Sister Sister star Tia Mowry discussed her decision to seek divorce from her husband of 14 years during a Wednesday episode of TODAY.
Mowry, who filed for divorce from Cory Hardrict on Oct. 3 over irreconcilable differences, said her decision stemmed from a self-focused "awakening." The couple share two children together.
“I knew when I really started to focus on my happiness,” she said. “I feel like women, we tend to focus on everybody else’s happiness, making sure that everybody else is OK — meaning our children, our friends, our family.”
“But at the end of the day, it’s about self-love,” she continued. “When you start to really work on yourself, love yourself, know your value and know your worth, then all of a sudden, there’s this awakening. And it’s not easy. It’s a hard journey, but at the end of the day, I feel like it is so, so worth it.”
Mowry said the deaths of her grandmother and neice along with seeking therapy helped recenter her priority on happiness.
"There was just an 'aha' moment in me where I said, You know what? We need to tap in, see what’s really going on with your happiness. Life is short. Let’s go. Let’s start working on you and really focusing on what really, really matters here, which is at the end of the day, your peace, your joy, and your happiness," she said.
"My marriage was a success," she continued. "I look at it as like a curriculum when you’re in college or high school. You’re learning, you’re growing, you’re evolving, you’re creating. I was able to create with Cory some beautiful, amazing children. At the end of that curriculum, there’s a graduation, there’s a celebration. So that’s basically how I’m looking at it now."
"And I feel like … when [people] look at marriage, success equals longevity. But, no, at the end of the day, it’s — are they happy? Are they thriving? Are they growing? I feel like that is what is most important. It’s not about staying in something because however long you are in that situation that equals success. It’s about really, again, are you happy? Because life is really short," Mowry concluded.
"I have always been honest with my fans, and today is no different," said Mowry, announcing her divorce from Hardrict in an early October Instagram post.
"I wanted to share that Cory and I have decided to go our separate ways," she wrote. "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."
Sister of Mowry and fellow star of Sister Sister Tamara Mowry-Housley said she supported her twin sister's decision. “I support her,” Mowry-Housley said during an October appearance on TODAY. “Whatever she wants, the Mowrys have her back."
