Tom Holland and Zendaya did not make their couple red carpet award show debut this weekend, despite Zendaya attending and being a fashion scene stealer at both the NAACP Image Awards and SAG Awards this Saturday and Sunday respectively. But Holland still supported her from afar, making his adoration of his girlfriend very clear on Instagram. The Spider-Man actor liked every single Instagram Zendaya posted of herself from the weekend and all three her stylist Law Roach posted of her yesterday.
Tom Holland’s likes on all four of Zendaya’s Instagrams from the weekend.
On one post Zendaya shared of her NAACP Image Awards Versace couture red carpet look, Holland commented three heart-eye emojis. Fans noticed, and more than 39,000 fans liked his comment. It’s a rare public demonstration of their relationship dynamic, as the two actors have generally kept their love story private.
Tom Holland’s comment on Zendaya’s post.
News of Zendaya and Holland dating again (after first reportedly dating in 2017) broke in summer 2021 when footage of them making out in a car surfaced. Holland later spoke to GQ in November 2021 about how they hadn’t wanted to go public with their seeing each other.
“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, alluding to the kissing video that outed them. “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 added that “I don’t think it’s about not being ready [to share our relationship]. It’s just that we didn’t want to.”
Zendaya echoed this point to the outlet, saying the interest in their romance “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… 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.”
Months later, Zendaya addressed adjusting to the attention that comes with A-list fame in a Vogue Italia June 2022 interview. “Recently, I’ve had more of a change happening in regards to reactions when I meet people or how people interact with me on a daily basis, because for so long I’ve been able to maintain a little bit of anonymity in a way where I could go off and do things and still live a pretty normal life,” she said. “Of course it comes with new sets of challenges and pressures, but I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I started when I was quite young. So thankfully I’ve had a little bit of time to ease and grow my experience in a way that wasn’t just completely an overnight change. I’m always adjusting to it and trying to be grateful for it all in the end, because it means that people are clearly resonating with the work that I’m doing, and that means a lot to me.”
She noted that she appreciates her longtime fans being “really respectful of my boundaries and the things that I choose to keep a little bit more private and keep for myself.”
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.