Jenna Dewan Excludes Ex-Husband Channing Tatum in Post Celebrating 20 Years of 'Step Up': 'The Movie That Changed My Life Forever'

Jenna Dewan is marking two decades since Step Up, the dance film that put her on the map.

The actress, 45, celebrated the movie's 20th anniversary with an Instagram gallery of behind-the-scenes images on Monday, August 31, calling it the movie that “changed her life forever,” though curiously leaving out her ex-husband Channing Tatum.

Her tribute arrives as reports swirl that she’s set to join the new season of Dancing With the Stars.

Dewan struck a nostalgic note in her post, telling fans that the way they continue to love the movie all these years later means the world to her. She shared a collection of images from her time on set.

"Can'tt believe it’s been 20 years since Step Up was released," Dewan wrote. "The movie that changed my life forever. The way you guys love this movie all these years later is beyond."

Step Up also shaped Dewan's personal life. She met her now ex-husband on the set, where he played Tyler opposite her Nora. The two began dating around the film's release, married in 2009, and had a daughter, Everly, before divorcing in 2019. Dewan is now engaged to actor Steve Kazee, with whom she has two children.

Her latest post looked back on the movie itself rather than the relationship that grew from it, and didn’t reference Tatum. In past years, the former couple had marked the film's milestones together, including recreating one of its signature moments for its 10th anniversary in 2016. Dewan has continued to build a career in acting and dance in the years since, with the film that started it all still central to her story.

The 2006 film cast Dewan as Nora Clark, a dance student at a performing arts school whose end-of-year routine is upended when she loses her partner. A troubled teen named Tyler, sentenced to community service at the school after vandalizing it, steps in and blends his hip-hop style into her classical piece.

The role showcased Dewan's dancing, which she had honed as a backup performer for artists like Janet Jackson before turning to acting.

Step Up outperformed expectations at the box office. Made on a modest budget, the film grossed more than $110 million worldwide despite mixed reviews, and its success launched an entire franchise. It spawned several sequels along with a television series, becoming one of the defining dance movies of its era.

Dewan appeared only in the original, though the property continued without her. The film's blend of ballet and street dance, along with its central romance, gave it a lasting appeal that has kept fans returning to it for two decades.

The anniversary tribute comes amid growing speculation about Dewan's next move. Multiple outlets have reported that she’ll be part of the cast for the 35th season of Dancing With the Stars, with the full lineup set to be announced on September 2.

Dewan has spoken warmly about the possibility of returning to dance. Asked earlier this year whether she was interested in the show, she said she never says never, explaining that she loves dancing and misses it, and that it would be a hard opportunity to turn down.

She currently stars on the ABC drama The Rookie.