Who Is Zendaya Dating? All the Hotties She's Been Linked to, Including 'Spider-Man' Co-Star Tom Holland
Zendaya is heating up, and you could say that in just about every sense of the word. Her career is on fire as she capped off 2021 by having not one, but two blockbuster movies arrive in theaters: Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home. She also became the youngest-ever winner of the Emmy Lead Actress in a Drama Series category for her role in HBO's Euphoria, an award she's now won twice.
Then of course you have her red hot red carpet looks, her steamy relationship with fellow Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, AND the fact she spent much of last year in the dessert filming Dune: Part II. It's a scorching time to be Zendaya.
Of course with that much attention on Zendaya, there's also plenty put on her boyfriend as well. From early paparazzi pics to red carpets and basketball games, the co-stars are always the talk of the town. But Holland isn't the only man who has been linked to Zendaya.
Here’s everything we know about who Zendaya has dated, past and present.
Related: Why Euphoria Fans Should Be Bingeing My So Called Life, Daria and 13 More Gritty Shows
Is Zendaya single?
Nope. We're sorry to report that the Emmy-winner is off the market. She's been dating Spider-Man actor Tom Holland since 2021, having worked with him on three Spider-Man movies over the past few years.
While not an often-photographed couple, the pair are seen out and about occasionally, and Zendaya recently posted a birthday tribute to her man on Instagram.
It appears Holland checks all the boxes Zendaya has said she looks for in a guy; in a candid interview with singer Cardi B for CR Fashion Book in 2018, the former Disney Channel star said, “Respect is my No. 1 thing, and I think it shows in different ways. With anybody you’re with, you have to have a layer of respect, courtesy, understanding and tolerance. It’s also important to have somebody who makes you laugh. If someone can’t make me laugh, then that’s wack. And not just kind of laugh, but pee-my-pants laugh.” Super-supportive? Sweet? Funny? Check, check and check.
Zendaya also said it’s “definitely helpful” to date someone who’s in the entertainment industry as well. “There’s just certain things in our lives that’s hard for people to understand if they don’t live it," she explained.
Are Zendaya and Tom Holland dating?
Yes, they certainly are, and have been publicly since 2021.
When asked what she “appreciates” about Holland as a co-star Zendaya told In Style. in October 2021, "There are many things, obviously, that I appreciate… He’s a fun time. Very charismatic, can make anybody feel comfortable and have a good laugh and a good chat. A good chat—I sound so British.”
Maybe she sounded so British because she's spent so much time around her British beau? The next month, Holland and Zendaya finally confirmed their love in a joint interview with GQ. In it, they talked about those paparazzi pics that came out earlier in the year, which showed them kissing in a car and practically broke the internet.
"It was quite strange and weird and confusing and invasive," Zendaya told the outlet. "The equal sentiment [we both share] is just that when you really love and care about somebody, some moments or things, you wish were your own." Holland added, "One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn't really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world."
Rumors have flown about these two ever since they started working together, following in the footsteps of past Spider-Man/MJ real-life couples Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, and Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. But for years, Zendaya and Holland insisted they were just best friends. “No,” she told Variety flat-out in 2017 when asked if there was any romance. “He’s a great dude. He’s literally one of my best friends.”
They also once laughed off rumors that they’d been on vacation together, with Zendaya tweeting, “Wait wait…my favorite is when it says we go on vacations together HA! I haven’t been on a vacation in years! hbu @TomHolland1996 ???” to which he responded, “@Zendaya Does the press tour count.”
Still, it seemed to the shippers that there was something more there. “All hail the queen. Killing it mate,” Holland posted on Instagram in 2018 next to a pic of Zendaya at the Met Gala. Over the past couple of years, even while being linked to other people, the pair continued to attract attention, hanging out in a pool together, having a Lip Sync Battle, attending a wedding together, and even spending time with Zendaya’s mom.
Related: In Anticipation of Spider-Man: No Way Home, We Ranked All Eight Spider-Man Movies Worst to Best
Did the paparazzi catch Zendaya and Tom Holland kissing in a car?
Yes! Zendaya and Tom Holland were caught sharing a passionate lip-lock in his car in Los Angeles in July 2021, giving fans the photographic proof they’d been waiting for.
While both have since said they hated that their private moment was leaked, things seem to still be going strong. In September 2021, Holland posted the sweetest birthday message ever on Instagram to Zendaya: “My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when your [sic] up xxx” to which Zendaya replied “Calling now” with a heart emoji.
Ever the supportive boyfriend, Holland also commented with three flame emojis on an IG image Z posted from the Venice Film Festival in September 2021. The next month, he posted a gorgeous black and white image of Zendaya at the London premiere of her latest movie, Dune, simply captioned, “Dune” and a heart-eyes smiley face emoji. What a sweetheart!
How did Zendaya and Tom Holland meet?
Just like in the movies, these two had a “meet cute” when they were first introduced during auditions for their first Spidey flick, Homecoming. “He says when we first met it was super awkward because he went for a handshake and I went for a hug,” Zendaya told Variety in 2017. “But I don’t remember that. I thought it was cool.” She was concerned about their height difference, though. “I was worried because he’s so much shorter than me,” she said. “I was like, ‘Damn it! It’s going to be weird because I’m super tall.’ But then we ended up doing the audition sitting. So that was good.”
Related: Was Timothée Chalamet a Finalist to be Spider-Man?
Are Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet dating?
The rumors linking Zendaya and her Dune leading man Timothee Chalamet took a backseat after those car pics with Holland. But, Zendaya and Chalamet have also gushed about each other; plus, they were spotted together in January 2020 in a New York City Bed, Bath and Beyond (of all places!) and apparently had some raucous dance parties on the set of Dune in 2019. “Anybody who knows this man knows that he travels with sound," Zendaya told Good Morning America in October 2021. “There's always some kind of music emanating from his pocket or a small speaker that he carries with him. So he definitely started with the tunes, I hosted in my dressing room, and then we had a few people attending our little party.”
She also talked about her bond with Chalamet to E!’s Daily Pop in September 2021. "Immediately, I was like, ‘We're gonna be friends for life,’" she said of her experience with him filming Dune. “That was great. I had an incredible time.” Hm, should Holland be jealous? Maybe not: When Chalamet posted a pic of himself and Zendaya on Instagram at the London Dune premiere, she commented, "Two pretty best friends. Period."
Related: From Space Jam to Dune, Here's Every Movie Coming to HBO Max in 2021
Are Zendaya and Jacob Elordi dating?
In the midst of the Holland and Chalamet dating rumors, Euphoria came out in 2019—and with it, talk of Zendaya and her co-star Jacob Elordi being an item. In August 2019, a fan even caught them together in the background of a vacation pic he'd snapped in Athens, Greece.
In January 2020, though, Zendaya seemed to quash the rumors by reportedly calling him her “best friend” in a speech presenting him with a Rising Star honor at the American Australian Association Arts Awards; but then the very next month, they were spotted kissing in New York City and vacationing in his home country of Australia. Although it appears they may have been dating at that point, by late summer 2020, Elordi was seen with model Kaia Gerber, so the relationship may have been short-lived.
Did Zendaya date Odell Beckham Jr.?
The rumor mill was at it way back in 2016 when Zendaya was caught on camera leaving a Grammys afterparty with NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. In response to a TMZ reporter asking if they were dating, Zendaya didn’t respond—but her dad, who was chaperoning the couple, was more candid. “There’s no relationship, we’re just friends… When you see my daughter out on a date without me, it’s a relationship,” he said. Right now, “it’s like an audition, it’s an interview,” he laughed.
Zendaya talked about this “audition” process in the October 2021 issue of British Vogue. “My dad, my brothers, it’s a whole thing,” she said about all of the approvals a potential boyfriend needs to get. “Good luck to whoever wants to take that on.”
Later in 2016, she and Beckham were again spotted together, sitting next to each other at a New York Knicks game—but Zendaya insisted it was just a coincidence. “It's funny because I didn't go there with him, actually; he just happened to be there as well. I didn't know he was going to be there. Immediately when I saw him I was like, 'Oh, dang it! Here we go,’” she told Extra. So maybe Beckham never made it past the audition process.