Over the holidays, actor Tom Holland proposed to fellow actress Zendaya at her home after asking her parents for their blessing. The couple have starred in three movies together as a part of the Spider-Man franchise, with Holland playing Peter Parker and Zendaya playing his love interest, MJ.
The pair first met on the set of Spider-Man Homecoming in 2016. Holland met Zendaya’s parents for the first time in 2017, although the two didn’t publicly announce their relationship until 2021 when they were spotted by paparazzi together. Later that year, Holland confirmed their relationship when he posted a photo of them together on Instagram to celebrate Zendaya’s birthday.
Zendaya was nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 2025 Golden Globes for her performance in the sports drama “Challengers.” Rumors of their engagement spread since she wore a 5.02-carat ring designed by Jessica McCormack. Although not yet confirmed by the brand, the ring is estimated by experts to be worth $200,000. Along with the ring, fans also spotted a tiny “t” tattoo on Zendaya, which TMZ later confirmed to be the pair’s matching initial tattoos. Boston Tattoo company’s artist, Lily Jarynryd, was responsible for the couple’s tattoos.
Holland has shared in previous interviews how he never tries to outshine Zendaya, often not attending her red-carpet premiere moments with her. “Because it’s not my moment, it’s her moment, and if we go together, it’s about us.”
“I think it resonates so much because they were a couple in a very popular movie series, so it’s fun to see it come true in real life,” said Biebrich.
“It feels pretty normal,” said Zendaya when asked if it was weird to act with her now-fiance. “It’s how we met. I love working with him. He’s so talented, and so passionate about what he does.”
Zendaya began her career in modeling, then moved toward acting on Disney Channel, appearing in shows like “Shake it Up” and “K.C. Undercover.” Holland started his career in dance, making his debut performance in “Billy Elliot the Musical” in the West End. However, his career truly started taking off after his performance in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
“I first started liking Tom Holland after the release of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ and finding out that he had an English accent, which just made him perfect,” said junior Brooke Biebrich.
Despite their fame, both Holland and Zendaya have emphasized their privacy. Holland’s father confirmed the engagement on his blog but declined to share any details, respecting his son’s wishes. Both have said they would like to start a family in the future, and Holland revealed that he’ll quit acting once he has children.
Poolesville junior Sameeha Karim gushed about the pair.
“They were really cute in the Spider-Man movies,” said Karim. “I think they have great chemistry on and off screen.”
“When I have kids, you will not see me in movies anymore,” said Holland to Men’s Health Magazine.
The pair also share two dogs together, a black miniature schnauzer and a Doberman puppy.
