Jenna Explained What She Meant When She Said Channing "Wasn't Available"

Sorry, folks, but there’s no drama to see here... though fans thought there may be some trouble brewing after Jenna Dewan’s recent appearance on the Dear Gabby podcast. On Aug. 2, the actor opened up about her struggle to balance work and motherhood following the birth of her daughter, Everly, especially since her then-husband, Channing Tatum, was busy filming a project. “At the time, Chan wasn’t available to be with us, for the most part,” she said. Just a day later, Jenna Dewan clarified her comment about Channing Tatum after realizing the quote had been misconstrued by media platforms that made it seem like he wasn’t around by choice.

In a statement — which was posted to her Instagram Story on Aug. 3 — Dewan insisted she was discussing postpartum issues when she talked about her ex’s unavailability, and that the conversation had been taken out of context. “[The quotes] make it appear that I was slamming my daughter’s father, something I would never do,” Dewan wrote. “As two working parents, we both faced challenges at the time, but I speak only for myself and not about him. Anyone who actually listens to the interview, something I encourage everyone to do, will clearly see that my words have been distorted for clicks and to push false, salacious gossip with no regard for the actual people involved, or the message intended.” Case closed!

Dewan and Tatum were married for nearly a decade before going their separate ways, but ever since they finalized their divorce in November 2019, it seems the two have been amicable co-parents to Everly, who they welcomed in May 2013. And though Tatum said he was unsure how to raise a daughter partially on his own, he’s learned to embrace the role. “I was really nervous when I became a single dad, and having to raise a little girl, not being able to have the resource of a woman there to be able to lean into how to relate to her as she grows up,” he told People in May 2021. “I literally went to YouTube and learned how to braid hair.”

Everly is Tatum’s only child, while Dewan has since welcomed a son, Callum, with her fiancé, Steve Kazee. As Dewan recounted during her appearance on Dear Gabby, her experience of welcoming Callum into the world was much different than welcoming Everly, as Callum was born in March 2020 during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “This time around, I was so grounded,” she told host Gabrielle Bernstein. “Even though the world was crazy, I was home and in this love nest and it was different.”

Here’s hoping Dewan and Tatum continue to stay on good terms for Everly’s sake — and here’s hoping Dewan and Kazee start making some wedding plans soon, because I am so ready for it.