RIP to America’s coolest couple: Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum. People reports that the couple have called off their engagement after three years together, which is sad news for folks who love when beautiful people have chemistry. Remember when they shared that bike? Well, it was fun while it lasted. In loving memory, let’s look back at how we got here.
Rumors of a relationship started right after Kravitz’s divorce
In January 2021, People reported that Zoë Kravitz had filed for divorce from her husband, Karl Glusman, the month prior. Mere days later, someone sent in a DeuxMoi tip that Kravitz was already dating someone new, and the gossip account hinted that her new beau was an “A-list movie actor who has a talent you don’t see in many male actors.” People began to speculate that Kravitz had started dating Channing Tatum, his “talent” being dancing and/or stripping.
That rumor was quickly shut down, with a source telling People, “They’re working together on an upcoming project and it’s not true that they’re dating.” In retrospect, this does seem like it might have been a lie.
The project formerly known as Pussy Island is announced
That June, Deadline reported that Kravitz would be making her directorial debut with a film starring Tatum, then called Pussy Island. Tatum would star as tech billionaire and philanthropist Slater King, a role that Kravitz had written with him in mind.
“I just knew from Magic Mike and his live shows, I got the sense he’s a true feminist and I wanted to collaborate with someone who was clearly interested in exploring this subject matter,” she told Deadline, explaining that he was her first choice for the role.
For his part, Tatum was excited that Kravitz had the confidence to tell him his sartorial choices weren’t working. “When someone can just come out and tell me I should not be wearing Crocs, and is so adamant about it, she completely convinced me and I never wear Crocs anymore,” he said.
“Just to be clear, there are people out there who can pull off the Crocs thing; I just wasn’t sure you were one of them.” Kravitz said.
This is definitely flirting, right?
The dating rumors returned
It definitely was flirting, because a couple months later, these two were spotted sharing a BMX bike in the East Village. The photos are awesome. Tatum was sporting a new, admittedly cooler look, something that would become a theme during his early outings with Kravitz.
A week later, they all but confirmed their relationship by shopping for toilet paper on the way to an upstate getaway. Who are you doing that with if not a lover?
It’s (tabloid) official
Kravitz and Tatum kicked off September 2021 by making their relationship tabloid official. Several sources spoke to People about this burgeoning romance, with one person saying, “They have this cute and flirty chemistry.” I believe it! Another person, an “industry source,” told the magazine, “Zoë thinks Channing has depth both as an actor and a person.” Shout-out to that industry source for remembering that these two had a movie to promote.
They went to the Met Gala … separately
The couple did not walk the carpet together for the 2021 “In America”–themed Met Gala. However, they did leave together, and Tatum was styled in his tux by his girlfriend’s stylist. She really did enjoy doing Extreme Makeover: Boyfriend Edition. It all started with the Crocs.
They did a couple’s costume
For Halloween, they went as Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) and Iris (Jodie Foster) from Taxi Driver. I bring this up only because these two will execute a much better movie-inspired couple’s costume later, and you need the comparison. Also, I love that Tatum, who posted this photo originally, was a Huji guy.
Tatum bonded with Jason Momoa
In March 2022, Kravitz starred as Catwoman in The Batman. Jason Momoa, who had recently announced his split from Kravitz’s mother, Lisa Bonet, shared a very sweet Instagram post about him and Tatum flying out to support Kravitz at the premiere.
On the red carpet, when asked if he approved of Kravitz and Tatum’s relationship, Momoa told People, “He’s wonderful. … She’s a big girl.” Okay, a weird answer to a weird question.
Kravitz sort of opened up about their relationship
For a while, Kravitz and Tatum remained very private about their relationship. When asked about their romance in Elle in February 2022, Kravitz simply said, “I’m happy.” By August, she was a little more comfortable opening up.
“Do I want to go into that? I guess what I’ll say is when you make things with people it’s a very sacred space, and when you’re compatible with somebody creatively it often opens up other channels, because you’re kind of sharing all of yourself,” Kravitz told WSJ Mag when asked about her relationship with Tatum. “I’m really grateful that this movie has brought him into my life that way.”
A couple months later, Kravitz talked about Tatum with GQ. “He’s just a wonderful human. He makes me laugh and we both really love art and talking about art and the exploration of why we do what we do. We love to watch a film and break it down and talk about it and challenge each other,” she told the magazine, noting that they love the collaborations between real-life partners John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands. She also explained what was going on in those early photos of them on the BMX bike.
She was headed to her writing partner’s apartment, but was getting hot in the jeans she had picked out. “I was sweating and he was like, ‘Get on the bike, I’ll ride you over and you can relax,’” she recalled. It’s nice to learn that Tatum is just as sweet as you think he is.
They got engaged!
There wasn’t too much from the couple for most of 2023. Tatum revealed to Vanity Fair why he was following Kravitz fan accounts on Instagram (“I have no chill … I was just seeing what she was up to! Also, I didn’t know anyone would know.”) The couple went to Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley’s wedding in New Jersey. Then, in October, People reported that they were engaged.
In genuinely iconic fashion, what tipped people off was the couple’s brilliant Rosemary’s Baby Halloween costume (this is the one I alluded to earlier). She was Mia Farrow, and he was a big baby. She was also sporting a massive rock on her ring finger. Sources later confirmed to People that the ring was not costume jewelry and the couple was, in fact, engaged.
RIP, Pussy Island
In January 2024, Pussy Island was renamed Blink Twice. Boo! It was also announced that the film would be coming out this summer. Yay! Kravitz shared a photo of her and Tatum as part of the announcement.
Lenny spilled the beans about their wedding plans
In June, Lenny Kravitz appeared on a podcast and went dad mode — by which I mean he couldn’t help but talk about his daughter’s wedding plans. “He fits and they’re in love,” Papa Kravitz said of Tatum. “We’re going to have a wedding next year.”
Kravitz continued on, with nothing but positive things to say about his future son-in-law. “He was raised well,” he said. “So, you know, he’s got manners. He’s charming. He’s a soulful human being. And so he’s become part of the family quite quickly.”
They went on a Blink Twice media blitz
These two were fully open about their relationship by the time they started their Blink Twice press tour. On the red carpet for Fly Me to the Moon, Tatum said that he loved working with Kravitz, who was his girlfriend by the time they started filming. “Working with your partner … I know a lot of people are afraid of it; it was the thing that cemented us, in a way.”
They were everywhere in the ensuing weeks. They took the Vanity Fair lie-detector test. They hung out with puppies for a BuzzFeed video. They even went into the Criterion closet together, which of course is one of the most intimate things a couple can do. Blink Twice received mixed to positive reviews, but one thing we could all agree on was that these two had a good thing going on.
Nothing gold can stay …
In late October, People reported that Kravitz and Tatum had called off their engagement after three years together. Who is going to get custody of their Seven Samurai Blu-ray?? There was no reason given for their split, but there were signs for people paying attention.
The last time these two were seen in public together was at the beginning of the month, when they went to see Blink Twice actor Levon Hawke in a play in Red Hook. More recently, Kravitz was spotted without her engagement ring while hanging out with her Big Little Lies co-star Shailene Woodley.
In an odd twist of timing, Deadline announced that the couple would be working together again just hours before news of their split went public. They’ve both signed on to be in Alpha Gang, an “anticipated alien invasion comedy” starring Cate Blanchett. Hopefully, they can navigate the transition back to co-workers without it being too awkward.
This post has been updated.