Zendaya has always been notoriously private about her personal life, notably, her relationships. Even as speculation about her love life made headlines, the Emmy winner, born Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, 25, has managed to remain impressively mum about the details. She has, however, been romantically linked to many of her co-stars, including her Spider-Man colleague and “best friend” Tom Holland.
The actress and Tom, 25, have been at the center of romance rumors as far back as the first Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, in 2017. And at long last — after several years and other romantic partners in between — the two (unwittingly) confirmed that they were an item after they were photographed kissing in Los Angeles in July, effectively breaking the internet as the photos circulated online.
So, how did Zendaya and Tom’s relationship blossom? And who else has the Euphoria star been romantically linked to throughout the course of her illustrious career? Below, a look back at some of the people Zendaya has been romantically involved with and/or presumed to be romantically involved with; plus, what the actress has said about them.
Tom Holland
Although the romance rumors of Zendaya and Tom have simmered since they first co-starred in the Marvel franchise, the pair avoiding adding fuel to the fire. Zendaya even called out the gossip of them “vacationing” together when she tweeted in July 2017, “Wait wait…my favorite is when it says we go on vacations together HA! I haven’t been on a vacation in years!”
Once the snap-seen-around-the-world surfaced, however, it was obviously something had been developing between pair for quite some time. For how long exactly is still a mystery, as the adorable couple remain tight-lipped on the subject. And even with keeping the details private, Tom made it known they still feel “robbed” of their privacy. “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,” he told GQ. “We sort of felt robbed of our privacy. I don’t think it’s about not being ready — it’s just that we didn’t want to [talk about it].”
Fans still get little snippets of their love affair here and there, though, as Tom has left a series of flirty comments on social media over the last few months, while Zendaya called him “very charismatic” in a recent InStyle interview.
Jacob Elordi
Zendaya and Australian heartthrob Jacob Elordi were long-rumored to be an item after the pair co-starred in the first season of HBO’s Euphoria as high school rivals Rue and Nate, respectively. They were first linked romantically after taking a trip to Greece together back in August 2019. A few months later, Zendaya would fly with Jacob down to Australia to enjoy a vacation with his family. An outing to New York and a movie night in Los Angeles also fanned the flames of a love match. Then an affectionate kiss by Jacob on Zendaya’s head in 2020 really sent fans into a frenzy.
Even after Jacob congratulated Zendaya on her Emmy win for Euphoria, the pair never publicly revealed if they were ever in a romantic relationship. In what appeared to be a denial, Jacob said he thought of Zendaya “like a sister” in a GQ interview, while she called him her “best friend” when she presented the actor with the Rising Star honor at the American Australia Association Arts Awards, per Elle.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Walking the red carpet together will certainly get folks talking! And that’s exactly what happened when Zendaya was spotted with NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. at a party for the 2016 Grammys. Zendaya was quick to put the rumors to rest, however, as she spoke out on their relationship a few weeks later.
“First of all it wasn’t really a date,” she explained to 92.3 AMP radio. “We went to some events together, because we’re friends. We were with a group, we were with multiple people.” She then joked about how her dad will definitely have a say if if they dated. “Even if it does progress, you gotta go through my dad first. Just because you’re in the NFL, you killin’ stuff, that doesn’t mean you get to skip past pops. He’s not going to allow that to happen.”
Trevor Jackson
A relationship between Zendaya and Grown-ish actor Trevor Jackson has never been confirmed, but that never stopped the speculation that something had gone on between the pair. Fans first linked them together after she starred in his music video “Like We Grown” back in 2013. But both parties have insisted it was always plutonic. “There’s going to be those rumors. But he’s my best friend in the whole world,” Zendaya said of Trevor to HipHollywood in 2014. “I love him to death … That’s all it is.”