Robert Downey Jr. Mispronouncing Channing Tatum’s Name at the Oscars 2026 Is the New Adele Dazeem
Channing Tatum is bringing his magic to the literary world.
The Magic Mike alum will be releasing a romance novel co-authored with Roxane Gay next year. And as the Bad Feminist writer revealed, their partnership came about “in the most ridiculous way.”
“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.’”
The duo’s relationship took off from there, with plans to write the romance novel quickly forming. And as Roxane previously teased, “It’s very sexy. Lots and lots of sex.”
“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.”
JC Olivera/WWD via Getty Images
And throughout the entire writing experience, Roxane has found herself constantly impressed by Channing—who had previous experience as author with his Sparkella series, inspired by his and ex Jenna Dewan’s daughter Everly, 12.
“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.”
Channing Tatum/Facebook
And when it came to working together, the Lost City actor made sure that he and Roxane 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.”
While you wait on Channing and Roxane to drop their romance novel, keep reading for more books you should add to your TBR list this year.
Grand Central Publishing
Book of Luke by Lovell Holder
Release: Dec. 2
Traitors is back and Survivor season 50 is coming, so what better time to dive into a novel set in the high stakes world of competitive reality TV? The novel follows reality TV alum-turned-stay-at-home dad Luke, an OG contestant on the show Endeavor who returns for its milestone 20th season. The book flips between the two timelines as Luke is forced to confront the tragedy that marred his first appearance on the show and the heartbreak that thrust him back into the ever-spinning web of reality TV.
Cardinal Books
The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage
Release: Dec. 2
Lexi has turned down from her duties as a member of the British royal family and carved out a life for herself in Australia. That is, until she learns her father and brother have died, leaving her next in line to the throne. Thrust back into a role she tried to abandon, Lexi must contend with her royal responsibilities—plus the ever-complicated family dynamics—and decided once and for all if this is the path she wishes to follow.
Scribner/Simon & Schuster
The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
Release: Jan. 6
A shocking event dismantles the precarious safety Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter Bailey have been living under since the events of The Last Thing He Told Me, setting them of on an Odyssey that may restore peace to their lives—and allow Hannah’s husband Owen to finally return home.
Montlake Books
Woman Down by Colleen Hoover
Release: Jan. 13
Hoover is back with her first new novel in years, this time an expansion of her 2020 short story “Saint.” The book follows novelist Petra, who retreats from the public eye following backlash to her book’s film adaptation. Determined to set her career and life back on track, she finds her muse in a detective, leading to blurred lines and a mess that might just make her cancelation look like child’s play.
Atria Books
The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead
Release: Jan. 20
Looking for a book to scratch that Daisy Jones itch? Look no further than the Future Saints, a band reeling from the death of their manager with one last chance to make it big. Enter Theo, the record exec tasked with making this happen, setting them all on a collision course to produce a masterpiece or die trying.
Ballantine Books
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
Release: Jan. 20
Almost four years after the release of her explosive memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, the iCarly alum is heating up the literary space once more, this time with her debut novel Half His Age, following a 17-year-old who embarks on an affair with her teacher.
Random House
Vigil by George Saunders
Release: Jan. 27
Prepare for a riveting journey to the other side. The Lincoln in the Bardo novelist’s latest follows a seemingly unrepentant oil tycoon as his death companion ushers his soul into its final resting place. But to get there they both must contend with the cost of the life he led, its toll on the people around him and the world at large.
Dutton Books
The Exes by Leodora Darlington
Release: Feb. 3
Natalie has a complicated dating history—as in, all her exes have ended up dead. Now, her marriage to James is on the brink of collapse and the secrets she’s long buried seem to finally be catching up with her. Not to mention the monster within desperate to come out. The Exes is such a fun, engaging read that once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put down.
Simon & Schuster
Family Drama by Rebecca Fallon
Release: Feb. 3
Decades after the death of soap star Susan Bliss, her now-adult children are still trying to reconciling her larger-than-life TV persona with the mother who died when they were just 7. The dual timeline follows Susan’s rise to fame in the ‘80s and how each of her children have contended with her absence and the legacy she left behind.
Atria Books
Adrift by Will Dean
Release: Feb. 17
Writing is not for the faint of heart, and Peggy and Drew, who live on a canal boat with their son, know that all too well. However, unable to cope with Peggy’s rising success, an unmoored Drew leads his family into isolation, deepening the divide until the cracks lead to a massive break.
37 Ink
Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson
Release: Feb. 17
The House of Eve novelist continues her reign of historical fiction must-reads, with this gripping post-WWII story following three seemingly unconnected people: Ozzie, a Black army soldier who falls in love with a German woman; Sophia, a girl growing up in the ‘60s who uncovers a secret about her past; and Ethel, who in the wake of the war is determined to provide a life for a group of mixed-race children abandoned in Germany.
Knopf
Kin by Tayari Jones
Release: Feb. 24
This moving portrait of friendship follows Vernice and Annie, two girls growing up in Jim Crow south. While they are brought together by shared circumstances—each growing up without their moms—their paths diverge as they come of age. But through the hurdles and heartbreak life throws their way, their bond never breaks.
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