There are few Hollywood love stories as wholesome as Zendaya and Tom Holland’s.
Since they were cast as the leads of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, the two have established a long and endearing friendship that ultimately has stumbled down a romantic route.
Ahead, we track everything there is to know about their ultra-private relationship—from when they met to whom else they’ve dated, and what they’ve said about each other publicly.
July 3, 2023: Tom says he's "lucky" to act with Zendaya.
Weeks after joking that his so-called "rizz" with Zendaya was getting to channel his romantic feelings with her onscreen (and "blur the lines a little bit"), Holland expands on this sentiment during an appearance on Wondery's Smartless podcast, where he says his shared experiences with Zendaya in Hollywood have been significant for their relationship.
"I'm lucky that I have someone like Zendaya in my life," he tells hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes. "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," Holland adds. "And that's worth its weight in gold."
June 13, 2023: Tom talks about being “happy and in love” with Zendaya.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Holland joked about his limited sense of “rizz” while hinting at his romance with Zendaya.
“I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz,” he told the outlet. “I need you to fall in love with me, really, for it to work. So, long game. Probably making a movie with each other. 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, so I’m happy and in love. So I’ve got no need for rizz.”
He also opened up about his and Zendaya’s digital communication style, revealing that the Euphoria star often spams him with memes.
“It’s nonstop,” he said. “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.”
June 1, 2023: Zendaya celebrates Tom’s birthday.
To kick off the Spider-Man actor’s 27th birthday, Zendaya shared some sweet, rare snaps of Holland to her Instagram Story.
In the first picture, Holland makes a heart gesture with his hands as he swims in the ocean. The Euphoria star edited the photo to include a red heart emoji next to him. In the second photo, Holland smiles for the camera as he poses on a rocky seaside shoreline. Zendaya added a tiny heart-eyes emoji in the corner.
Holland later posted about his birthday on his own Instagram, sharing a photo of himself in a wetsuit, board shorts, a harness, and a helmet.
“Thank you for all the wonderful birthday messages,” he captioned the hilarious pic. “A gift from me to you. I thought I’d share possibly the sexiest picture ever taken of me! #sexyiestmanalive.”
Zendaya let her approval of Holland’s photo choice be known by simply commenting, “😍.”
May 15, 2023: Zendaya and Tom literally ride off into the sunset together.
Paparazzi photos (which you can see here) capture Zendaya and Holland enjoying a rare public date in Venice, Italy, where the two can be seen packing on the PDA with plenty of kisses and hand-holding. Zendaya wears an all-black ensemble composed of a black jacket, black top, and high-waisted black trousers. Meanwhile, Holland wears a jean jacket, dark gray trousers, and black shades.
At one point, the couple can be seen aboard a boat. There, Holland snaps photos of Zendaya carrying a black dog in her arms. The two also cuddle up close together as the boat jets away.
May 4, 2023: They go on a rare public date at an NBA playoff game.
The couple have a casual date night in San Francisco, where they attend Game 2 of the NBA Playoff match-up between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the clip shared on the NBA’s official Twitter, Oakland native Zendaya pairs a black Golden State cap with a white T-shirt, gold jewelry, and glasses. Meanwhile, Holland wears a gray sweatshirt with a pair of black sunglasses perched on his head.
April 27, 2023: Zendaya posts a rare glimpse of date night with Tom on Instagram.
The two enjoy a night out at an Usher concert, where they are accompanied by friends. Zendaya shares a video from the show to her Instagram Story, in which she sings along to a song while standing close to Holland. In the clip, Zendaya wears a champagne halter top, large hoop earrings, and glasses. Meanwhile, Holland goes casual in a green hoodie.
“When I tell you we barely had a voice by the end of this,” Zendaya writes over the video. She adds, “Childhood dream came true, going to an @usher concert.”
April 19, 2023: Zendaya praises Tom for always supporting her.
Zendaya speaks to Entertainment Tonight about her heavy role in Euphoria, and why she has been glad to have boyfriend Holland in her corner.
“I think it’s great to have that support and love around you, because you need that,” she tells the outlet at Euphoria’s For Your Consideration event.
She adds that spending time with Holland keeps her grounded and helps her detach from the storyline of the HBO Max drama. “This isn’t an easy job, so it’s good to have that to free you up from it every now and then,” she says.
Holland told IMDb last December that he had visited the Euphoria set “at least 30 times” during season 2. And Zendaya confirmed to ET at the time that Holland “supported me through the whole season.”
April 8, 2023: They pose for photos during an England palace tour, and Zendaya admits that she “loves” Tom’s accent.
During an outing in London, Zendaya and Holland take a tour of King Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace. In photos shared by the Queen Anne Boleyn Society on Instagram, the couple poses with historians Tracy Borman and James Peacock during an intimate tour of the 16th-century palace.
In the photos, Zendaya looks casual and elegant in a beige wool trench with black buttons, a gray sweater and a cozy matching scarf. Her accessories include a Louis Vuitton monogram bag and gold-rimmed glasses. Meanwhile, Holland wears a navy blazer, a white T-shirt, and blue jeans.
“One of the most special moments working at the palace being part of my phenomenal friend @tracy.borman smashing tour for @tomholland2013 and @zendaya, who were just the most lovely and down to earth people. [A] moment to treasure forever,” Peacock wrote in the caption.
In an interview published by The Sun that same day, the actress opens up about her boyfriend’s English accent.
“I love the British accent, but as much as Tom tries to explain it to me, I will never understand rhyming slang,” she tells the outlet. “Like I understand the concept—but what do apples and pears have to do with stairs?”
She continues, “It’s cute when he tells me all the different phrases—but I really don’t get it!”
April 2, 2023: Zendaya and Tom are spotted on a PDA-filled outing.
After a jam-packed weekend in Mumbai, the couple is photographed sweetly holding hands as they prepare to fly out of India.
In the photo, Zendaya wears a white button-down with a yellow sweater thrown over her shoulders. Meanwhile, Holland wears a black top.
April 1, 2023: They enjoy a low-key couple trip to Mumbai, India.
Zendaya and Holland are spotted arriving at the Mumbai airport together on Friday, and have a low-key yacht outing on Saturday afternoon. They are featured on the Instagram account of Blue Bay Marine, a yacht charter service, which captioned a group photo with the actors, “Hosted Zendaya & Tom on our yacht.”
In the photo, Zendaya wears a vibrant red maxi dress with balloon sleeves. She pairs the casual piece with white ankle-strap sandals, a brown cross-body bag, and gold earrings, while wearing her hair back in a sleek bun.
Meanwhile, Holland wears a white graphic tee, light-wash jeans, yellow-and-blue sneakers, and a white baseball cap.
Later that day, the couple attends the launch of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre at the Jio World Centre, though they don’t walk the red carpet together. Zendaya wears an ornate navy-and-gold sari by Rahul Mishra, while Holland wears a classic black tux.
March 27, 2023: They give a rare glimpse at their date night style.
Zendaya and Holland have a rare date night out at Jamavar, an Indian restaurant in London.
In a photo shared on Instagram by executive chef Surender Mohan, Zendaya looks elegant in a slate gray slipdress layered underneath a light brown trench coat with matching shearling lining. She finishes the look with sheer black tights and black knee-high leather boots.
Meanwhile, Holland wears a white collared shirt layered underneath a blue sweater with multicolored stripes on the front, a long brown tweed blazer, dark brown trousers, white sneakers, and a cream knit beanie.
“Was a pleasure having @zendaya & @tomholland2013 dine with us @jamavarlondon this afternoon,” Mohan writes in the caption.
March 19, 2023: They wear each other’s initials.
In new symbolic tributes to their romance, the actors are captured wearing each other’s initials in recent outings.
During a nail appointment, Zendaya is seen wearing a sweet new signet ring featuring Holland’s initials—“TH”—per a video shared by her manicurist on Instagram Stories.
Holland, meanwhile, is spotted out on multiple occasions wearing pants marked with the letter “Z” (presumably for “Zendaya”) on the top-right corners of his back pockets.
March 2023: They have a rare PDA-filled outing.
The couple are spotted on a low-key grocery shopping trip in London. In some of the photos, published by the Daily Mail, Holland pushes the shopping cart as Zendaya walks ahead of him. In others, the two sweetly hold each other’s hands in a rare display of PDA. Some photos also capture the moment a little girl poses for a picture with the Spider-Man actor as Zendaya smiles at them.
The two both wear casually stylish outfits. The Euphoria star looks effortlessly cool in a black zip-up bomber jacket, light-wash straight-leg jeans, and black boots. Meanwhile, Holland wears a gray Saint Laurent hoodie with a graphic illustration printed on the front, caramel-colored trousers, multicolored sneakers, and a maroon baseball cap worn backward.
December 1, 2022: Zendaya’s mom addresses recent engagement rumors.
Zendaya’s mother, Claire Stoermer, subtly clears the air on Instagram after pop culture page Pop Hive tweeted over the weekend that the pair got engaged in secret.
On her Stories, Stoermer shares a simple screenshot of CoSchedule’s dictionary definition of clickbait, which reads, “Clickbait typically refers to the practice of writing sensationalized or misleading headlines in order to attract clicks on a piece of content. It often relies on exaggerating claims or leaving out key information in order to encourage traffic. The term is generally used in a dismissive sense.”
Neither Zendaya nor Holland have addressed these rumors directly.
September 3, 2022: They celebrate Zendaya’s birthday.
For her 26th birthday, the Dune actress is spotted enjoying a celebratory dinner at MAMO Italian Restaurant in NYC’s SoHo neighborhood, accompanied by her boyfriend Tom Holland; her mother, Claire Stoermer; and her Euphoria costar Hunter Schafer.
August 2022: Tom flies more than 4,000 miles to hang out with Zendaya in Budapest.
Holland reportedly flies from New York City, where he’s currently filming The Crowded Room, to Budapest, where Zendaya is filming the Dune sequel—ultimately clocking in more than 4,000 miles just to visit his girlfriend.
He is spotted knitting while aboard his commercial flight. Later, Holland and Zendaya are seen sightseeing in the city, according to footage captured by a fan. In the video, Zendaya looks stylish in an all-black outfit, composed of a racer-back tank top, pleated trousers, and loafers. Meanwhile, the Cherry actor looks casual in a navy blue T-shirt, jeans, and gray Nike sneakers.
February 2022: Tom denies reports that they bought a house together.
The actor sets the record straight during a guest appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan.
“I’ve had so many people call me up because, apparently, I bought a new house in South London? Which is completely false!” Holland says of the rumors. “I didn’t buy a new house. I’m like, ‘Wow, what a surprise, I wonder when I’ll get the keys.’”
Winter 2021: They make multiple fashionable appearances together while promoting the last Spider-Man movie.
While promoting the third installment of their Marvel franchise, Spider-Man: No Way Home, the couple makes headlines for their various fashionable red-carpet appearances together.
Zendaya wears outfits that seem to pay homage to the iconic comic series, from a custom Valentino Haute Couture gown with embroidered cobwebs to a dazzling Alexander McQueen ensemble with crystal spiderweb stockings.
November 2021: Tom talks privacy in his dating life as a celebrity.
In an interview, Holland reflects on the paparazzi photos that captured him and Zendaya kissing in a car over the summer.
“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 tells GQ. “I’ve always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway. We sort of felt robbed of our privacy.”
He also says he can’t speak on their relationship without Zendaya next to him. “It’s not a conversation that I can have without her,” he continues. “You know, I respect her too much to say … This isn’t my story. It’s our story. And we’ll talk about what it is when we’re ready to talk about it together.”
Zendaya echoes her boyfriend’s sentiments. “It was quite strange and weird and confusing and invasive. 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,” she tells the magazine. “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.”
October 2021: Zendaya gushes over Tom in a new interview.
Speaking with InStyle, Zendaya praises Holland’s work ethic since he’s stepped into the role of Peter Parker.
“There are many things, obviously, that I appreciate. In an actor way, I appreciate that he really loves being Spider-Man. It’s a lot of pressure—you take on the role of a superhero wherever you go. To the little kid who walks by, you are Spider-Man. I think he handled that so well,” she says. "Our director allowed me to come in every day [of the shoot], and it was cool to see how he cares so much about his work and making it right. I watched him do a fight scene all day, which is exhausting. He’d do a move, come back to the monitors, watch it, and say, ‘I can do that better.’ I’d be like, ‘Dude, you got it.’ But he wants us to be perfect, and I really appreciate that.”
She adds that Holland is “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.”
September 2021: They seemingly make their relationship Instagram official.
For the actress’s 25th birthday, Holland posts a sweet tribute on Instagram featuring a behind-the-scenes film photo of their time on the Spider-Man set.
“My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays,” he writes in the caption. “Gimme a call when your up xxx.”
August 2021: They attend a friend’s wedding as each other's dates.
Though they remain tight-lipped about the status of their relationship, the two are seen attending a friend’s wedding seemingly as each other's dates. In photos taken at the event, Zendaya and Holland pose with their heads leaning against each other.
July 2021: Paparazzi photos capture the two kissing in a car in Los Angeles.
Photos emerge of the Spider-Man costars and longtime friends kissing in a car while stopped at a red light. Other photos show the two of them exiting Zendaya’s mother’s house in the L.A. neighborhood of Silver Lake.
2019–20: They reportedly date other people.
In 2019, Zendaya reportedly begins dating her Euphoria costar Jacob Elordi. The two are spotted on a PDA-filled outing in New York City and later embarked on a Greece vacation together.
![los angeles, california june 04 zendaya and jacob elordi attend hbos euphoria premiere at the arclight pacific theatres cinerama dome on june 04, 2019 in los angeles, california photo by filmmagicfilmmagic](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-1153795915.jpg?resize=980:* ""Euphoria" Premiere")
Meanwhile, in 2020, Holland debuts his relationship with British actress Nadia Parkes on Instagram. The two reportedly quarantined together during the early days of the pandemic, per Daily Mail.
2017: They embark on a press tour for the first Spider-Man movie and deny dating rumors.
While promoting their new movie, Zendaya and Holland become subject to a whirlwind of dating rumors—all of which they vehemently deny on social media.
Responding to a tweet that suggests the costars have gone on holiday together, Zendaya writes, “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 ???”
Holland tweets back, “Does the press tour count.”
2016: Tom Holland and Zendaya are cast as Peter Parker and MJ in Marvel’s reboot of the Spider-Man franchise.
The two are cast as the iconic comic book couple for Marvel’s reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. The first installment, Spider-Man: Homecoming, begins production in June 2016 and is released in July 2017.
As an associate editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey keeps a finger on the pulse on all things celeb news. She also writes on social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight on workers' rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying yet another corset.
![los angeles, california may 10 ben affleck and jennifer lopez attend the los angeles premiere of netflixs the mother at westwood regency village theater on may 10, 2023 in los angeles, california photo by axellebauer griffinfilmmagic](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-1489056535-645d20bc23bd1.jpg?crop=0.716xw:1.00xh;0.143xw,0&resize=360:* "Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "The Mother" - Arrivals")
