Wait, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan are still divorcing?
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Hello and welcome to Gossip Time, a weekly guide to the stars by Allie Jones. This week: an ex-couple goes to the mat over IP, a Duchess goes to Netflix with some new ideas, and Orlando Bloom goes to the bottom of the ocean.
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Six years ago this month, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan announced they were getting a divorce in one of the most flowery and inane joint statements ever posted to Instagram. “We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple,” they wrote. “We fell deeply in love so many years ago and have had a magical journey together. Absolutely nothing has changed about how much we love one another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now. There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision — just two best friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible. We are still a family and will always be loving dedicated parents to Everly.”
Despite their insistence that their gorgeous, magical journey was heading in a joyous, loving direction, their split hasn’t actually been that friendly. Tatum and Dewan, both 43, were in and out of court fighting over custody of their daughter for years (they finally agreed to a 50/50 split in 2020). And as of this week, they are still hammering away at a financial settlement. Both moved on romantically a long time ago: Tatum first with Jessie J and now Zoë Kravitz, and Dewan with Broadway actor Steve Kazee (she is currently pregnant with their second child). What is going on?
According to court documents obtained by People, Dewan has accused Tatum of cutting her out of lucrative deals related to Magic Mike intellectual property. Oh boy. Dewan was not a producer on any of the films, but she claimed in her filing that the original project “was developed and co-financed by Channing with community effort and marital funds.” Now, she says Tatum refuses to agree to an “equal division” of the IP and has disguised income from it in their ongoing divorce. Both parties look like they are ready to go to trial over this.
Tatum argues Dewan is not entitled to the IP as he “has expended extensive efforts since separation towards the enhancement of the Magic Mike intellectual property and related entities.” The first two Magic Mike movies came out during the marriage, but the third film, as well as a London stage musical and an HBO Max reality show, came after.
I guess this explains why neither party has gotten married again — Dewan has been engaged to Kazee for four years, and Tatum is more recently engaged to Kravitz. (Dewan literally appeared on the cover of the bridal magazine The Knot in 2021, talking some nonsense about planning a “sustainable” wedding.) The exes have a hearing scheduled for today, and both are expected to testify. Tatum has also requested that Kazee testify “regarding his and Petitioner’s cohabitation, joint expenses and all related matters.”
Hopefully everyone comes to a magical arrangement.
Speaking of intellectual property, it looks like our favorite ex-royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are creating some guaranteed hits of their own. The trades reported yesterday that the couple has two new shows in production at Netflix, and they both sound, uh, really good. The first is a documentary series that will show Meghan celebrating “the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship.” Those are the main joys, yes?
The second is another documentary series about the gritty underbelly of the world of professional polo. “Both untitled shows are in early stages of production,” Deadline notes. Of course.
H and M are very busy all of the sudden: In addition to these new projects, they are also reportedly working on a film adaptation of a romance novel for Netflix. And then there’s Meghan’s new podcast with Lemonada Media (why) and her percolating jams-and-nut-butters emporium American Riviera Orchard. I’m sure all of this will come to fruition before the year is out.
STUFF BY HILARY DUFF: Hilary Duff shared her birth playlist on Instagram this week. It’s titled “Hilary’s birth playlist 🧝🏼♀️4 let’s gooooo” and contains both “Angel” by Shaggy and “Whenever You’re On My Mind” by Marshall Crenshaw. I love it!
Finally, I’ll leave you with the latest update in our ongoing Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom Breakup Watch series:
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