Jenna Dewan Opens Up About Balancing Mom Life with TV Fame: 'We Just Stay Calm and We Carry on' (Exclusive)

Colleen KratofilFri, April 3, 2026 at 9:55 PM UTC

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Jenna DewanCredit: JOHN RUSSO

Lately Jenna Dewan lives by the motto “We just stay calm, and we carry on,” and it was put to the test during a recent trip to New York City when her clothing for a full day of interviews didn’t arrive on time.

“I’ve learned that when things go a little nuts, it’s all going to work out,” she says. “At least I say that to myself over and over to put myself in a peaceful mindset.”

Another thing that centers the 45-year-old mom of three and star of ABC’s hit police procedural The Rookie is her family. “That’s always my No. 1 priority,” she says.

One look at her Instagram, and that’s apparent: Dewan frequently shares snaps of her daughter Everly, 12, whom she shares with ex-husband Channing Tatum, cheerleading or participating in Irish dance competitions.

Other times, she’s posting her two youngest, whom she welcomed with her fiancé, actor Steve Kazee, 50. Son Callum, 6, is often scoring hoops on the basketball court, and Dewan says more clips of Rhiannon, 22 months, are coming.

"I am most definitely forcing her into ballet class because it’s so cute,” she says. “Until she starts telling me what she likes, we’re going to do a little ballet.”

Dewan jokes that she and Kazee “did it a little backwards” by having kids before marriage, but she wouldn’t have it any other way: “I don’t want to take the burners off at all. I’m enjoying everything that’s happening in my life.”

Jenna Dewan with Everly, Rhiannon and Callum in 2025Credit: Jenna Dewan/Instagram

Right now, that not only includes being super-mom to her kids, but also starring on the hit, The Rookie.

Dewan recalls she agreed to “a cute little guest spot” on the show in 2021 because it “seemed fun.” At the time, she admits, she was “dreaming” of getting to act in a series that filmed on her home turf in Los Angeles. “I was doing a show in Chicago, and I was going back and forth. That was really hard on me with the kids,” she says.

Her wish was granted when she was asked to return to The Rookie as firefighter Bailey Nune, the love interest of lead star Nathan Fillion.

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“It was the easiest, fastest yes I’ve ever given,” she says. “It’s been really a huge blessing to be a part of it.”

She says part of the show's magic (it's now in its eighth season and found a sea of fans on social media) is because it "blends a lot of tones really well."

Jenna Dewan and Nathan Fillion on 'The Rookie'Credit: Disney/Mike Taing

"We obviously do the suspenseful procedural element, plus a lot of comedy thrown in there, and you have romance and high-caliber stunt work. I think people watch and say, 'Wait, this show's really good,' and tell others. It has a life of its own at this point."

When asked the secret to juggling it all, she admits, "I don't know if there is a secret. I think the secret is that you just do the best that you can. I don't think anyone balances everything perfectly. I think that balance is the grace to know that you're doing the best you can. There are going to be times that you're heavier on one area of your life and you got to pay it back on the other side when you're done."

Kazee also helps her in countless ways. “His personality and his energy are very grounding to me,” Dewan says of the actor, whom she first met when he was on Broadway in Once. Six years later, after her split from Tatum, Kazee reached out and asked her for coffee.

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Jenna Dewan and Steve KazeeCredit: Jenna Dewan/Instagram

“There’s always been a little something mystical to the two of us,” she says. “There was a real meant-to-be feeling.”

The key to their dynamic is “the awareness that we are in each other’s life for growth,” she says. Right now, though, they don’t plan to change their marital status anytime soon. When asked whether they’ve thought about a wedding after their six-year engagement, Dewan notes, “We are being really in the moment and happy."

She's quick to add: "And apparently we’re really bad planners!"

The Rookie airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. Episodes stream on Hulu the next day.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”