What Tia Mowry Has Said About Her Rocky Dating Life Post-Divorce

Tia Mowry met Cory Hardrict while filming the slasher film "Hollywood Horror" in 1999, when she was barely of age. Mowry was figuring out her career following the success of "Sister, Sister," and getting into a relationship was the last thing on her mind. But a heart-to-heart with her mother changed that. "I remember my mom sitting me down and saying, 'Look Tia, this guy seems really nice and you should give him a chance,'" she told People in 2020. She did and didn't look back.

They dated for six years before becoming engaged on Christmas Day 2006 and tying the knot in April 2008. "You can tell they're really in love," the wedding planner told People. After struggling to conceive, Mowry and Hardrict started their family in June 2011 with the birth of their son Cree. They expanded the brood seven years later, welcoming their daughter Cairo in May 2018. "I am so glad I didn't give up," she said of trying for a second.

The Mowry-Hardrict clan was finally complete, but it wouldn't last. After more than two decades together, Mowry and Hardrict split in October 2022. "These decisions are never easy, and not without sadness," she captioned an Instagram post. Despite the divorce, which was finalized in April 2023, Mowry is proud of her relationship with Hardrict. "My marriage was a success," she said on the "Today" show in November 2022. Now in her 40s, Mowry is once again navigating this whole dating business — and it hasn't been easy.

Tia Mowry jumped into the dating scene right after signing her divorce papers. She felt ready to go get 'em, only to discover she was not. "It is exhausting. I want to throw the towel in," she laughed on Chris GQ Perry TV in September. She admitted she wasn't expecting it to be so hard. "Someone had told me, and I wanted to be like, 'No, I disagree with you, and I don't want to believe it,'" she said. Around the time her interview went live, Mowry took to TikTok to share a glimpse into what her dating life has been like.

"Ghosting, and love bombing, and emotional unavailability, OH MY," she captioned a September 2023 post. "Kidding, but not kidding." To Perry, Mowry specified that she misses the dating etiquette from when she got with Cory Hardrict. "People just don't court each other anymore," she said. In August, Mowry noted how unprepared she felt to date after being in a relationship for more than 20 years. "Even though I'm in my 40s, I feel so inexperienced!" she wrote on Instagram.

Mowry's openness about this new chapter has attracted criticism, with many suggesting she should get back with Hardrict if she's so unhappy with the dating world. And she didn't let it slide. "Just because the dating life is complicated. Doesn't mean I'm going to go back to something that no longer served me," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in October 2023.

When Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict separated, they agreed their priority would always be Cree and Cairo, of whom they share custody. "We will maintain a friendship as we co-parent our beautiful children," Mowry wrote in her Instagram announcement. Their co-parenting journey involves protecting their kids from each other's potential casual dates. During divorce proceedings, Mowry and Hardrict agreed they would only bring an actual significant other around Cree and Cairo.

And they came up with a rule to define what a serious relationship means. "Each party is restrained from introducing the minor children to a new romantic partner until that party has been in an exclusive relationship with the romantic partner for at least six months," the divorce papers read, Today reported. That also means neither Mowry nor Hardrict is allowed to have anyone spend the night if the kids are home before that timeframe.

Mowry believes divorcing Hardrict was in the children's best interest. In her eyes, it's important that Cree and Cairo learn to prioritize their own happiness. "For them seeing their mother walk in truth. I feel like it's a great lesson for them because it was not an easy decision," she told HelloBeautiful in June. Similarly, Hardrict also tries to teach their children that their well-being matters. "I make sure, as their dad, that I'm always present and they're always feeling happy and loved," the "All American: Homecoming" actor told People in June.