Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum’s Daughter Everly Steps Up to 6th Grade
Originally appeared on E! Online
Everly Tatum just stepped into her new school era.
The 11-year-old daughter of Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan kicked off her sixth grade on Aug. 28, rocking a chic ensemble in baggy sheer white cargo pants and a matching top that ties at the neck.
The tween was serving major Gen Alpha vibes with thick cut bangs and her bold ensemble as she cradled her infant sister Rhiannan Kazee, 2 months, while posing next to her brother Callum Kazee, 4.
"First day of 6th grade and the emotions are flowing hard today!” Jenna, who shares Callum and Rhiannan with her fiancé Steve Kazee, wrote on her Aug. 28 Instagram Story. “My perspective on time has changed so much lately and it all just seems to go too fast.”
The Step Up star also shared a selfie with her eldest child on her milestone day, writing, “Ev Bev.”
While Everly is heading into a new year in school, her estranged parents are still going through their contenious divorce proceedings after Jenna originally filed in 2018.
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But despite the messy legal battle, the exes remain committed to co-parenting Everly.
The Magic Mike star, who is currently engaged to Zoe Kravitz, has been candid in the past about choosing to raise Everly different from his own upbringing.
"I was raised very, very different," he said on Today With Hoda & Jenna in May 2023. "South — dad just, ‘Touch that again, you're going to get a whipping' sort of situation and we don't spank Evy, so it's one of those gentle kind of things, but having to learn where to be strong, where to be firm, but not in the way I was."
In fact, being a single parent and a girl dad inspired Channing's children book series, The One and Only Sparkella.
"I was looking up YouTube on how to braid hair," he explained regarding the series' origin. "Like, I didn't want to be the dad that was just delivering a kid to school looking like she had just slept on the street."
"This series of books kind of came from that," he continued. "It was really trying to figure out how to talk to a little girl."
As for Jenna, she previously opened up about co-parenting with her ex and how it has changed for their blended family over time.
"Like everything else in life, you learn as you go. You shift and evolve and you adapt to how life is presenting itself to you," she told People in June of her co-parenting philosophy. "That includes getting the new normal of a blended family."
But one thing that has never changed for the parents: prioritizing their daughter.
As Jenna put it, "Kids always come first. How you feel about your kids. How you treat your kids. Kids always come first above everything else."
For more of Jenna's thoughts on motherhood, read on.
On What She's Learned From Her Kids
"I let them be who they are and I try to just guide them gently without putting my own agenda on them," she told E! News' Francesca Amiker at the Baby2Baby Mother's Day celebration in Los Angeles in April 2024. "I really just try to watch them and learn from them and guide them."
This has helped strengthen their bond. "If you are conscious about it, you can start to see that they are reflecting back to you all aspects and different aspects and it's like a prism of yourself," the Rookie actress said. "So it's like a very beautiful and incredible learning, growing relationship."
On Embracing Your True Self After Motherhood
"Apparently, when you become a mother, you're supposed to leave your sexuality at the door, and I never understood that," Jenna Dewan told Women's Health in July 2018. "I think there's nothing sexier than becoming a mother. You give life. It's everything. And you don't change who you are inside just because you have a kid."
On Her Daughter’s Personal Style
The actress also gushed about her daughter Everly finding her own sense of style at a young age. From dressing in her favorite colors to rocking anything with glitter, she is all about letting her daughter try new looks.
"She has got the most unique style. The girl picks out her clothes every single morning. She is so funky. We went an entire year where she only wore purple, but now we're more into anything that has glitter," she revealed to People in Dec. 2017. "But she's tomboy, so she's got the big chunky sneakers with the leggings, with the tutu, anything that has glitter, magical anything. She's very into that right now."
On Giving Her Daughter Self-Confidence
Jenna knows the importance of encouraging Everly and allowing her to build self-confidence from a young age.
"Starting early and starting to build her confidence in her true authenticity and herself is important, because then when the influences come in that will try and tell her, ‘You're not great' and ‘You're not amazing,' she'll have that strong sense of reminding," she shared with People in 2017.
On Feeling Empowered by Motherhood
The Soundtrack star revealed that becoming a mother allowed her to feel more empowered.
"I believe that I can do and accomplish anything at any point with any amount of sleep with any amount of stressors in life," she explained to Us Weekly in Oct. 2019. "[When you have a child], you know that you love something and you can commit and dedicate yourself to something so much, that you can do anything. [It] made me feel very empowered."
On Expanding Her Family
Is there anything sweeter than this pregnancy announcement? Jenna revealed that she was expecting her first child with Steve Kazee, her boyfriend, in Sept. 2019 on Instagram after welcoming Everly with her ex-husband, Channing Tatum six years earlier.
She wrote, "Becoming a mother is quite simply the absolute best most incredible thing that has ever happened to me. @stevekazee you are a gift from above and i couldn't be more excited to be expanding our family together...! Thank you guys for all the love!!"
On Finding Balancing
The Resident actress shared how her outlook on work and finding balance has evolved since giving birth to Everly.
"My [daughter] Everly changed [everything] for me. Now I think, ‘What can I do to be there for her, and how long will I be away for a project?' I say no to a lot now," she said. "When you are a dancer, you are a hustler by nature…I was scared but the universe was like, ‘We got you.' I'm doing what I love more but I don't have to say yes all the time," she explained at The Wrap's Power Women Summit in Oct. 2019.
On Protecting Her Daughter
In 2019, Dewan released her first book, Gracefully You: Finding Beauty and Balance in the Everyday, and opened up about her fears about finding love again after her split from Tatum the previous year. Her no. 1 concern was her daughter, of course!
"Then there was my daughter. She's very shy and funny and standoffish with men. It takes her a long time to warm up to others. I predicted this child was going to be jealous of whoever else I spent my time with. How would I ever date with her blessing? My fears were going haywire," she wrote.
On Her Unconditional Love for Everly
The former World of Dance host gushed about Everly on Instagram shortly before her 5th birthday.
"And ohhhhh myyy goodnesssss to this little fairy baby right here. Thank you Everly for choosing me as your mother. I will love, cherish and support you till the end of time. You teach me every single day and i am continually in awe of your strength and your wisdom. I can't believe this was almost 5 years ago....!!!! Love you bigger than the sky and all the stars," she posted.
On Her Daughter’s Halloween Costumes
Dewan and her daughter take Halloween seriously. In fact, Everly had two costumes for the spooky holiday in 2019.
"We went through many, many sort of ideas and I finally said this is your deadline. You have to decide by today. She chose angel for the day and peacock at night," Dewan revealed on GMA.
"All of the sudden it was peacock. Peacock? I was like, 'Where did that come from?' but she's very excited," she continued.
