Essence Atkins Says Showing Up for Tia Mowry amid Her Divorce from Cory Hardrict Is 'an Honor' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Essence Atkins and Tia Mowry, October 2024.Photo:Randy Shropshire/Getty

Randy Shropshire/Getty

Essence AtkinsknowsTia Mowrywill be okay after her divorce fromCory Hardrict.

Ahead of her upcoming BET+ holiday film,Queens of Christmas, thePoppa’s Housestar, 52, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about her friendship with her fellow actress, 46.

“It’s a challenge. It’s a grieving. It’s a process,” Atkins tells PEOPLE of Mowry and Hardrict, 45, recentlydivorcingafter 14 years of marriage.

Tia Mowry and Essence Atkins on ‘Tia Mowry: My Next Act’.Jesse Collins Entertainment

Jesse Collins Entertainment

Having played the older sister to Mowry’s real-life brotherTahj Mowryon the sitcomSmart Guyin the late ‘90s, Atkins has long been familiar with the Mowry family.

She also appears on Mowry’s latest reality seriesTia Mowry: My Next Act, where the former couple’s split has been openly discussed.

“She’s very fortunate. So many people love her and value her,” Atkins tells PEOPLE. “I just am one of the tentacles in her life that gets to speak into her and remind her that she was with Corey for a very long time.”

“They have a family together. They have built a whole legacy together and dismantling that, even if it was the right thing to do, it’s still a difficult thing to live through and to walk out,” she continues.

Cory Hardrict and Tia Mowry-Hardrict; ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon 2020.Leon Bennett/Getty

Mowry and Hardrict began dating in 2000 and tied the knot in 2008. They welcomed two children,daughter Cairo, 6, and son Cree, 13, before announcing their divorce in October 2022.

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Atkins takes pride in being there for Mowry as she learns to navigate her new normal.

“Being able to show up in compassion and in empathy, because I’ve been there and I’ve done it, is really an honor. I wouldn’t recommend divorce to anyone. It’s not an easy road,” she says.

Essence Atkins and Jaime Mendez, January 2013.Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

TheHow Highactress shares one son,Varro, with ex-husband Jaime Mendez. She and the former football player, 53, were married from 2009 to 2016.

“Even if it’s what’s necessary, if there’s a way to make it work, I would caution and encourage everyone to work it out if that’s possible, especially when you have kids,” Atkins adds. “But when you do decide that we can’t do this anymore, you just have to show up and be there for people and help them to live through it in grace.”

She says “patience and consideration” also goes a long way.

“It is really, it’s a big, big grief. It’s a big grief, especially when you’ve been with someone for as long as her and Corey have been together. So I’m honored that she trusts me just to be a safe space,” she tells PEOPLE.

source: people.com