Red Flags In Tia Mowry And Cory Hardrict's Marriage We Missed

In October 2022, fans were caught by surprise when Tia Mowry shared she was divorcing Cory Hardrict. "These decisions are never easy, and not without sadness," she captioned the Instagram post. No one had seen it coming, as Mowry and Hardrict had not only been married for 14 years, but they had been together for more than two decades. The two had publicly celebrated the impressive feat just six months before. "22 years and it still feels like day one," she wrote alongside an April 2022 Instagram shot.

The "Sister, Sister" alum had never really been alone. "I've always been next to someone," she told E! News in March, explaining how she's learning to embrace her independence after Hardrict. Mowry and the "All American: Homecoming" actor finalized their divorce in late April, the same week they would have celebrated their 15th anniversary. Unlike many divorces in Hollywood, Mowry and Hardrict's was fairly uncontentious, with both agreeing to share custody of their son and daughter — Cree and Cairo — and to equally split the costs of raising them, according to The Blast. 

Since then, Mowry has been trying to navigate the dating scene, which has been especially hard for her because she spent all her adult years with the same person. "I've never been on the dating scene my entire life," she wrote on Instagram. Ending a relationship that was all she had ever known couldn't have been an easy decision to make. But, in hindsight, the marriage had shown red flags all along.

Tia Mowry met Cory Hardrict in 1999 while filming the slasher film "Hollywood Horror," but the two didn't start dating until the following year. It wasn't for lack of interest on Hardrict's part, though. "He took a liking to me rather quickly," she told People in 2020. But she just wasn't that into the idea at first. She was more focused on transitioning from "Sister, Sister" to a career in film than on dating. But Mowry didn't say no to Hardrict, either. "We courted each other for about a year," she told OK! in 2013.

During that time, Mowry and Hardrict flirted — but that's about it. "I just held out. We weren't physical, we didn't do anything for a while ... We waited a year to kiss," she revealed. She finally got to that point only after a little push from a loved one. "I remember my mom sitting me down and saying, 'Look Tia, this guy seems really nice and you should give him a chance.' That's when we started hanging out," she told People.

Mowry continued to hold out, even after they started dating. "I lost my virginity at 25," she told Ebony in 2013. Mowry celebrated her 25th birthday in mid-2003, more than three years into the relationship. Mowry needed to be sure first. "I personally could not handle ... getting physical and then realizing that this person can care less about me," she said.

Nothing is sexier than looking at the calendar and seeing the word "sex with hubby" penciled in. But that's what Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict had to do to make sure they didn't put their intimacy on the back burner. "When I was younger and when I would hear that, I'd be like, 'Why do you have to do that?'" she told Heidi Murkoff on the "What to Expect" podcast in 2020. But she learned why some couples take that route after she and Hardict became parents.

"We've been together for 14 years and we had a baby and it changes the dynamic of a relationship a little bit," she said in her 2013 interview with OK! Clearing space on her agenda to focus on Hardrict helped them maintain that connection. "You have to make sure that it's not neglected in any kind of way," she told Murkoff. But Mowry also put in the effort to prioritize their intimacy in other ways. "I do believe you have to keep it alive and fresh," she told OK! For example, she took up burlesque dance classes to spice things up.

Mowry also received a v-steam, or vaginal steaming, which, as the name suggests, involves using steam and herbs to purify the intimate area. "Tia & Tamera" fans witnessed the sisters at the spa, where staff explained the practice can improve sex. Mowry had no regrets. "Let's just say my husband said it worked," she told OK!

The possibility of welcoming a third child with Cory Hardrict elicited strong emotions in Tia Mowry. She didn't hide those feelings when asked about them at a March 2019 event. "Hell no!" she exclaimed, according to Us Weekly. "No! I am done! Done, done, done! For real." Mowry continued to show she felt strongly about the subject six months later. "I think I need therapy to figure out if I want another one or not," she told the outlet in September 2019. 

By then, Mowry seemed to be on the fence about adding another baby to the brood. "Some days I want to have another one, and then other days I'm like, 'Are you crazy?'" she detailed. But her experience during the COVID-19 quarantine helped her make up her mind. "Let me just tell you, I no longer need therapy," she told Us Weekly in May 2020. "No to the no, to the no, to the no! I was so confused. I didn't know what I wanted ... but being in quarantine has really made me realize I'm good."

Two months before, at the onset of the pandemic in the U.S., Mowry had opened up about the struggles of bunkering down with Hardrict and the children. "It's a little overwhelming for me ... I was focusing on — how do I keep the kids busy, how I'm making dinner, how do I keep my husband busy," she told ET. 

In the months that preceded the split, social media users noticed Cory Hardrict often displayed a cold demeanor while next to Tia Mowry. For many, it became evident during their September 2020 "Black Love" interview. In one segment, Hardrict was explaining that marriage takes a lot of work when Mowry excitedly attempted to jump in, only to be met by a side-eye and his harsh tone. "Let me finish," he said. Mowry makes an embarrassed face. "Go ahead, sorry," she went.

But it wasn't just in this interview that Hardrict's body language around Mowry raised fans' eyebrows. Hardrict often seemed physically distant from Mowry in the photos she posted to her Instagram in recent years. "Corey never really hugging Tia or putting his arm around her! I mean really it looks like he's in pain just being next to her and this is your anniversary!!!! GEEZ!!" one user commented on an April 2022 Instagram post. In a December 2021 post, another Instagram commenter highlighted: "That guy always looking angry as hell."

Additionally, in April 2022, Mowry uploaded a video seeking to exalt Hardrict's personality. "Mr. Hardrict isn't always on the gram, but when he shows up, he KILLS IT," she wrote in the caption. But fans were quick to point out it pretty much accomplished the opposite. "He looked so irritated," a user noted. Another focused on Hardrict's attitude, which contrasted with Mowry's. "He looks mean af," the user commented.