, who also had won Olympic gold.[31] In 2015, Tatum starred inMagic Mike XXL, reprising his 2012 role.
In 2023, Tatum returned as Mike Lane inMagic Mike's Last Dance with Steven Soderbergh as director. The film was set for an exclusive premiere on HBO Max,[40] but it was instead released in theaters on February 10, 2023.[41]
Tatum's performance as a conman with a heart-of-gold in the 2025 filmRoofman has garnered him the "best reviews of his career."[44]
Other ventures
Business
In October 2012, Tatum and a friend opened the Saints and Sinners burlesque-themed restaurant and bar in New Orleans, which remained open until 2024.[45]
Production companies
In an interview withDetails magazine, published in early 2012, Tatum said he wants to produce all the films he stars in, "I really don't want to be in any more movies that I don't produce. Unless it's with one of the 10 directors that I really want to work with, I don't have any interest in not being on the ground floor of creating it."[46] He, his then-wifeJenna Dewan, and their production partnerReid Carolin signed a two-year production deal in 2010 withRelativity Media for any films they may develop during that time.[47]
Tatum started two production companies, 33andOut Productions[48] and Iron Horse Entertainment.[49] Their first production was the 2010 documentaryEarth Made of Glass. In 2021, another one of his production companies, Free Association, signed a first look deal withMGM.[50]
Writing
Tatum has written two picture books inspired by his daughter.[51] The first,The One and Only Sparkella (2021), was a #1New York Times bestseller for children's picture books the week it published.[52]The One and Only Sparkella Makes a Plan was published in 2022.[53]
Tatum and then-wife Jenna Dewan at thePeabody Awards 2012
In 2006, Tatum met actressJenna Dewan on the set of their filmStep Up, and they married on July 11, 2009, inMalibu, California.[57] They have one daughter, born in 2013.[58] On April 2, 2018, the couple announced they were separating.[59] Six months later, Dewan filed for divorce from Tatum.[60] The divorce was finalized in November 2019.[61] In a 2023 interview withVanity Fair, Tatum questioned whether he would ever remarry, though said his divorce prompted self-improvement, including a strong relationship with his daughter.[51]
Tatum dated English singerJessie J from 2018 to 2020.[62][63][64] In 2021, Tatum started datingZoë Kravitz and, by 2023, the couple wereengaged.[65][66] The engagement was called off in October 2024.[67] In April 2025, it was confirmed that Tatum is in a relationship with model Inka Williams.[68]
In February 2026, Tatum suffered a severe shoulder injury that resulted in surgery and him having to drop-out of a film titledKockroach.[69][70]
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