Channing Tatum Opens up About His ‘Fear’ of Single Parenting After Jenna Dewan Divorce

Channing Tatum is looking back on how his perspective on being a father has changed since splitting from wife Jenna Dewan in April 2018. The Magic Mike actor, 40, told Parents magazine Monday ahead of the release of his new children’s book, The One and Only Sparkella, that he initially had “a lot of fear” when he became a single father of daughter Everly, now 7.

“I want dads not to be afraid to go into their daughter’s world and discover who they are,” he shared with the publication. “When I became a single father, I had a lot of fear about connecting to Everly in every way that a little girl might want.” Tatum and Dewan welcomed Everly four years after their July 2009 wedding, and the Dear John actor admitted that his connection with his little girl shifted dramatically after he and her mother decided to part ways, giving him more one-on-one time with Everly.

“I didn’t wear nail polish or know how to braid hair. But now I do both,” he said. “I jumped with both feet into this magical world, and I was rewarded with a kind of love that I don’t think I would have ever been able to have otherwise.” Tatum joked that he’s now “rarely” seen without “some sort of costume on” as his plays with his little girl, who helped inspire his new book. “Just like Sparkella, Evie loves to play tricks, wear crazy outfits, and be different from everyone. She’s bold, beautiful, and magical in every way,” the She’s the Man actor explained.

Tatum and Dewan have managed to keep a healthy co-parenting relationship throughout their split. While the 21 Jump Street actor dated singer Jessie J on and off from 2018 to late 2020, the World of Dance alum got engaged to Tony winner Steve Kazee in February 2020 before welcoming son Callum a month later. Dewan told Women’s Health in February of this year that she has embraced everything that has come her way with her relationships and parenting, making the changes of the last couple years far easier.

“I got here by following the flow,” she told the outlet. “I’ve really been big on that. I know when I’m swimming upstream and fighting it. … You can’t really control how life is going to look — you just know how you want to feel. I am in no way at that point where I’m like, ‘I’ve got it all figured out.’ I’m still learning more about myself every single day: what I want, how I want to experience it.”