It’s been said that the best relationships start off as friendships and it looks like that’s the case with Zendaya and Tom. They both met while filming Spider-Man and in an 2017 interview with People, the English actor referred to Zendaya as his best friend.
“We are like the best of friends. She’s so great and amazing,” Tom said. “I’m a little worried [about dealing with fame … but] Zendaya is super famous and she’s been through this, and I just call her up and say, ‘How do I manage being famous?’ I’m very glad I have a friend like her.”
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Adorbs!
However, it seems that they have been in an on-and-off relationship as they have been linked to other people since initially sparking romance rumors in 2017.
The Disney alum reportedly dated her Euphoria co-star Jacob Elordi in 2020 and Tom was rumored to have a romance with family friend Olivia Bolton in 2019. But like any on-and-off relationship, they found their way back to each other.
Here’s a timeline of Zendaya and Tom’s relationship:
2016
The 25-year-old actress made her first appearance on her now beau’s Instagram back in July 2016. While it appeared like an innocent pool day with friends, this could also be looked at as the beginning of their romance.
2017
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 ??? https://t.co/zSkvcfzzTa
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) July 13, 2017
@Zendaya Does the press tour count 😂😝 https://t.co/2WsstZPyde
— Tom Holland (@TomHolland1996) July 13, 2017
While Tom said that he and Zendaya were just friends in the People July interview, another source claimed that they were more than that. The source said that they began dating while filming Spider-Man.
“They’ve been super careful to keep it private and out of the public eye but they’ve gone on vacations with each other and try and spend as much time as possible with one another,” claimed the source. “They’re both really ambitious and they challenge each other — but, most importantly, they make each other crack up. They seem to have a really similar sense of humor and love joking around together. They have great banter back and forth.”
However, both of the actors denied the claims on Twitter. “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???,” Zendaya tweeted. Tom retweeted her and wrote. “Does the press tour count?”
The rumors didn’t stop there. In December of the same year, Tom had an outing with Zendaya and her parents. Page Six reported that the actress’ parents seemed to be “charmed” by the Englishman.
2018
Both Zendaya and Tom were pretty lowkey this year, sans a couple of Instagram posts Tom shared of the Dune actress. In May, he praised his “mate” for her MET Gala look. “All hail the queen. Killing it mate 🙌🏻,” he wrote.
Later on in September, he wished the Euphoria star a happy birthday. “Me, myself and the birthday girl. Happy birthday mate - keep killing it and paving the way for the rest of us ♥️,” he shared on Instagram.
2019
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage
In 2019, the Spider-Man co-stars were reportedly dating other people. Zendaya sparked dating rumors after she was spotted vacationing with her Euphoria co-star Jacob in August 2019. Tom was also seeing Olivia.
2020
Paparazzi caught Zendaya and Jacob kissing in New York City in February, but they never confirmed that they were a couple. Tom, however, broke up with Olivia, but seemingly confirmed that he was back off the market after he shared a photo of Nadia Parkes on Instagram.
2021
Zendaya playfully shading Tom in a since-deleted tweet back in July.
In July 2021, paparazzi photos of Zendaya and Tom kissing appeared online, which sent Twitter in a tailspin.
Esteban Camarillo/Instagram
A month later, the pair were spotted attending a wedding together in Esteban Camarillo's IG Story, a fellow guest at the wedding. In regards to romance rumors, Tom and Zendaya kept it cute and still on mute.
However, a source toldUS Weekly, “They’re both not one to make their relationship public. They’re private when it comes to dating so any photos that have come out would’ve just been them going about their business and not knowing photographers were around.”
In September 2021, not one to shy away from shouting out Zendaya when she's slaying, Tom shared a photo of him and the beauty on his Instagram. "My MJ," it read, "have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when your up xxx."
A month later in October, while on a promo tour for the box office smash Dune, Zendaya took a BFF test with co-star and best friend, actor Timothée Chalamet. One of the questions the BuzzFeed series asked was about their biggest celebrity crushes.
Timothée cheekily responds for Zendaya by saying, "Easy. Tom Holland." To which Zendaya laughs knowingly before answering the same question for her co-star. The adorable moment starts at 1:01.
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It wasn’t until December 5, however, that they made their first red carpet appearance as a couple. They were all smiles as they attended a photocall in London for their film Spider-Man: No Way Home.
After news broke of their relationship, the actors openly gushed about each other during interviews. Speaking with GQ in November, both Zendaya and Tom spoke highly of each other.
“Having her in my life was so instrumental to my sanity,” Tom said. “She is so good at being the role model for young guys and girls. When anyone comes up, like, ‘Can I have a picture?’ it’s never a bad time. Whereas my initial reaction was: ‘Why are you talking to me? Leave me alone.’”
Zendaya shared, “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…"
“I think loving someone is a sacred thing and a special thing and something that you want to deal with and go through and experience and enjoy amongst the two people that love each other.”
Featured image by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage via Getty Images
"As a Black woman — as a light-skinned Black woman — it's important that I say, 'Listen, I can use my privilege, my platform to show you how much beauty there is in the African-American community."
"I am Hollywood's acceptable version of a Black girl and that has to change. We're vastly too beautiful and too interesting for me to be the only representation of that." - #Zendaya in conversation with @BadAssBoz at #BeautyconNYCpic.twitter.com/wZaIrJm1Tw
— Danielle (@theislandiva) April 22, 2018
She continued:
"I always find it weird that … I am Hollywood's acceptable version of a Black girl and that has to change. We're vastly too beautiful and too interesting for me to be the only representation of that. It's about creating those opportunities sometimes. You have to create the path."
Now, she is speaking out again. The Euphoria star and her producing partner Ashley Levinson were recently awarded The Crystal Award from the Women In Film organization, for their Netflix film Malcolm & Marie where Zendaya starred alongside John David Washington, and she spoke to Variety about co-financing the film with Malcolm & Marie director Sam Levinson, as well as giving shares to the crew members.
The movie was filmed during the pandemic.
Sad Marie GIF by NETFLIXGiphy"There was a world where we hoped that one day, we would be able to sell it and maybe make some money, but we felt that if we did that, that the people who were there every day with us, who took the risk of coming out there and making this art with us, should partake in that. It felt fair. It felt like the right thing to do."
While she called the decision to share the wealth with the film crew a "no-brainer" because the film was a "labor of love," the 25-year-old also touched on the lack of inclusion in Hollywood.
"I think any of us who have ever been in meetings or been in the rooms, you can see it every day, you feel like you are the only person there who looks like you. In my opinion, it's not a lack of talent, it's a lack of opportunity."
"There's always this idea that there can only be one and I oppose that idea. When you open the door, your job is to jam it open for other people to come in."
Being that person to open the door for others is no easy feat, which is something Zendaya can attest to. When it was announced that the actress will be cast as "MJ" in the Spider-Man franchise in 2016, she received a lot of backlash primarily because of her race. Since she has never been afraid to speak up, it was no surprise that the Spider-Man: No Way Home star would eventually respond to the outrage:
"But of course there's going to be outrage over that because for some reason some people just aren't ready. I'm like, 'I don't know what America you live in, but from what I see when I walk outside my streets of New York right now, I see lots of diversity and I see the real world and it's beautiful, and that's what should be reflected and that's what is reflected so you're just going to have to get over it.'"
Featured image by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Last season ended with lots of unclear answers to what's going on in each of the teens' lives, but like much of everything with the rest of the world, due to the pandemic, finding out what was next was put on a year-long hiatus. Thankfully, before the first season even ended, we knew another was coming regardless of how delayed.
But wait no more, Rue and Jules are on the way! So, let's get into what all we know about Season 2 of Euphoria so far.
When is season 2 of 'Euphoria' coming out?
Happy 2 year @euphoriaHBO anniversary…see you soon:) pic.twitter.com/IVFpOXhEVx
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) June 17, 2021
Coronavirus had a major effect on production. No, really.
Zendaya, creator Sam Levinson, and the other cast and crew had actually began production of season two for Euphoria in early March of 2020, with a premiere date scheduled for the latter part of the year. They went as far as having wardrobe fittings, set tours, and a table read for their first episode, but the coronavirus pandemic forced production to shut down right before they actually began shooting, like most everything else in the world.
Because of this, there is no set premiere date as of yet, but Zendaya has hinted on social media that it is on the way. However, rushing back to work was never her thing. She told InStyle:
"There is a beautiful second season that has been written, but in order to do it the way we want to do it, we need to wait until it's safer."
Thankfully, the pandemic has been (somewhat) under control and production has resumed.
Zendaya is going to 'dark places' this season.
GiphyIn her recent interview with British Vogue, Zendaya and show creator Sam Levinson, open up about what's to come for Euphoria. Although she openly admits that she is "the most sober person you could ask to play this part," she knows that she has to draw her inspiration from others.
"I can only understand it to an extent, and then I have to lean on Sam. He was an addict for many years as a teenager. And he's been clean since he was 19 years old. That's the thing that makes me hopeful. When we have all this really dark shit – especially this season breaks my heart for Rue – there's a glimmer of hope because I know that she is a version of him."
Levinson inserts his take during the interview via email:
"It's such a brutal season. And what I love the most about Z is she's able to go to those dark places and then as soon as I call cut, she's hanging out behind the monitor, eating Cheesecake Factory and cracking jokes. She's also family. We just shoot the shit all day. We talk about the show, the characters, life, movies, politics. She's one of the most grounded human beings I know."
The 'Euphoria' cast is still the cast (so far).
Although there's no formal announcement of cast departures, since no one died in the first season, it's fair to say that the core cast members will be returning. This includes Jules (Hunter Schafer), Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow), Kat Hernandez (Barbie Ferreira), Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney), Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie), Chris McKay (Algee Smith), Gia Bennett (Storm Reid), and Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane).
Sydney Sweeney discussed her return, without saying anything at all:
"It's more intense. I can say it's more intense. First season was a lot, second season is out of the ballpark. It's going to be amazing, very intense, crazy season."
Storm Reid added to the cast member chats, by opening up about her character on the new season:
"Yes [you'll see more of her charater, Gia]. She's becoming her own person and she's getting her own storyline, which is very exciting, so I'm excited to start that."
Sis, what's going on with Jules and Rue?!
hbo trailer GIF by EUPHORIAGiphyStorylines and cast relationships remain tight-lipped, so exploring each character is something we'll have to wait for, but that doesn't mean we can't question where we left off. When we last saw Jules and Rue, they were ready to run away together and live happily ever after. Jules was fearless in her decision, but Rue decided to stay back and be with her family.
Obviously, we don't know where they stand with each other, but there have been hints. Hunter Schafer (Jules) told Entertainment Weekly that she has ideas for Jules.
"I think she learns from experiencing things. And so to experience what she needs to, without being messy, that's from the sort of loving parent/sister relationship I feel like I have with her. That's what I want for her, although who knows how it will play out. I'm sure it will be more messy than I would hope for her."
How will the bonus episodes play into the new season?
Hbo Crying GIF by euphoriaGiphyBack in October, two bonus episodes premiered on HBO. The first of two special episodes, "Troubles Don't Last Always", with the focus being Zendaya/Rue. We pick up with Rue sitting at the diner, with another out-of-this-world actor, Coleman Domingo, or Ali, as they celebrate Christmas at a diner after Jules takes off and leaves her at the train station.
And the sheer magnificence comes from the fact that this episode places mostly just the two of them sharing monolithic dialogue--and only dialogue--front and center. It's the first time that Rue's addiction and mental health are solely discussed and highlighted. This episode strips away the multiple storylines, and the glitterati, and the privilege, and showcases Zendaya's talent exclusively, as if she were naked in front of us all and having to act her way into making us not even notice. If you weren't exactly sure why Zendaya won the 2020 Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, then watch this episode and see for yourself. Brilliant.
The second bonus episode followed Jules on her quest to finding her freedom and running away.
Cannot. Wait.
How will Drake be involved with 'Euphoria'?
GiphyAs Euphoria fans know, Drake is an executive producer for the show, and famously championed for Zendaya to get the role. He's been to a few premiere parties and he's posted about the show in the past, other than that, he's also been quiet about the fate of what's next. We can confirm however, that Drake is, and has always been, just as excited to show off his involvement in the show. It's unlikely that Drake will return to the small screen for a guest starring role on Euphoria, but the father does seem actively involved with its success.
In 2019, TMZ spoke with Algee Smith (who plays Chris McKay) about Drake's involvement with the show.
"Drake came on set a few times. He threw us a wrap party; he gave away, I don't want to say how much bread he gave away but he gave us some money at the wrap party."
Adding, "It was hefty. You could buy a couple cars, I'll say that."
Whew, OK.
For now, we don't have a premiere date for new episodes, but the fact that it is officially on it's way again, is alright with me. Here's to an even greater Season 2!
You can catch up on past episodes of Euphoria on HBO Max.
Featured image by Giphy
This woman is an icon living. From the moment we met her in 2010 as a groundbreaking Disney star, we knew it was just the beginning. Her beauty has always been rooted in authenticity and joy which is one of the many reasons we stan. Whether it's shutting down fashion weeks around the globe, dominating the big screen, dancing to the beat of her own drum, calling out anti-blackness, or paying homage to bold, Black women, Zendaya consistently shows up.
Back in 2016, the Malcolm & Marie star told New You, "It's important to find out who you are and love who you are. No matter what you're dealing with, it's so much harder and more draining and so much more exhausting to be constantly pretending to be something that you're not." As if we needed more reason to root for Zendaya, her evolution empowers us every day.
"The evolution of loving yourself and becoming comfortable within yourself takes time and it's a process. It does not happen overnight. You have to work at it. And nobody has it. Even the people that you think have it, don't necessarily have it." - Zendaya, Popsugar in September 2018
Fun fact: the multi-hyphenate baddie's name derives from the Shona name Tendai, meaning "to give thanks." And we want to take this time to give thanks for the opportunity to experience Zendaya's beauty and light. Take a look at 20+ times the Oakland native's beauty reigned like no other.
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We can't wait to see what's next for Zendaya!
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