As actress Tia Mowry’s reality show inches toward its season finale, more insight into her failed marriage to Cory Hardrict has come to light. According to her TV mother, it seems that Tia’s ex-husband might have felt some envy over the former child star’s successful career, especially during times when he wasn’t working as frequently as she was.
In the seventh episode of the We TV series, “Tia Mowry: My Next Act,” Tia is seen spending time with her former “Sister, Sister” co-star Jackée Harry, who played her mom on the hit sitcom.
As the two sat, reflecting on past conversations, the “227” star, who once had a smoking-hot love rendezvous with one of Mowry’s contemporaries, Ray J, talked about noticing how Hardrict seemingly struggled to play second fiddle to his wife in Hollywood.
According to Jackée, no one can “have it all” all of the time, especially if children are involved and a man’s “ego” has to be massaged.
“I had it for three years in my in my career, in my lifetime,” Jackée said. “I had it all. I had a man, the kid, and the money. And it was all working, and then it all went to s—t!”
“I had it all,” she continued, “but you can’t have it all, all the time.”
She went on to say that someone in the relationship has to make a sacrifice for their family— and that might be a painful break from the dream of living the perfect life.
“I don’t know if you know, but when you were having that conversation with me, I was just smiling through it all,” Tia then confided. “In the back of my head, I was like, ‘Is she in my head right now?’ I was already having questions about my marriage, but you didn’t know.”
The TV mom replied, “No, but I did know from the other side, if I might say, somebody else was dissatisfied because they weren’t working.”
She added, “If one partner makes more money or is more successful, it’s a gap that is so hard, and it can’t work out. … Can’t have competition; it just does not work. And you can’t stop your career because you want to even it out.”
When The Shade Room posted the clip, some of their 29.2 million followers shared their opinions.
“Hope to hear Corey’s side one day,’ one person said.
Another argued, “Making it seem like Cory didn’t work when he stayed book and busy is literally insane. Google is free.”
Others debated the dynamics of Tia making more money and getting better roles.
“The whole point is Tia made more money,” one person wrote, “And there was many times where Tia is a leading role in Corey was just playing a side character.”
“I don’t think he was always booked, but nonetheless, booked nor busy doesn’t mean you still were able to show up in a marriage,” someone else commented.
A different comment speculated, “Tia, you regret divorcing your husband. Stop fooling yourself.”
According to Hardrict, he met his future wife during a financially low point in life.
He told Global Grind in 2015, “I had odd jobs. I worked at K-Mart, graveyard shift, security. That’s when I was just grinding, man. I met my wife during them days. She was with me. She was just coming out of “Sister, Sister,” but they had everything, man, and I didn’t have anything. I had a studio apartment, sleeping in the corner, no furniture for almost two years.”
He went on to reveal that he and Tia officially met as he sit on a bus stop after filming a short film.
“I was waiting on a bus stop—after I shot my first film. Her sister and her drove by. They saw me waiting and asked to give me a ride,” said Hardrict. “I was embarrassed. I was downtown. They gave me a ride and we were friends ever since. They took me to Inglewood, so that’s how that relationship started. We were friends, we started dating and it just went from there.”
Tia and Cory Hardrict dated for six years before marrying in 2008. The pair share two children: a son, Cree, 13, and a daughter, Cairo, 6. During their marriage, Hardrict held non-reoccurring roles in various TV shows such as “The Game,” “NCIS,” “Eastbound & Down,” and “All American.” He’s also had recurring roles in “S.W.A.T,” “Lincoln Heights,” and “The Oath” and appeared in films such as “Brotherly Love,” “Naked” and “Karen.”
Despite a marriage rooted in Christian values, the couple divorced in October 2022. The “Twitches” actress announced that she and her husband had decided to part ways. Though the details of their split had never been made public, Tia shared a heartfelt statement about the breakup that focused on their co-parenting, personal growth, and inner happiness.
Following the divorce, Hardrict returned to the “All American” franchise, reprising his role as Coach Turner in the “All American: Homecoming” spin-off for 35 episodes. He also starred in Tyler Perry’s 2024 film “Divorce In the Black” alongside co-star Meagan Good.
Over the last two years, Hardrict and Mowry have both emphasized their commitment to prioritizing their children’s well-being, working together to maintain a supportive environment for the kids, rarely speaking negatively publicly about the other, leaving many clamoring to find out why the two called it splits.
Through her reality show, Tia has shared aspects of her post-divorce life, including her struggles with dating, how challenging it is to be single, and revealed the rift she has with her twin sister, Tamera Mowry-Housely, that has made them not as close as they used to be.
Harry’s feature on the show highlights that, even through tough times, Tia has someone she can turn to who truly understands her and the nuances of her life— including her over a decade-long marriage.
