Channing Tatum and Roxane Gay Are Co-Writing a ‘Very Sexy’ Romance Novel — Here’s What We Know
Channing Tatum and celebrated author Roxane Gay are teaming up on a project that might surprise fans of both: a romance novel packed with, in Gay’s own words, “lots and lots of sex.”
The unlikely literary partnership between the Hollywood star and the writer best known for her essay collection “Bad Feminist” has been taking shape behind the scenes, and details have begun to emerge through a series of interviews Gay has given over the past couple of years.
How an Unlikely Partnership Began
The origin story of this collaboration is, by Gay’s own account, wonderfully improbable.
“A journalist asked him if he knew that there was this writer who had a crush on him and wrote a book called Bad Feminist,” Roxane recently explained to Dua Lipa on the Service95 podcast. “And he was like, ‘Oh, I haven’t heard of it, but I’ll look into it.’”
“And then he did. And then someone approached him about doing a book project,” she continued, “and he was like, ‘Yes, I would love to, if I can co-write it with this person.’”
What the Book Is About
Gay has offered glimpses into the novel’s plot, and it sounds like a fun twist on a familiar premise.
“It’s actually grounded in reality,” she said of the book’s plot on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last year. “You know how so many people make these little pacts? Like, ‘If we both turn 40 and we’re still single let’s get married.’ So they actually get married and then they fall in love afterwards.”
“A voluntary arranged marriage,” she laughed. “With lots and lots of sex in a bakery.”
The book? “It’s very sexy. Lots and lots of sex.”
Readers waiting for specifics will need a bit more patience. Details such as the official title, which publishing house won the bidding war for the project, and an exact release date have not yet been announced. Gay has mentioned that the book is expected to drop, hopefully next year, though nothing is set in stone.
Throughout the writing process, Gay has spoken candidly about what it has been like to collaborate with Tatum — who had previous experience as an author with his Sparkella series, inspired by his and ex Jenna Dewan’s daughter Everly, 12.
In a 2023 interview, Gay shared her observations about the actor’s character and self-awareness.
“For whatever reason, he is intimately aware of his privilege,” she shared with Vanity Fair in 2023. “He doesn’t apologize for it, which is, frankly, refreshing. Like, you’re an absurdly attractive famous wealthy white man. Please don’t pretend that isn’t great. But he treats people well.”
Equal Pay, Equal Partnership
One detail Gay has highlighted is how Tatum approached the financial side of their collaboration. The actor made sure that he and Gay were equally paid.
“To be clear, that is the right thing to do,” Roxane noted. “And we shouldn’t give medals to people for doing the right thing, but at the same time, most people simply don’t do the right thing and it is notable when it happens.”
Her remarks underscore the rarity of such equitable arrangements, even as she frames it as a straightforward matter of fairness rather than something deserving extraordinary praise.
With a premise that blends humor, romance, and a grounded emotional core, the collaboration between Tatum and Gay has the ingredients to attract a wide readership — from fans of celebrity projects to devoted romance readers to admirers of Gay’s sharp cultural commentary. For now, readers will have to wait for more details to emerge as the project moves toward publication.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
