How Tom Holland and Zendaya went from co-stars to couple: the complete timeline
From on-set sparks and a viral car kiss to whispers of engagement and a secret wedding, trace Tom Holland and Zendaya’s Spider-Man love story—every rumor, reveal, and milestone—in one definitive timeline.
While the 2026 slate is busy yelling for attention, Tom Holland and Zendaya have been doing the opposite and somehow making louder noise. They slow-burned a will-they-won't-they into a years-long mystery, capped it with an internet-shattering kiss, and then — in the most on-brand move for two very famous private people — quietly made it official as Mr. and Mrs. Holland. Here is how we got from co-stars to forever, with more twists than a Marvel third act.
2016–2017: Co-stars, chemistry, and the first whispers
They met in 2016 when they stepped into the Spider- Man world as Peter Parker and MJ. The on-screen chemistry wasn't exactly staying on-screen. Holland started popping up on Zendaya's socials. There were poolside pics, goofy Comic-Con bits, and even a shared magazine cover. By the time Spider-Man: Homecoming hit in 2017, the off-camera intrigue was basically its own subplot in the MCU.
Then July 2017 happened. Reports said the two had quietly started dating during Spider-Man and were just keeping it under wraps. The response? Deflect and joke. They riffed about supposed secret vacations, and Zendaya played it down again, framing it as two very young people handling a very weird job together.
"We are friends. He is a great dude. He is literally one of my best friends. This past how many months we have had to do press tours together. There are very few people that will understand what that is like at 20 years old."
Translation: believe what you want, but we are not giving you the play-by-play.
2018–2020: The public sees crumbs, the pair keeps it cool
The whispers did not go anywhere. In 2018, they sat together at the Oscars, got spotted at a Los Angeles comic book store, and started trading increasingly cheeky birthday posts. Holland hyped Zendaya after her Joan of Arc-inspired Met Gala look; she countered with a birthday clip of him messing around with a lightsaber. When Holland later marked her birthday with a shot from that same comic shop outing, the rumor cycle spun up again — and then, as usual, got waved off.
The long game pays off
Eventually, fans got the big moment (yes, the kiss that basically took over the internet). And somewhere between saving the world on screen and guarding their actual lives off it, they pulled off the stealth move: a low-key wedding that turned the long-running guessing game into a done deal. Mr. and Mrs. Holland, no press tour necessary.