Channing Tatum Admitted He Wouldn't Be So Ripped If He Wasn't Paid To Be

The struggle to maintain a solid workout routine has always been extremely real, and it doesn’t help that gyms were mostly closed in 2020 due to the COVD-19 pandemic. If you want to get in shape, you need not only motivation but time, too — and you’ll be shocked to hear Magic Mike superstar Channing Tatum battles with his own personal workout dilemmas. Even though the 41-year-old actor frequents the silver screen with his shirt off, Channing Tatum’s quotes about being paid to work out are so relatable, even if you just exercise for fun.

Tatum has definitely carved out a place for himself in Hollywood as that hunky, hilarious actor for which shirts are optional. In the early 2000s, he had everyone blushing as he played the lead heartthrob in She’s the Man and the original Step Up. Then, years later, he left audiences shook when he transformed into a handsome male stripper for the Magic Mike movies — and starring in a bunch of action, romance, and comedy films along the way.

While you may think none of these roles are related, they all share one thing: almost all of them showcased the actor’s hot bod in some capacity. So, you can see why working out is quite literally part of Tatum’s job. But despite Tatum getting paid to go hard in the gym, he recently admitted that finding the time to do so is still a challenge. Been there!

“I literally get to work out as a job and it’s still hard,” he said in a May 4 interview on the Kelly Clarkson Show. “I can’t imagine people who have a 9-5 job, who have kids at home, and where do they get the energy and the time to actually focus on themselves?”

Tatum is so right. Fitness lovers with regular jobs and kids are so badass for finding time to work out even while juggling family life and work. But the Magic Mike actor didn't stop his confessions there — he also noted that if it weren’t for his line of work, his appearance would be totally different.

“As someone who works out for a job, I promise you I would not look like this unless I had to be naked in most of my movies,” he said. “At some point I have to get better at acting so I don’t have to be naked in all of them.”

You gotta love Chan’s candor — but let’s be real. Tatum is a great actor. Though, absolutely no one is complaining about seeing him naked. Keep doing your thing, king! We literally love to see it.