Zendaya and Tom Holland’s Relationship: A Complete Timeline

Zendaya and Tom Holland have been at the center of romance rumors since meeting on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016. For years, the Hollywood costars refrained from confirming or denying their relationship…until some kissing photos did the work for them in 2021. 

Here’s everything you need to know about the couple’s relationship timeline, from the rumors that started it all to where they stand now. 

2016

Zendaya and Tom Holland met on the set of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. “We are like best friends. She’s so great and amazing,” Holland tells People at the time. “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.”

2017

Rumors first surface thanks to the chemistry they display during the Spider-Man press tour. Though the celebs deny dating rumors, sources say they are keeping their relationship quiet. “They started seeing each other while they were filming Spider-Man,” a source tells People in July 2017. “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.”

In the same article another source claims they share a sense of humor: “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.”

That shared sense of humor is eventually utilized to shoot down the dating rumors. “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 tweets about her Spider-Man costar, to which Holland responds, “Does the press tour count.”

2018

Holland posts a pic of Zendaya in her 2018 Met Gala ensemble, writing, “All hail the queen. Killing it mate 🙌🏻.”

2019–2020 

Zendaya and her Euphoria costar Jacob Elordi spark dating rumors of their own in August 2019, when they are spotted together on vacation in Greece. They never actually confirm they are dating, but paparazzi catch Elordi giving her a kiss in New York City in February 2020. By September, however, he seems to have moved on to Kaia Gerber.  

Meanwhile, Holland goes Instagram-official with girlfriend Nadia Parks on July 27, 2020, when he posts a photo of the actor on Instagram.

According to a source speaking to the Daily Mail, Parks moves in with Holland after London went into lockdown. “They made the decision to isolate together and things have been going great between them,” its source says. “Tom has told friends and family they’re in an official relationship and living together so soon into their romance has only made them stronger.”

2021

July 1: Plot twist: It looks like Holland and Parks are no more! On this important day for Zendaya and Tom Holland shippers, the pair are photographed kissing in Holland’s car while stopped at a red light in Los Angeles. According to Page Six, which shares the photos, the actors are spotted in the Silver Lake neighborhood with Zendaya’s mom, Claire Stoermer, that same day. 

Fans on Twitter were undeniably excited. Not only was Zendaya trending worldwide on the app, but “Tom Holland,” “Peter,” and “#SpiderManNoWayHome” were listed as trending topics as well. “FUCKING FINALLY. TOM HOLLAND AND ZENDAYA ARE OFFICIALLY TOGETHER,” one excited user tweets. Another adds, “THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

July 23: A source tells Us Weekly that Zendaya and Holland keep each other grounded. “They both challenge each other and balance each other out,” the source says, adding that Holland “makes her laugh,” while Zendaya ”really helps guide him through the world of celebrity.”

August 22: Tom Holland and Zendaya were photographed attending a friend’s wedding together. Zendaya wore a floor-length brown dress while Holland looked cool in a buttoned-down white dress shirt and black pants. But more important, peep their pose:

Though they may not be holding hands, Holland’s hand is definitely getting pretty close. Plus that head touch screams, “This is my date.”

September 1: In honor of Zendaya’s birthday, Tom Holland shares a mirror selfie of the alleged couple on the Spider-Man set on Instagram. In the caption he writes in character as Peter Parker: “My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when your [sic] up xxx.” If Holland is trying to be discreet about their real-life romance by doing a birthday tribute in character as Peter Parker, it’s not working. 

In what felt like an instant, “My MJ” starts trending on Twitter as fans express their excitement about the unconfirmed couple.

September 11: It took a while, but Zendaya finally posts those Venice Film Festival photos of her stunning leather Balmain dress to Instagram, and we’re not the only ones who think she looked fire. On September 11, Holland comments on the image with three flame emojis (as he should). His comment has over 53,000 likes. 

October 19: Holland posts a photo of Zendaya on a red carpet to promote her movie Dune to his Instagram grid. He captioned it with the heart-eyes emoji. 

October 20: In a video for BuzzFeed News, Zendaya and Dune costar Timothée Chalamet test their friendship by answering questions about each other. When Chalamet is asked who Zendaya’s “biggest crush” is, he says, “Easy, Tom Holland!” 

Zendaya immediately starts giggling. Sadly, this exchange is the closest thing to a confirmation that Zendaya and Tom Holland are dating that we’ve ever gotten in the press.  

November 17: In an interview with GQ, Tom Holland opened up–kind of, sort of, not really–about his relationship with Zendaya. 

“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. 

Although the world knows they're a couple, it's still important to Holland to keep his private life private. “I’ve always been really adamant to keep my private life private because I share so much of my life with the world anyway,” he said. “We sort of felt robbed of our privacy. I don’t think it’s about not being ready—it’s just that we didn’t want to [talk about it].”

Holland also refuses to discuss details of his relationship without Zendaya present. “You know, I respect her too much to say…this isn’t my story," he continued. "It’s our story. And we’ll talk about what it is when we’re ready to talk about it together.”

December 5: The pair practically make heart eyes at each other on the red carpet of a London photo call for their movie Spider-Man: No Way Home. During an interview on the carpet, Holland points out Zendaya, saying, “There she is—looking beautiful, might I add.”

He also opens up about their “companionship” and how they deal with fame: “Two friends coming together, experiencing this world, going through the same problems at the same time, having a shoulder to cry on, has been a huge thing for the pair of us, and with Jacob [Batalon] as well,” he says, per BuzzFeed. “We really are a family.” 

Zendaya later adds, “Sometimes you just have to be a person to vent to, someone to just be there and listen…. I was lucky enough where my life didn’t change overnight. I started when I was young, so it was kind of like a slow progression. I kind of got to learn it as I went and figure it out and get my footing a little bit, whereas for him it was so much all at once. I have an extreme amount of empathy for that, so anything that I learned or have learned or continue to learn, I share with him, and anything he learns he shares with me.”

December 13: The two attend the LA premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home. When Zendaya arrived wearing that web-patterned gown, Holland literally paused his interview to look for her. Watch the adorable moment here.

December 15: On Instagram, Zendaya shares photos of Tom Holland dressed as Spider-Man, as an adult and as a little kid. “My Spider-Man, I'm so proud of you,” she writes in the caption. “Some things never change and good thing♥️.”

2022

January 10: In honor of Euphoria’s return, Siyon Foster posts a carousel of images to Instagram, including a snap of the cast hanging out. But standing behind Zendaya in the picture is a young person who isn’t tagged, and TikTok has decided that it’s Holland, visiting set. Aww!

January 26: Zendaya and Tom Holland continue to be the absolute cutest. This time they are photographed coupled up while on a walk in London. People reports that the two are in the UK to spend time with Holland’s family, and they are photographed side by side near his family home. See the pictures here. 

February 16: The date nights continue! On February 16, Zendaya and Holland are spotted leaving the Crosby Street Hotel in Lower Manhattan on their way to a screening of Holland’s new action flick, Uncharted, in which he stars opposite Mark Wahlberg. They walk out of the hotel holding hands, showing off not only their adorable relationship but fabulous ’fits as well. 

A day later, the pair are photographed wearing custom jerseys with each other’s names on the back to a hockey game.

February 18: In early February, reports surface that Zendaya and Tom Holland have moved in together. According to the Mirror, the two found a six-bedroom home about four miles from his hometown in the UK. “They are over the moon about the property and getting their first home together,” a source says, per Seventeen. “They are very much in love and wanted their first home to be in London, where Tom grew up. Everyone is thrilled for them.” 

However, Holland shut down these rumors during an 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 said. “I didn’t buy a new house. I’m like, ‘Wow, what a surprise, I wonder when I’ll get the keys.’”

February 23: Holland hops on a plane for a surprise Italian date night.

April 20: Zendaya opens up about Holland’s Euphoria set visits. “I think it’s great to have that support and love around you because you need that,” Zendaya told Entertainment Tonight. “This isn’t an easy job, so it’s good to have that to free you up from it every now and then.”

June 1: Zendaya shares a sweet tribute to Holland on Instagram in honor of his birthday. “Happiest of birthdays to the one who makes me the happiest.”

July 7: The New York Post reports that Zendaya and Holland are spotted touring a $5.35 million five-bedroom, 4,400-square-foot townhouse in Brooklyn. Further reports that the pair have adopted a pit bull named Pistachio make rumors that the pair are buying property together feel even more likely. 

August 8: Holland flies halfway around the world, commercial, to visit Zendaya in Budapest, where she is shooting the second part of Dune.

September 12: Holland does not attend the Emmys, but Zendaya reveals that he’s the first person she texted, publically referring to him as her “boyfriend” for the first time.

October 10: The pair are spotted visiting The Louvre museum in Paris just after Fashion Week. Now, that’s a sophisticated day date. Later, rumors start to swirl that the two are endgame. “They’re both in settling-down mode and are absolutely planning for a real future together,” a source told Us Weekly, describing the couple’s relationship as “serious and permanent.” 

2023

March 20: In a manicure video posted by nail artist Marina Dobyk, Zendaya can be seen wearing a ring that appears to be engraved with “ZH” or “TH.”

April 1: Holland and Zendaya both attend the opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai, India. Though they did not pose as a couple on the red carpet, they were photographed together during the event. (For a full look at Zendaya's stunning custom saree gown by designer Rahul Mishra, click here)

This post will be updated.