Zendaya Says Tom Holland Was The First Person She Texted After Her Emmys Win

On Monday evening, Zendaya made history at the Emmys 2022. For her work as Rue Bennett in Euphoria, the 26-year-old starlet won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, making her the youngest ever two-time winner for acting and the first Black woman in Emmys history to win the award for lead actress in a drama series twice. 

Zendaya attended the Emmys wearing a stunning black Valentino ballgown — which the Valentino team custom-made in just one week — alongside a handful of her loved ones, whom she shouted out during her touching acceptance speech. “Thank you to the Academy, thank you to my friends and family, some of which are here tonight,” Z said with a huge smile.

Notably absent from the red carpet and the ceremony, however, was Tom Holland. (More on that here.) Both stars are in the midst of hectic work schedules, with Zendaya filming the Dune sequel in Budapest and Tom filming anthology series The Crowded Room in New York City. 

Despite the distance, the two have made efforts to visit and spend time with each other. In early August, Tom was spotted on a flight to Budapest from NYC — he was later seen roaming the streets of the European city with Zendaya by his side. Just last weekend, Z was seen at a coffeeshop in Staten Island, near a recent filming location for The Crowded Room. Even though Tom wasn’t physically present on Emmys night, Zendaya shared a rare tidbit that proved he was there in spirit.

Post-win, Zendaya spoke to E! backstage shortly after the Emmys ceremony concluded. “We’re not going to do any hard-hitting questions, just something super easy,” prefaced the interviewer in the clip. “Who’s the first person you text when you get this win?”

“Well, I didn’t have to text my mom ‘cause my mom was already there,” Z said with a smile. “She’s here tonight, which was very special… and I texted my boyfriend.”

The 16-second clip sent Tomdaya stans into a tailspin on social media, with many pointing out that this was the first time Zendaya has ever publicly referred to Tom as her boyfriend.