Channing Tatum is setting the record straight about a long-circulating claim made by Jax Taylor.
During an appearance on Andy Cohen Live on SiriusXM Monday, the Magic Mike actor was asked directly if he had ever shared a room with the Vanderpump Rules star, whose real name is Jason Cauchi.
Tatum didn’t hesitate in his response. “Absolutely not,” he said, laughing.
Cohen explained that Taylor has repeatedly told the story of the two being roommates during their early modeling days.
Tatum admitted he would need to see a photo of him, adding some context about his own time in New York. The actor recalled living in a “model house,” which he described as a place where aspiring models were let to live together with little more than a bed to sleep on.
He admitted he didn’t last long there after getting into a fight with one of the other fellow artists.
When shown pictures of Taylor, Tatum still couldn’t recognise him.
“All models look the same kinda, he’s a good-looking guy,” he said, before conceding, “I don’t think I ever roommated with him, but maybe, I guess.”
Taylor first made the claim back in 2013 during an episode of Watch What Happens Live, insisting that Tatum was his first roommate in New York.
He repeated the story as recently as May 2023 in an interview with Rolling Stone, describing the setup as a cramped apartment filled with bunk beds.
According to Taylor, this was around 2002, just before Tatum’s career took off thanks to a Mountain Dew commercial.
That commercial became something of a launchpad for Tatum, even catching the eye of Amanda Bynes, his She’s the Man co-star.
In a 2018 Paper magazine interview, Bynes recalled advocating for him to be cast in the film, saying, “I totally fought for Channing [to get cast in] that movie because he wasn’t famous yet. He’d just done a Mountain Dew commercial and I was like, ‘This guy’s a star—every girl will love him!’”
While Taylor continues to stand by his story, Tatum seems unconvinced, though he’s willing to leave a little room for possibility.
