When it comes to celebrity couples, Tom Holland and Zendaya were once the king and queen of “are they or aren’t they?” The were swarmed with romance rumors from the moment they starred in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” together, but they maintained they were just friends at first.
However, in July 2021, the two were spotted sharing a kiss while stopped at a red light in Los Angeles. They later addressed the speculation in Holland’s November 2021 GQ cover story. “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,” said Holland. “I’ve always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway.”
Though they don’t often talk about their relationship publicly, the friends-turned-lovers are still going strong. On June 1, 2022, Zendaya wished Holland a happy 26th birthday with a a sweet Instagram tribute featuring a cuddly black-and-white photo of the two looking very happy together. “Happiest of birthdays to the one who makes me the happiest,” Zendaya captioned her post alongside a heart symbol. Earlier this year, Holland returned to social media to comment with heart eye emojis on Zendaya’s NAACP red carpet look on Instagram, while eagle-eyed fans spotted an “T” and “Z” initial ring on Zendaya’s finger while having a manicure.
The couple have also been photographed hanging out together in London recently while Holland was taking a break from acting following his emotional turn in Apple TV+’s “The Crowded Room.” The roll, which sees Holland play a character named Danny Sullivan, saw him transform into 1970s costume, which included a “crazy hairstyle”, and Holland hinted that his girlfriend had to get used to his new look during the 10 months of filming. “And also I had the bangs. Bless Zendaya, she had a lot to put up with, with me looking like that for 10 months, it was rough,” he told Radio Times in a June 2 interview. “I don’t like my hair being that dark. I really like how my hair is like my mum’s, kind of red. Yeah, it was tough. That was a part of the show that I don’t miss for sure.”
More recently, in a June 14 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Holland opened up about how cautious he is of publicly sharing his relationship with Zendaya, explaining, “[It’s] something that we are incredibly protective of and we want to keep as sacred as possible,” he said. “We don’t think that we owe it to anyone, it’s our thing, and it has nothing to do with our careers.” However, he did admit that they’ve been working on her golfing skills together. “I’ve given her a few lessons. She’s very naturally talented, a real athlete, so she picked it up really quickly.”
In honor of their romance, let’s look back at Zendaya and Holland’s relationship timeline.
Related: 9 Celeb Couples Who Went From Friends to Lovers
Getty / NurPhoto
2017: Romance Rumors Begin Swirling
Zendaya and Holland first met after they were both cast in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Shortly after, rumors began swirling that the two were dating. “They started seeing each other while they were filming ‘Spider-Man,'” a source told People at the time. “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.”
However, Zendaya later shut down the reports on Twitter, writing, “Wait wait…my favorite is when it says we go on vacations together HA! I haven’t been on a vacation in years!” To which Holland jokingly replied, “@Zendaya Does the press tour count?”
Zendaya later doubled down on her comments in an interview with Variety, saying she and Holland were just friends. “He’s a great dude. He’s literally one of my best friends,” she said. “This past how many months we’ve had to do press tours together. There’s very few people that will understand what that’s like at 20 years old.”
Getty / Sean Zanni
2018: Tom Holland Gives His "Mate" a Shout Out
When Zendaya turned heads at the 2018 Met Gala, Holland made sure to give his friend a shout out on Instagram. “All hail the queen,” he wrote alongside a photo of Zendaya. “Killing it mate 🙌🏻.”
Shutterstock / Diggzy/Jesal/REX/Shutterstock
2021: Zendaya and Tom Holland Reignite Romance Rumors
In July, the pair were spotted making out in Holland’s car while stopped at a red light in Los Angeles, and two months later, Holland shared a sweet tribute for Zendaya’s 25th birthday on Instagram. “My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays,” he wrote alongside a photo of the pair, referring to her “Spider-Man” character name. “Gimme a call when your up xxx.” Zendaya then replied in the comments, writing, “Calling now♥️.”
Holland later addressed the speculation in his November 2021 GQ cover story. “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,” Holland said. “I’ve always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway.”
Getty / Gotham
2022-2023: Zendaya and Tom Holland Are Still Going Strong
The couple seems to be getting more comfortable with giving us glimpses of their romance in recent years. In addition to their date nights and red carpet appearances, Zendaya and Holland frequently shout each other out on social media. For Holland’s 26th birthday in June, Zendaya shared a sweet tribute that included a candid black-and-white photo of the two. “Happiest of birthdays to the one who makes me the happiest,” Zendaya captioned it. On Nov. 23, a source gave Us Weekly an update on the pair’s relationship and said, “They’re both in settling-down mode and are absolutely planning for a real future together.”
In 2023, they’ve been spotted out together on multiple occasions. They attended Usher’s Las Vegas residency in April, and then packed on the PDA at game two of the NBA’s Western Conference semifinals in May.
