In July, the pair were spotted kissing in Holland's car while stopped at a red light in Los Angeles, and two months later, Holland shared a sweet tribute for Zendaya's 25th birthday on Instagram. "My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays," he wrote alongside a photo of the pair, referring to her "Spider-Man" character name. "Gimme a call when your up xxx." Zendaya then replied in the comments, writing, "Calling now♥️."
Holland later addressed the speculation in his November 2021 GQ cover story. "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. "I've always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway."