The Tomdaya Engagement Is a Win for the Extremely Online
When Euphoria and Dune star Zendaya stepped onto the red carpet at the 2025 Golden Globes, it only took moments for the photographers and journalists to notice an unexpected guest: a giant diamond ring on her left ring finger. While she declined to answer any questions that night, both People and TMZ confirmed the news the next morning: Zendaya is engaged to longtime partner and Spider-Man co-star Tom Holland.
He’s a British actor who went from West End stages to the bright lights of Marvel fame. She’s a former Disney star turned fashion icon and legitimate movie star. Interest in their engagement seems obvious from a film and entertainment perspective. But online, people are treating this like a real royal wedding. And as the excitement continues to boil over on sites like Instagram, X, TikTok, and Tumblr, it’s clear that the more the couple purposefully leans into the mystery of their relationship, the more fans love them.
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Holland and Zendaya have reportedly been dating since 2021. But one of the reasons their relationship timeline has been so hard to track is because the two have remained tight-lipped surrounding their private lives. In fact, they were so silent about their relationship at the beginning that fans who posted that they thought the two were dating were almost laughed off of fan sites like Tumblr. People searched for other clues, like how similar their hand motions were during press junkets or their answers were during interviews — anything they thought would prove the two were dating. The pair once went viral for a myTypolife dance challenge with a friend in 2016.
It’s a fun fact that every Peter Parker and MJ film pairing (except for Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld) dated in real life — so the appeal of a secret relationship between Spider-Man co-stars is obvious. But even after Zendaya and Holland confirmed their relationship publically in 2021, interest remained because of their almost cheeky refusal to post. They’re seen in public together but often refuse to name each other, even in cover stories.
When asked about her relationship with Holland in 2023, Zendaya said that her silence was a way to not give over every aspect of herself to her fans. “Parts of my life, I accept, are going to be public. I can’t not be a person and live my life and love the person I love,” she said in an interview with Elle. “But also, I do have control over what I choose to share. It’s about protecting the peace and letting things be your own but also not being afraid to exist. You can’t hide. That’s not fun, either. I am navigating it more than ever now.” It’s a sentiment mirrored by Holland, who has said he often skips red carpets to keep the focus on the projects Zendaya is promoting at the time. “It’s not my moment, it’s her moment,” he told Men’s Health in 2024. “And if we go together, it’s about us.”
Tomdaya are — and will most likely remain — an internet staple for their blissful refusal to acknowledge anything they don’t want to. In a world where celebrity couples can monetize every detail of their relationship, their discretion has made Holland and Zendaya beloved online. And as the news continues to dwell on their engagement, it’s made even more special to fans because even though they’ll probably never see any of their royal wedding, they’ll know it happened. And that’s enough — but an invite wouldn’t hurt.
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