Ever since Spider-Man: Homecoming came out in 2017, stars Tom Holland and Zendaya have been plagued by relationship rumors. Now that Spider-Man: Far From Home is out, they're back. And while sometimes being plagued by romantic rumors means that two celebs actually are secretly dating (the exact reasons these rumors just won't stop), that's just not the case here. These tall tales following celebs at every turn can also mean that two celebs aren’t dating and can you please stop asking them about it, thank you very much.
For two years, Zendaya and Holland have had to deny dating one another in interviews, including a recent Elle one in which he says he's not dating Zendaya but he is "a relationship person." The buds have also denied the rumors numerous times on social media. Being asked about it must be annoying, but they’ve at least had a sense of humor about it. It's especially miraculous because this nonsense started way back in 2017.
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Days ahead of Spider-Man: Homecoming's July 7, 2017 release, on July 13 of that year, People reported that Holland and Zendaya were dating. “They started seeing each other while they were filming Spider-Man,” an apparently misinformed source told the publication. “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.” Another source added, “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 last part is true, but fans and anyone with access to Zendaya and Holland's Instagrams already knew that:
Wisely, the actors decided to squash the rumor swiftly, and the day after the People report, they used their playful rapport to shut it all down. Zendaya tweeted a link to the story and wrote, “Wait wait...my favorite is when it says we go on vacations together HA! I haven't been on a vacation in years! ?? ? @TomHolland1996 ???” Holland then responded, “@Zendaya Does the press tour count ??".
Since then, the rumors have surfaced again and again, and both actors have been remarkably chill about it. In one particularly odd scenario in 2018, an Instagram account belonging to the mother of actor Skai Jackson seemed to “confirm” the Holland-Zendaya relationship, but Jackson’s mom later said her account was hacked and that she wouldn’t have had that information, anyway. Then of course, there's Holland's June 2019 comment to Elle that he is single. And, in an interview with ET Canada on June 20, 2019, Holland and Zendaya were asked if it feels strange that so many people want them to be dating in real life, and while they agreed it does, Zendaya said, “It kind of comes with the territory.”
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Even with all the rumors, Zendaya and Holland haven’t let gossip stop them from enjoying their friendship and showing their support for one another. For example, in September, Holland wished his co-star a happy birthday on Instagram, posting a paparazzi shot and captioning it, “Me, myself and the birthday girl. Happy birthday mate - keep killing it and paving the way for the rest of us.” In June, Zendaya did the same for Holland (above). “Happy birthday weirdo,” she wrote, “thanks for being the wonderful person you are, we’re all very lucky to have you and your weirdness.” And these b-day wishes are just among many other kind words Holland and Zendaya have publicly shared about one another.
Perhaps the most memorable friendship moment for fans of these two, though, was the time they faced off on Lip Sync Battle in 2017. Zendaya performed as Bruno Mars, and Holland channeled Rihanna for a very enthusiastic rendition of “Umbrella”:
'Shippers might still want them to date, but it's not as if the reality of the duo's platonic friendship is a bad alternative. Not only are Holland and Zendaya are clearly great friends who have a blast together, but they are also extremely generous about sharing their friendly affection for one another with their fans.
But also, if everyone could please stop asking them about their relationship, they’d probably appreciate it.