Controversial take: Zendaya’s dating history is surprisingly short and controlled for a megastar.
She’s only had two confirmed romances, Jacob Elordi and Tom Holland.
Tom and Zendaya went public with a paparazzi kiss in July 2021, and their relationship led to an engagement between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2024.
Zendaya showed her ring at the Golden Globes on January 5, 2025, so read on for a tight timeline, what’s verified versus rumor, and what to expect next.
Zendaya’s Current Romantic Status Overview
Zendaya’s dating Tom Holland, her Spider-Man co-star. They went public in July 2021 when paparazzi caught them kissing in a car in Los Angeles, but rumors started way back in 2017. Fast forward to 2025 and they’re engaged. Zendaya showed off her diamond ring at the Golden Globes on January 5, 2025. Holland proposed sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2024, after getting her father’s blessing.
There’s plenty of proof they’re together. Holland made it Instagram official in September 2021 with a birthday post for Zendaya’s 25th, calling her “My MJ.” They’ve been spotted at big events like the BNP Paribas Open in March 2024, Paris Fashion Week, and Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour in September 2023. Holland visited her on set at least 30 times during Euphoria season 2. In January 2026, she called him her “favorite person” and “favorite person to work with” in an interview.
They split time between Los Angeles and London. Zendaya’s said London feels like home now. They’ve even done matching jewelry, with Zendaya wearing a “TH” signet ring and Holland rocking pants embroidered with “Z” back in March 2023. This is her most public relationship by far, running from 2021 straight through to their 2025 engagement.
Chronological Timeline of Zendaya’s Confirmed Relationships
Zendaya’s confirmed dating history is super short compared to most celebrities at her level. Only two relationships have actual verification through credible reporting and photos: Jacob Elordi and Tom Holland. She keeps tight boundaries around her personal life, which means anything without clear documentation is just speculation.
She was linked to Euphoria co-star Jacob Elordi from August 2019 to around September 2020. Multiple sightings backed this up, including a vacation in Athens, Greece in August 2019 where someone saw them “getting a little cozy.” In November 2019, she reportedly spent Thanksgiving with his family in Australia. By February 2020, E! News said they’d “been seeing each other for months,” though neither ever confirmed it publicly. By September 2020, it was over. Elordi told GQ in December 2020 that Zendaya was “like my sister,” basically shutting down the whole thing.
Before Elordi, there aren’t any verified relationships. Between 2013 and 2017, people thought she was dating Disney Channel collaborator Trevor Jackson, who was in her music video and who she called a close friend for four years. But both always denied it was romantic, and there’s no photographic or interview proof they were more than friends.
The Tom Holland relationship started privately before 2021 and it’s her longest and most public confirmed romance. Here’s what’s actually verified:
| Year | Partner | Confirmation Type |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-2019 | None publicly confirmed | Private/no verification |
| 2019–2020 | Jacob Elordi | Public sightings, media reports, vacation photos |
| 2021–present | Tom Holland | Paparazzi photos, social media posts, interviews, engagement ring debut |
Zendaya and Tom Holland: Development of Their Relationship
They met in 2016 when both got cast in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Production started in June 2016. Producer Amy Pascal actually warned them separately not to date when they first got cast, which Holland’s talked about in interviews since. The film came out in July 2017, and by that summer dating rumors were already flying as they did the press circuit together, showing obvious chemistry in interviews.
Between 2017 and 2019, both denied everything. In July 2017, Holland tweeted they were just friends. Zendaya told Variety he was “one of my best friends.” During 2019 and 2020, they reportedly dated other people. Zendaya was spotted with Jacob Elordi and Holland was linked to British actress Nadia Parkes. But in September 2018, a comment from Skai Jackson’s mother suggested they’d “been on the low for a while,” keeping the rumor alive even when they were publicly seeing other people.
Everything changed July 1, 2021. Paparazzi photographed them kissing in a car in Los Angeles. The photos went viral immediately. In November 2021, Holland told GQ they felt “robbed of our privacy” by those shots, saying “It’s our story” that they’d share when ready. By September 2021, he’d already made it Instagram official with a birthday post for her 25th.
They’ve had plenty of big moments since. Holland rarely poses with Zendaya on red carpets because he thinks the moment should be hers. But at the London Challengers premiere in April 2024, they shared a public kiss and Holland was caught on camera whistling and cheering for her. He flew over 4,000 miles from New York to Budapest in August 2022 just to visit her on the Dune sequel set. They went to a friend’s wedding together in August 2021, hit up Beyoncé’s tour in September 2023, and caught an Usher concert in April 2023. Holland even named a flavor in his non-alcoholic beer brand Bero “Noon Wheat” after Zendaya’s dog Noon.
By 2024 and 2025, things got serious. At the January 5, 2025 Golden Globes, Zendaya showed off her engagement ring after Holland proposed between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2024. His father Dominic Holland said Tom had everything planned out and got permission from Zendaya’s father first. They’re starring together in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey coming summer 2026, with Zendaya playing Athena and Holland playing Telemachus.
Big public moments (2016–2025):
- June 2016: Met on Spider-Man: Homecoming set
- July 2021: Paparazzi confirmed it with kissing photos in Los Angeles
- September 2021: Instagram official on Zendaya’s 25th birthday
- March 2023: Matching jewelry with each other’s initials (TH ring, Z pants)
- January 5, 2025: Engagement ring debut at Golden Globes
Rumored and Unconfirmed Romances
Rumors aren’t the same as confirmed relationships. In celebrity coverage, a rumor usually comes from one sighting, an anonymous source, or fan interpretation. A confirmed relationship has photos over time, public acknowledgment, or credible reporting from multiple outlets. For Zendaya, several rumored partnerships made the tabloids and social media but were never verified by the people involved or backed by real evidence.
The longest running rumor was Trevor Jackson, a Disney Channel collaborator who played Zendaya’s love interest in his 2013 music video “Like We Grown” and guest starred in her Disney pilot. From 2013 through 2017, fans and tabloids thought they were dating, partly because Zendaya later mentioned having a “first love” that lasted four years. But both Jackson and Zendaya called each other close friends, never confirming anything romantic in interviews or public statements. In 2016, she was briefly linked to NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. after they left the same party, but her father shut it down fast, calling it a non-story in a video tabloids reported.
People love speculating about Zendaya’s co-stars. It’s a common thing in Hollywood where on-screen chemistry gets mistaken for real life romance. Because she keeps strict privacy boundaries and rarely confirms or denies rumors directly, speculation fills the gap. Unless she or her reps issue a statement, or paparazzi capture repeated sightings over time, these links stay unconfirmed gossip.
Major rumored partners (unconfirmed):
- Trevor Jackson (2013–2017): Disney collaborator and longtime friend, both denied it
- Odell Beckham Jr. (2016): Single party sighting, denied by Zendaya’s father
- Various co-stars: Speculation based on press tour chemistry, no evidence
- Anonymous social media claims: Fan theories without credible sourcing or photos
Zendaya’s Public Statements About Relationships and Privacy
Zendaya’s been consistent about wanting to keep her personal life private. In an August 2023 Elle interview, she said she’s “navigating” public life while “protecting the peace” and noted “I do have control over what I choose to share.” When the paparazzi photos with Tom Holland came out in July 2021, Holland told GQ that November they felt “robbed of our privacy,” saying their relationship story should be theirs to tell on their own timeline. Both have said they want to live normally without hiding, but also without turning their relationship into a public spectacle or press narrative.
These statements explain why Zendaya’s confirmed dating history is so limited compared to other celebrities at her level. The gaps in public confirmation reflect intentional privacy choices, not an absence of romantic relationships. She’s said in multiple interviews that she values sharing moments with loved ones away from cameras and public commentary. This has shaped how and when relationship milestones become known. Most confirmations come through paparazzi documentation or rare social media posts rather than official announcements or red carpet declarations.
Recent Updates and What’s Known in 2024–2025
Throughout 2024, Zendaya and Tom Holland showed up together at multiple big events. They hit the BNP Paribas Open men’s final at Indian Wells in March 2024, where Zendaya wore a tennis inspired Louis Vuitton outfit. In April 2024, they went to the London premiere of Challengers, where Holland was caught on camera whistling and filming Zendaya on the red carpet before they shared a public kiss. At Paris Fashion Week in January 2024, Holland posted heart eye emojis responding to photos of Zendaya’s Schiaparelli spring 2024 haute couture look.
As of early 2025, they’re engaged. People confirmed it after Zendaya showed off her diamond ring at the January 5, 2025 Golden Globes. In March 2026, Zendaya’s image architect Law Roach suggested at the SAG Actor Awards that they’d already married, saying “The wedding’s already happened! You missed it!” though this hasn’t been independently confirmed. Fans had been speculating about marriage after Zendaya was spotted with a new haircut in December and a delicate gold band on her ring finger in February. No credible breakup reports have surfaced from major entertainment outlets.
Key 2024–2025 updates:
- January 5, 2025: Engagement ring debut at Golden Globes, confirming proposal between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2024
- April 2024: Public kiss at London Challengers premiere
- March 2024: Joint appearance at BNP Paribas Open sporting event in California
Final Words
Zendaya is currently dating Tom Holland. Their relationship was publicly confirmed in 2021, and they’ve kept appearing together through 2024–2025, so the status looks steady.
This piece walked through the confirmed timeline, separated rumors from verified moments, explained Zendaya’s privacy stance, and highlighted recent public appearances.
For a quick refresher, this roundup ties together Zendaya dating history and current relationship status and what to watch next — expect more red carpet moments and any future interviews. It’s a quietly happy chapter so far.
FAQ
Q: Do Tom Holland and Zendaya have a relationship?
A: Tom Holland and Zendaya have a relationship; they were publicly linked from 2017, officially confirmed as dating in 2021, and continued making joint public appearances through 2024–2025.
Q: Does Zendaya go braless?
A: Zendaya sometimes goes braless for certain outfits; she tends to pick looks for fashion and comfort, and hasn’t made a single public rule about her undergarment choices.
Q: Who’s richer, Tom Holland or Zendaya?
A: Zendaya is generally reported to be richer than Tom Holland; estimates put her net worth in the high tens of millions, while Holland’s is usually listed in the low tens of millions.
Q: Who did Zendaya date for 4 years?
A: Zendaya did not have a publicly confirmed four‑year relationship; her verified partners include Jacob Elordi (2019–2020) and Tom Holland (confirmed 2021–present), earlier periods remain unverified.