Tia Mowry is opening up about how her ex-husband, Cory Hardrict, was her first — and only — sexual experience.
During the Friday, October 5, premiere of her show, Tia Mowry: My Next Act, the actress, 46, discussed how being a late bloomer affected her personal life.
“I wasn’t even allowed to date until I was 18 years old,” Mowry said in a confessional. “I met Cory when I turned 20 and I lost my virginity at 25. There, I said it! And then we got married! Boom!”
Mowry spoke with friend Essence Atkins about her limited dating history.“You know I’ve never dated. Cory was my first … everything!” she said.
Mowry and Hardrict exchanged vows in 2008 after eight years together. The reality star later opened up about losing her virginity in her mid-20s.
“We were friends for a whole year before we decided to start dating. And even once we started dating, we waited,” she told Ebony in 2013. “I lost my virginity at 25. So we even waited for a while to even get intimate.”
Mowry noted that her decisions might not be the best fit for everyone. “This works for some people and it doesn’t work for some people and it’s OK. That’s what I mean by baggage,” she continued. “Know and learn and understand what baggage can you handle and what can you not handle.”
The former couple went on to expand their family with son Cree in 2011 and daughter Cairo in 2018. Mowry confirmed in October 2022 that she and Hardrict decided to part ways.
“I have always been honest with my fans, and today is no different. I wanted to share that Cory and I have decided to go our separate ways,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “These decisions are never easy, and not without sadness. We will maintain a friendship as we co-parent our beautiful children. I am grateful for all the happy times we had together and want to thank my friends, family and fans for your love and support as we start this new chapter moving forward in our lives.”
Mowry revealed last summer that she had started dating again. “Welp never thought I’d be here, but here goes …,” Mowry wrote in an August 2023 Instagram video, which showed her talking to herself in the mirror while preparing for a night out.
Mowry shared her complicated thoughts about meeting someone new, adding, ”Fun Fact: I’ve never been on the dating scene my entire life 😬 So when I tell you I’m nervous and terrified of doing this whole dating thing, I mean it 😭Even though I’m in my 40s, I feel so inexperienced!”
She concluded: “And while it would be easy to just throw in the towel and avoid the potential for awkwardness and hurt, I know God’s got me! So if you’re feeling apprehensive about new experiences, just know you got this, and we’re in this together!”
Us Weekly confirmed in April that Mowry and Hardrict finalized their divorce after more than a decade of marriage. Before Mowry’s new show premiered on WeTV, she opened up to Us about how she wants to “put a spotlight” on mental health.
“There’s beauty in solitude. There’s beauty in change. There’s beauty in understanding oneself — understanding your traumas, understanding your triggers. What role do I play in these transitions? What, what role have I played in my pain and suffering?” she said last month. “That has been something that has been in the forefront of my healing and my journey.”
Tia Mowry: My Next Act airs Fridays on WeTV.
