Surprising Employment

Channing's success did not come from football, however. After dropping out of college, he spent time working as a construction worker, stripper, mortgage broker, and salesman. He was discovered by a model talent scout and became a sought after model for companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Nautica, Gap, Aeropostale, Emporio Armani, American Eagle, Pepsi, and Mountain Dew. He was a dancer in Ricky Martin's “She Bangs” music video and was reportedly paid $400 for his work.

Channing's brief stint as an 18-year old stripper under the name “Chan Crawford” provided the basis for the film Magic Mike in which he starred. The plot revolves around a 19 year old male stripper who is guided by a mentor into the world of amle stripping. It was filmed in several locations around West Central Florida, the area where Channing once worked. The movie was released on June 29, 2012 by Warner Bros and was a critical and commercial success. Its sequel, Magic Mike XXL was released on July 1, 2015.

Hollywood Success

Ultimately, it was his Channing's film career that created his fame. Channing is well known for roles in Magic Mike (2012), 21 Jump Street (2012), The Vow (2012), G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009) and it's sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013). He also produced the sequel to Magic Mike titled Magic Mike XXL (2015). His breakthrough role came in the dance film Step Up (2006) although his film debut was actually in Coach Carter in 2005.

Coach Carter was a sports drama released in 2005 that was based on the true story of high school basketball coach Ken Carter (played by Samual L. Jackson) who suspended his undefeated team due to their poor academic performance. Samuel L. Jackson won the NAACP Image Awards' “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” award for his role in the film, and the director, Thomas Carter, won both “Best Director” (Black Reel Awards of 2006) and “Outstanding Achivement in Directing” (Black Movie Awards 2005).

Marriage and Seperation

Following Coach Carter, Channing met his future wife, Jenna Dewan, on the set of Step Up (2006). It was Channing's first major breakout role and the film earned a reported $115 million worldwide. Jenna and Channing dated for a short period in 2006, even before the shooting was completed. They were engaged in 2008 and got married on July 11, 2009 at Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu, California. They have a daughter together named Everly Elizabeth Masiselle Tatum who was born on May 31, 2013 in London. Channing explained that Everly's names derived from he and Jenna's grandmothers on an interview with David Letterman.

People.com and CNN.com confirmed that Channing and Jeena announced their formal seperation after nine years of marriage on April 3, 2018. “We have lovingly chosen to seperate as a couple”, they stated on an Instagram announcement. “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 another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now.” They also mention that they will be coparenting their daughter, Everly. “We are still a family and will always be loving dedicated parents to Everly”, they write.

Other Meaningful Films

Channing starred alongside Amanda Bynes in She's the Man (2006) which has been named the greatest Shakespearean Remake by Business Insider. In 2008 he co-starred in the film Stop-Loss about soldiers returning home from the Iraq War. He also appeared in Battle in Seattle about the 1999 protest of the World Trade Organization in Seattle.

Channing was initially reluctant to accept the role of Duke in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. “I had no interest in going to play a fake soldier in a hyper-real kind of fantasy war” he stated. “...then it came back around and I met on it and I read the script finally and the script was great. It actually has nothing to do with war, nothing to do at all. It's X-Men and Mission Impossible, Star Wars. That's how it is. I got kind of excited about it and jumped on.” The film was based on the best-selling Hasbro toy franchise and was released on August 7, 2009. It earned over $300 million at the box office.