Inside Zendaya And Tom Holland's Relationship
Rumors of a romantic relationship have surrounded Disney Channel alum Zendaya and "In the Heart of the Sea" actor Tom Holland from the moment they met in 2016. Thrown together to become the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) MJ and Spider-Man, the pair quickly became close friends. And as their on-screen romance progressed in 2019's "Spider-Man: Far from Home," fans couldn't help suspect that there was more to their real-life relationship, too. However, the rumors seemed to be just that as Holland began dating British actor Nadia Parkes early the following year and Zendaya was linked to her "Euphoria" co-star Jacob Elordi.
But, by July 2021, Zendaya and Holland could deny their romance no longer. The pair were publicly outed by paparazzi who spotted them locking lips in Holland's car while at a stoplight in L.A. Afterward, while speaking to GQ, the couple admitted that they would have preferred to keep their relationship private for longer.
The A-list couple — dubbed "Tomdaya" by press and fans alike — remain notoriously private, but they have shared a few details about their relationship, which has been growing stronger since 2021. In July 2023, Holland gushed about his long-term girlfriend. "I'm lucky that I have someone like Zendaya in my life," he told Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett on their "Smartless" podcast (via E!). We know we're lucky to be able to witness all this Tomdaya cuteness, too, so keep reading for the inside scoop on everything we know about Zendaya's relationship with Tom Holland.
Tom Holland said their first meeting was 'awkward'
Zendaya and Tom Holland first met in 2016 on the set of "Spider-Man: Homecoming," which premiered in 2017. For Holland, who'd already played the web slinger in "Captain America: Civil War" earlier that year, this was his second outing in the spidey-suit. But Zendaya was new to the franchise, making her Marvel debut as Michelle "MJ" Jones. He told The Hollywood Reporter that he was very excited to meet her when she came in to do her screen test, but his nerves seem to have gotten the best of him when it came down to the big moment.
"My first meeting with Zendaya was very embarrassing actually, for me," Holland recalled. "It was just one of those moments where it just wasn't my smoothest moment," he added. Luckily for the "Spider-Man" star, Zendaya didn't seem to pick up on any awkwardness from Holland. "I don't remember this, but he says that there was some kind of awkward hug-shake thing," she said in the same interview. While Zendaya was perhaps just being a gracious friend and co-star by saying she didn't remember the "hug-shake," it certainly never became a sticking point in their relationship and, seven years on, they are adoringly in love with each other.
Zendaya and Tom Holland started out as friends
Zendaya and Tom Holland's romance didn't start straight away, though. When they met seven years ago, the pair quickly settled into a close friendship. During this time, they publicly championed each other and hyped up one another's achievements. In one of their first cover shoots together, Zendaya gushed about Holland to The Hollywood Reporter. "He's so nice. He's like one of the nicest people I think I've ever met. He's a good dude and so it's really good to see that good things [are] going on for, like, a good person," she said, while Holland responded by complimenting her hardworking and professional nature.
The following year, shortly after the release of "Spider-Man: Homecoming," Holland spoke to People about his relationship with Zendaya, telling the outlet they're BFFs. He also credited their friendship as being one of major guideposts in his life as he navigated his newfound fame. "Zendaya is super famous, and she's been through this and I just call her up and say, 'How do I manage being famous?'" he said, adding, "I'm very glad I have a friend like her."
Because of their touching words, the pair were constantly the subject of romance rumors between 2016 and the confirmation of their relationship in 2021. But, they did their best to mitigate the rumors, clarifying their relationship in social media posts. While celebrating each other, they used words like "mate" to emphasize their friendship. This connection obviously created a solid foundation for their later relationship as a couple.
The couple might not be together without 'Spider-Man'
Tom Holland knew instantly that Zendaya was going to get the role of MJ, and now it's certainly hard to imagine anyone else playing the smart and snarky teen. And, not only did the pair make three excellent movies together (along with their co-star Jacob Batalon, who plays Ned), they also fell in love. The "Spider-Man" franchise played a big part in their romance. In fact, Holland is acutely aware of the fact that they might not be together without it.
Although Holland and Zendaya run in the same celebrity circles, without the connection of their movies, it's unlikely they would have ever gotten to know each other in the same way. And, despite Holland admitting his girlfriend was his childhood celebrity crush, the actor doesn't think he could have impressed her without "Spider-Man." "I have no rizz [charisma] whatsoever. I have limited rizz ... I need you to fall in love with me really for it to work," he said in an interview with BuzzFeed Celeb.
So, making a movie together helped things along in the romance department. "It definitely helps when the characters you're playing are falling in love with one another. You can sort of blur the lines a little bit. That's kind of where my rizz is at and I'm, you know, I'm locked up. And I'm happy and in love, so I've got no need for rizz," he explained. The couple happily credit "Spider-Man" for starting their relationship, even referring to each other by their character names in affectionate social media posts.
Zendaya and Tom Holland wear each other's initials
Like Tom Holland said, he's "locked up." And, it seems that despite wanting to maintain their privacy, the couple are finding sweet, subtle ways to show off how happy and in love they are. Whether that's posing together on red carpets, holding hands in interviews, or wearing each other's initials.
Zendaya was spotted wearing Holland's gold signet ring, which is engraved with his initials "TH." Holland has worn the ring in photoshoots and interviews, usually on his left pinky finger. However, when her manicurist Marina Dobic posted a video of Zendaya's nails on Instagram, the "Dune" star was spotted wearing it. She wore the monogrammed ring on her index finger on her right hand.
Meanwhile, eagle-eyed Tomdaya fans have also spotted the British actor sporting his girlfriend's initials from time to time. He has the letter "Z" embroidered on the back of several pairs of his pants. Each time it's been on the corner of the back right-hand side pocket (via Twitter). That's pretty adorable!
The couple makes sure to fit in plenty of quality time
What's the secret to Tomdaya's happy relationship you might ask? Well, it seems like quality time. From date nights in London to days out in Paris, the couple have been spotted enjoying each other's company all over the world. Their dates range from low-key and casual to decadent vacations. Fans have spotted the pair getting cozy at an NBA game and singing and dancing at a Beyoncé concert in Warsaw for her Renaissance tour in June 2023. Per the video shared by a fan on Twitter, the pair happily sang "Love on Top" to each other, with Holland pointing at Zendaya during the lyric, "You're the one I love/You're the one I need."
Holland also flew to Budapest to spend some quality time with his girlfriend, allegedly on a commercial flight. He flew to Budapest, where he had been filming "The Crowded Room," to spend some time with Zendaya in Budapest, while she was filming the second "Dune" movie there. And, he reportedly did the 4,350 mile trip from New York City on a commercial flight. This was not the first time Holland has flown a long distance to be with Zendaya, making the trip to Rome back in February 2022 for a romantic date night at Antica Pesa in Rome.
Zendaya and Tom Holland support each other's careers
Thanks to the "Spider-Man" franchise, Zendaya and Tom Holland have been frequent big-screen collaborators. But the pair have never worked together on the small screen, and Holland wants to change that. After revealing "I must have come to visit "Euphoria' at least 30 times [in Season 2]" to IMDb, Holland said he wants to make it official with a cameo on the show. Sounds like he's a "Euphoria" fan to us!
Even when Zendaya and Holland are not working together — or not even in the same country — they are still each other's biggest cheerleaders and support each other's careers. Zendaya revealed to ET that her boyfriend was the first person he texted after her monumental 2022 "Euphoria" Emmy win. Holland was filming "The Crowded Room" in New York and couldn't be there with Zendaya as she made history the being the first Black woman and youngest person to win the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series twice.
Nevertheless, she clearly felt his support from afar. Zendaya previously told ET that it's a great comfort to her. "I think it's great to have that support and love around you, because you need that. This isn't an easy job, so it's good to have that to free you up from it every now and then," she said.
Memes are Zendaya's love language
If you've watched Zendaya and Tom Holland's press interviews for any of their "Spider-Man" movies, you'll know that they like to laugh a lot. Humor is clearly a key element of their relationship. And it comes in many forms, from the pair happily poking fun at each other (remember that time Zendaya cracked up when her beau said she had long calves), to not taking themselves too seriously (there's a reason their lip sync battle went viral), to Holland teaching Zendaya British-isms which she finds hilarious. Speaking on the latter, the "Dune" star said "I love the British accent, but as much as Tom tries to explain it to me, I will never understand rhyming slang," per The Sun. "It's cute when he tells me all the different phrases — but I really don't get it!" she added.
Zendaya's humor is constant, and she's a big lover of memes, according to her boyfriend. She shares them with Holland daily. "It's nonstop," he revealed to BuzzFeed Celeb. "She sends me too much. It's like, I can't keep up! I delete my Instagram for days at a time. I download it to post and then I have to check my messages, and I'll have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of things from her. It's intense," he said. Given that Zendaya loves memes so much, it's fitting she got turned into one because of her expressive laugh, which Holland happily mocked during their Wired Autocomplete Interview.
Tom Holland's DIY skills sealed the deal with Zendaya
It's widely known that Tom Holland has a love of carpentry, which is a skill that was taught to him by his grandfather. "All of my mum's side of the family are all carpenters ... I built my mum's kitchen table," he revealed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" And the table is still standing after a decade, he confirmed After learning the basics from his granddad, Holland attended carpentry school, before landing the role of Spider-Man. He still talks about doing it professionally, though. He told BuzzFeed Celeb that he could see himself taking some time off from acting to pursue it for a couple of years. (Although his fans are probably hoping he won't be missing from screens that long!)
His mum isn't the only person Holland has shown off his carpentry and DIY skills to, though. Apparently, they helped seal the deal with Zendaya after he fixed something in her apartment. "I fixed my girlfriend's door once really early on in our relationship," he revealed to UNILAD. He added: "I was hanging out at her house and her door was broken. I was like, 'I'm gonna fix that door for you' and now we're in love." It seems like it was a memorable moment for the pair, but who wouldn't want a partner who offers to fix something that's broken?
Zendaya and Tom Holland set an example for a healthy relationship
Something that first bonded Zendaya and Tom Holland was her support as he navigated a new level of fame that she'd been dealing with for years. And, as the years went on and the pair grew closer, he has continued to look to her for reassurance. He leaned on her a lot while filming "Spider-Man: No Way Home," especially when he met fellow web slingers, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield for the first time. "At our first rehearsal, I had asked Jacob [Batalon] and Zendaya to come with me to just kind of be there as like, my support system," he told Deadline.
In all good relationships, there should be give and take, and Holland reciprocates Zendaya's support. The "Euphoria" star has been open about her struggles with anxiety, and fans have picked up on the way he comforts her when she needs it — such as when he calmed her by putting his hand on her leg which was shaking during a "Spider-Man" interview.
Together, Zendaya and Holland embody the ultimate Gen Z couple, and are especially setting an example of a healthy relationship for their younger fans. While Zendaya continues to forge ahead in the entertainment industry, scooping up various awards, Holland has been praised for his lack of toxic masculinity, especially during his lip sync dance. "I've grown up in the most non-toxic-masculine environment possible. I didn't realize what I was doing was so forward-thinking. I was just like, 'Yeah, f**k it, I'll put some fishnets on and dance in the rain. That'll be really fun. I don't care,'" he told The Hollywood Reporter.
They share the same values
Apparently, fans knew how compatible Zendaya and Tom Holland are before the actors knew it themselves. But when they finally did publicly confirm their relationship and started speaking about it in interviews, it became clear that their shared values had helped bring them together. "It's interesting being in a romantic relationship with someone that is in the same boat as you. You can share your experiences and all that sort of stuff — and that's worth its weight in gold," Holland said on the "Smartless" podcast (via E!)
Zendaya previously explained that they like to keep a lot of their shared experiences private, too. "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 ... 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," he said while phoning into Holland's GQ interview in 2021.
And if you need any more proof that the pair are perfect for each other, they both value words of affirmation in their relationship. Years before they started dating, Zendaya revealed this is what she needs to feel secure in a relationship. Meanwhile, Holland told BuzzFeed Celeb in 2023 that it was also important to him, and their eagle-eyed fans have picked up on the couple using words of affirmation in interviews.
They've had to face a lot of rumors
The rumor mill never stops churning. But if you don't like a headline, wait a day and it'll be something completely different. Zendaya and Tom Holland know that all too well as the actors and their relationship has been the subject of non-stop jaw-dropping gossip. And what's worse, a lot of it is completely made up. One rumor claimed the Hollywood couple had bought property together near Holland's hometown in London. "I've had so many people call me up because, apparently, I bought a new house in South London? Which is completely false!" Holland explained on "Live With Kelly and Ryan." "I didn't buy a new house. I'm like, 'Wow, what a surprise, I wonder when I'll get the keys,'" he joked.
This wasn't the only rumor about the couple that spiraled out of control, either. News that Zendaya was pregnant spread like wildfire across the internet. The rumor also claimed that the actor was actually six months into her pregnancy and she'd been working overtime to hide it. The "Euphoria" star was forced to make a statement to debunk the untrue rumor.
Okay, so they haven't bought a house, and they're not expecting, but they are engaged, right? Wrong. When Zendaya posed on Instagram sporting a pretty large yellow diamond ring on that finger, fans and media outlets alike were pretty quick to draw that conclusion. However, the ring was actually a special piece of jewelry from Bulgari that Zendaya treated herself to in 2021.
Zendaya and Tom Holland live together
Despite rumors that Zendaya and Tom Holland had bought a property in London together being false, the Disney Channel alum confirmed that they do live together. When they are not working in L.A. or elsewhere around the world (like New York and Budapest), the couple cohabitate together in Holland's UK home.
Where exactly Holland's home is located is not known — it's possible they live in the flat that Holland's mum found for him in 2017. However, he may have quietly moved on since then, but as we noted above, it's definitely not to a $4 million house in Richmond.
Regardless, the pair are happy living together. Giving a rare insight into their home life, Zendaya teased that their day-to-day life looks like together "[Holland] is really good in the kitchen, which is fortunate as I am really accident-prone," she told The Sun. "We learnt early on that only one of us could be in the kitchen at a time, we are both control freaks, so we can't be in there together." It's true, celebrities are just like us.
Do Zendaya and Tom Holland want a family?
Zendaya and Tom Holland might not be married or expecting yet, but the couple are building a life together. But what does that future life look like, and do they want kids?
Holland has previously opened up about wanting a big family, and in the next few years to boot. After being so career-focused, Holland is ready to move onto the next phase of his life. "I want to take a break and focus on starting a family and figuring out what I want to do outside of this world," Holland told People. "I love kids. I can't wait to be a dad — I can wait and I will, but I can't wait!" he says. "If I'm at a wedding or a party, I'm always at the kids' table hanging out. My dad's been such a great role model for me. I think I've got that from him," he revealed.
Zendaya has also gushed about how great her beau is around his younger fans, but she's admitted it's not something that's on her radar yet. Luckily, Holland said he's willing to wait. And, since Z knows where he stands on kids, it's probable that there will be some little mini Zendayas or Toms running around in the distant future.