Since starring in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016), fans have speculated whether Tom Holland and Zendaya are a real-life couple. After eight years, we finally have an answer regarding the actors who have brought Spider-Man and Mary Jane “M.J.” Watson to life. Read on to learn how and when the two started dating, why they chose to keep their relationship private and where their relationship stands now.
July 10, 2016: Zendaya first appears on Tom Holland’s Instagram
A year before the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Holland posted a photo of him and Zendaya on Instagram. He captioned it “Summer Sunday’s,” but didn’t tag her in it.
November 9, 2016: Tom Holland appears on Zendaya’s Instagram
Four months after appearing on her beau’s Instagram, Zendaya decided to return the favor and post him as well! The photo was of their Next Gen cover shoot for The Hollywood Reporter, and the actress even said, “Honored to share it with the very best…Spider-Man himself.”
July 13, 2017: A source reports that the two are dating
A year after their first-ever Instagram appearance, a source confirmed to PEOPLE magazine that Holland and Zendaya were indeed dating, saying “They started seeing each other while they were 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 to spend as much time as possible with one another.”
August 2017: Zendaya says she and Tom Holland ‘are friends’
During an interview with Variety, Zendaya was asked if she and Holland were dating, to which she replied, “No.”
“We are friends,” the actress explained. “He’s a great dude. He’s literally one of my best friends. 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.”
May 8, 2018: Tom Holland gushes about his co-star on Instagram
Zendaya is no stranger to the Met Gala, where her looks are consistently praised by critics. Another person among them is none other than Holland! After the actress debuted her 2018 Joan of Arc costume, Holland took to Instagram to gush about how much he loved it.
“All hail the queen,” he wrote. “Killing it, mate.”
July 2, 2019: The couple shares their first on-screen kiss
Though they starred together in the first Spider-Man movie, Holland and Zendaya didn’t share an on-screen kiss until the sequel, Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). However, considering that the film was made before 2019, the two definitely had locked lips before that.
After Far From Home was released, Holland said in an interview, “[Zendaya’s] not that much taller…It’s not like people say, ‘How do you guys kiss? It must have been so difficult.’”
July 2, 2021: Tom Holland and Zendaya are caught having a secret moment together
Exactly two years after the world saw the couple’s first-ever on-screen kiss, Holland and Zendaya were spotted sharing a secret smooch in a car, seemingly confirming the narrative that they were dating.
Neither party has ever talked about this viral moment.
September 1, 2021: Tom Holland shares a super sweet birthday message
To celebrate his sweetheart’s birthday, Holland took to Instagram to write, “My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when you’re up xxx.”
Zendaya then responded by commenting, “Calling now,” with a heart emoji, and naturally, the internet went crazy.
November 17, 2021: Tom Holland says he prefers to keep his private life private
It’s no secret that Holland and Zendaya like to keep their relationship out of the public eye, and in his November 2021 GQ cover, they opened up as to why.
“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,” the actor said.
Zendaya also briefly appeared in the feature, saying, “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.”
December 15, 2021: Zendaya praises her beau
To celebrate the release of their 2021 film Spider-Man: No Way Home, the actress took to Instagram to praise her on- (and off-) screen love.
“My Spider-Man, I’m so proud of you. Some things never change and good thing,” Zendaya wrote, causing the internet to go crazy once again.
February 16, 2022: The two attend a movie premiere together
After the premiere of Holland’s 2022 film Uncharted, he stepped out on the town with Zendaya. They both wore gray and black and were holding hands the entire time they were together.
February 22, 2022: Tom Holland says he’d love to be on Zendaya’s hit show ‘Euphoria’
Another thing that came out in February 2022 was Zendaya’s hit show Euphoria, which apparently Holland would love to be on.
“I would be in Euphoria. I think I would be a really good Maddy,” the actor said. “I’m a big Euphoria fan. I love the show and I love season 2. I visited a lot while they were shooting it and I really, really enjoyed it.”
“I would love to guest star or just be an extra in it. Or maybe I am, and you just don’t know.”
April 20, 2022: Zendaya praises Tom Holland’s ability to pull her out of life’s harder moments
In Euphoria, Zendaya plays a drug addict named Rue, and according to the actress, once the cameras are done rolling, it can be hard for her to leave all that darkness behind. Luckily though, Holland has always been there to help her out.
“I think it’s great to have that support and love around you, because you need that,” the actress said. “This isn’t an easy job, so it’s good to have that to free you up from it every now and then.”
She also joked that “the world may never know” if Holland ever served as an extra in the show.
October 10, 2022: The two take a vacation together
During the fall of 2022, Holland and Zendaya decided to take a much-needed vacation and visited The Louvre in Paris, France. Various onlookers captured pictures, but thankfully the couple was left alone, allowing them to take in all of the artwork.
May 4, 2023: Tom Holland and Zendaya become basketball buddies
When they aren’t saving the world from supervillains, it turns out Holland and Zendaya love to watch sports. The two were spotted sitting together at the Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers game in May 2023 and even shared a box of popcorn. How cute is that!
June 14, 2023: Tom Holland shares the real reason he keeps his love life private
As mentioned before, Holland and Zendaya prefer to keep their relationship a secret, and during a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor dove deeper into why.
“Our relationship is 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.”
June 23, 2023: Tom Holland reveals how he got Zendaya to fall in love with him
Holland might not be able to shoot webs out of his hands in real life, but there are two things he can do: fix a door and get a girl to fall in love with him.
“I fixed my girlfriend’s door once really early on in our relationship,” the actor said. “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.”
July 10, 2023: Tom Holland again calls his relationship ‘sacred’
While appearing on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty Podcast, Holland decided to use his time to say that his relationship with Zendaya is “the thing I keep most sacred.“
“I don’t talk about it. I try my best to keep it as private as possible; we both feel very strongly that that is the healthiest way to move on as a couple.”
We love that for them!
August 23, 2023: Zendaya shares how she likes to protect her peace
Zendaya is often making headlines for things like her style, acting skills and more, and while it may seem overwhelming and scary sometimes, in August 2023, the actress shared how she manages to deal with it all.
“Parts of my life, I accept, are going to be public,” she admitted. “I can’t not be a person and live my life and love the person I love. But also, I do have control over what I choose to share. It’s about protecting the peace and letting things be your own but also not being afraid to exist. You can’t hide. That’s not fun, either. I am navigating it more than ever now.”
January 14, 2024: Tom Holland shares what his favorite movie to watch with Zendaya is
Most celebrities hate to watch themselves on screen, but not Holland or Zendaya! In fact they love it!
“Zendaya and I will, every now and then, watch Spider-Man 1 and reminisce about being 19 and making those movies again,” Holland said. “I love those movies, and I love savoring those moments, so I try not to watch them as often as I would maybe like to, because it’s so special. It’s such a luxury, such a gift to be able to sit down and sort of relive your youth.”
February 21, 2024: Zendaya shares what she loves most about Tom Holland
While promoting Dune: Part 2, Zendaya opened up about what her favorite thing about her boyfriend is, saying, “I think someone who has beautiful charisma, not on the Dune cast, but personally works for me, is Mr. Tom Holland.”
“I’m more shy and kind of quiet. So, it takes a bit more to pull me out of my shell. But he’s great at just talking to people, getting to know people.”
March 17, 2024: The duo attends the BNP Paribas Open in California
Aside from the Spider-Man premieres, Holland and Zendaya are hardly seen together. However, in May 2024, they attended the BNP Paribas Open finals but kept the PDA to a minimum.
October 17, 2024: Tom Holland shares his favorite thing to do with Zendaya
It turns out doors aren’t the only things Holland can fix. In fact, he claims that fixing things for his girlfriend is his favorite thing to do with her.
“If something breaks in Zendaya’s house, I take huge pride in fixing it,” the actor said. “She has this guest room, which was … it wasn’t the greatest room like it needed some love.”
“I built her these cupboards and put a new wardrobe up for her and fitted it in so it looked like it was part of the wall. And I was very proud of myself.”
October 24, 2024: Zendaya supports her boyfriend
The couple’s last public outing was very recently during the launch of Holland’s non-alcoholic beverage company, Bero. The two were not only seen at the launch event together, but also left hand in hand in matching outfits.
January 6, 2025: The two spark engagement rumors
After appearing on the Golden Globes red carpet wearing a diamond ring on that finger, fans of the couple began to speculate about a Holland-Zendaya engagement. And now, we seem to have an answer!
Holland reportedly asked Zendaya to marry him, proposing between Christmas and New Year’s 2025. According to TMZ, the proposal was an intimate, low-key moment shared between the two of them.
Neither party has commented on the engagement reports as of publication.
