Channing Tatum Started Out As A Stripper And Now He's A Leading Hollywood Man

February 28, 2018

Channing Tatum is quite the charmer. His chiseled face and muscles get the ladies swooning. The fact that he used to be a stripper before his acting career kicked off has simply intensified the adoration.

A post shared by Magic Mike XXL (@magicmikemovie) on Oct 27, 2015 at 11:49am PDT

A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on May 5, 2016 at 6:17pm PDT

Channing Has Nothing To Be Ashamed Of

The Hollywood hunk has been open about his stripping past for some years now. In 2009, a video emerged of a much younger Channing dancing on a stage in a strip club.

A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on Nov 1, 2014 at 4:59pm PDT

His acting career was just beginning to take off and the revelation presented a public relations nightmare for him.

After being honored with the Trailblazer Award last year, #ChanningTatum now has FOUR @MTV #MovieAwards nominations this year, including Best Male Performance and Best Shirtless Performance in #Foxcatcher! He was also nominated for Best Comedic Performance and Best Duo (with #JonahHill) for #22JumpStreet! http://bit.ly/ctmtv2015

A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on Mar 4, 2015 at 2:05pm PST

If his PR team feared that, it would affect his chances of having a serious acting career. Channing's response turned a bad situation into a great opportunity.

He made it clear in a profile on GQ that he had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Magic Mike"

One of his most significant roles to date is loosely based on his experience as a stripper. The film, Magic Mike, tells the story of an older stripper, Mike Lane (played by Channing Tatum), who mentors a young inexperienced stripper.

Got to spend the day with these guys at #CinemaCon. Let the #MagicMikeXXL madness begin! You ready? #ComeAgain #July1

A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on Apr 21, 2015 at 8:31pm PDT

It was a box office hit, earning Channing critical acclaim.

How He Told Jenna

If you are wondering how the father of one broached the subject of his past with members of his family, he has said that he was very upfront about it.

The magic has arrived! @channingtatum & jennaldewan grace the #MagicMikeXXL carpet.

A post shared by Magic Mike XXL (@magicmikemovie) on Jun 25, 2015 at 8:11pm PDT

After Channing met his wife Jenna Dewan Tatum on the set of the dance movie Step Up, he told her about his past on their first date. Jenna did not seem to mind much.

A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on Mar 21, 2015 at 9:15pm PDT

There is every indication that mutual honesty is one of the bedrocks of their relationship, if their public personas are anything to go by.