Zendaya boasts a very close knit family with the actress enjoying a strong bond with both of her parents Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu Coleman – as well as her fiancé Tom Holland’s relatives.
But shock allegations about the family were made this week – with Zendaya’s half-sister Latonja Coleman accusing her of neglecting their family in an incendiary new interview ahead of the star’s wedding to Tom.
Latonja, who shares a father, Kazembe, with the Challengers star, 28, claims she has only seen her half sister twice in seven years and that she was treated ‘like a fan’ by her during their last meet.
Zendaya is Claire and Kazembe’s only child together, while Kazembe welcomed Zendaya’s five older siblings during a previous relationship: Katianna, Annabella and Kaylee, and two older brothers, Austin and Julien known as EZ.
The five half-siblings Latonja shares with Zendaya are from her father’s second relationship, which happened after Latonja was born, but before he met Stoermer.
As the allegations surface – an interview from 2022 with Tina Knowles shows Zendaya’s mum Claire speaking about their family relationships.
Zendaya boasts a very close knit family with the actress enjoying a strong bond with both of her parents Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu Coleman (the whole family seen together)
But shock allegations about the family were made this week – with Zendaya’s half-sister Latonja Coleman (pictured) accusing her of neglecting their family in an incendiary new interview
She insisted that Zendaya has close relationships with all of her siblings – even Latonja.
Claire was asked by Tina how she managed to keep Zendaya from going off the rails despite her fame from a young age.
She said: ‘She had a grounded childhood because I made sure family were around her all the time. She has older brothers and sisters and they will check her if she ever gets a big head.
‘She is really close with her brothers and sisters.’
She then named all of the siblings including Latonja and said they have all shaped her into the person she is today.
Zendaya has previously spoken openly about being a doting aunt to her many nieces and nephews, telling People last year: ‘They’re like my borrowed children.
‘Plus, being an aunt comes with some major perks. I get to have fun and then give them back to their parents.’
She has also said she looks up to her big sister – besides Latonja – she has three other older half-sisters Katianna, Annabella, Kaylee.
She said: ‘I look up to my big sister and realize the influence she’s had on me and making me a better person.
Zendaya is pictured with her parents Kazembe Ajamu Coleman and Claire Stoermer in 2013 – Latonja is the oldest child of Kazembe
Latonja appeared to confirm she is estranged from her dad – Kazembe shared this pH๏τo of her as a baby with his ‘teenage boo’ in 2020
Latonja, who shares a father, Kazembe, with the Challengers star, 28, claims she has only seen her half sister twice in seven years
Zendaya’s mum has in the past insisted that Zendaya has close relationships with all of her siblings – even Latonya
‘Having such a big, grounded family, I realized as you get older how important that is.’
California born Zendaya shares a close bond with her mother Claire and dad Kazembe, so close in fact that her dad is also her manager.
Former teacher Claire and her husband Kazembe divorced when Zendaya was a child although the star has revealed that her parent’s are ‘still homies.’
Claire now owns her own jewellery company named, Kizzmet Jewelry, which is often worn by Zendaya herself.
She is the only child of both her parent’s but has five older half-siblings, her oldest brother, Julien Coleman, AKA EZ keeps a low profile.
He shares three children with his wife Sonja, their eldest Zink, is actually only one year older than Zendaya and the pair share a close friendship.
Zendaya also has another brother Austin, older sister Kaylee, who has two teenage daughters, Imani and Isys, and another sister AnnaBella.
As a mixed-race actress she has made a point of openly discussing her heritage, saying that her position as a ‘light-skinned black woman’ makes her Hollywood’s ‘acceptable version of a black girl’.
In an interview with the Daily Mail in December 2021, Zendaya’s mum Claire discussed her ancestry and revealed her great-grandfather was a heroic WW1 soldier from Dundee.
‘Zendaya knows about her Scottish heritage and is proud of it,’ said her mother Claire Stoermer, speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail by telephone from her home in California.
‘She hasn’t been to Scotland yet, but I know she’d love to visit some time.’
Last year Zendaya opened up about her ‘complicated feelings’ about growing up in the public eye since getting cast as Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up.
The Oakland native, who has since become a two-time Emmy winner at just 28, reflected on her struggles with anxiety after being put in a ‘very adult position’ as her family’s breadwinner before becoming a legal adult.
When asked what her career goals were growing up during an interview with Vogue, the Euphoria star admitted that she finds the question a bit ‘funny’ as ‘it’s something that’ she’s still trying to figure out now.
Zendaya has previously spoken openly about being a doting aunt to her many nieces and nephews, telling People last year: ‘They’re like my borrowed children’ (seen in 2017)
Former teacher Claire and her husband Kazembe divorced when Zendaya was a child although the star has revealed that her parent’s are ‘still homies’
‘I don’t know how much of a choice I had. I have complicated feelings about kids and fame and being in the public eye, or being a child actor,’ she explained. ‘We’ve seen a lot of cases of it being detrimental.’
As an adult, she said she has found herself thinking: ‘Oh, okay, wait a minute: I’ve only ever done what I’ve known, and this [acting] is all I’ve known.’
‘I’m almost going through my angsty teenager phase now, because I didn’t really have the time to do it before,’ she mused.
While looking back at her adolescence, Zendaya said: ‘I felt like I was thrust into a very adult position: I was becoming the breadwinner of my family very early.’
‘There was a lot of role-reversal happening, and just kind of becoming grown, really,’ she noted.
Additionally, she felt a lot of pressure to become ‘this perfect being, and be everything that everyone needs’ her to be and live up to.
The pressure and expectations, still, make it difficult for her to live in the moment or, even, enjoy her current success.
‘Now, when I have these moments in my career—like, my first time leading a film that’s actually going to be in a theater—I feel like I shrink, and I can’t enjoy all the things that are happening to me, because I’m like this,’ she said while balling up her fists. ‘I’m very tense.’
She went on to say that she believes her tension is caused from ‘never really having an opportunity to just try s**t’ as a kid without the fear of failure.
The actress also admitted that she still really wishes she ‘went to school’ and that going to school on a television set ‘only barely’ worked.
In 2017, she revealed to Glamour that her father ‘quit his job as a teacher’ to make her dream of becoming an actress come true.
As she went on auditions with her father, her mother stayed in Oakland and worked two jobs as a teacher and employee at the California Shakespeare Theater to support their family.
‘Those two jobs paid for all of our car trips back and forth for the year I was auditioning,’ she said.
Over the years, Zendaya has spoken highly about her mother’s career and referred to her as her role model.
‘Growing up, I watched my mom teach in the heart of Oakland, California, at inner-city schools that were always underfunded. My mom went above and beyond, working constantly to open her students’ eyes to an education that could lift them far beyond their current circumstances,’ the performer told Teen Vogue in 2016.
She continued: ‘She would introduce them to the arts, guide them through the language of Shakespeare, and show them the wonders of nature outside city life — all things that they wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.’
Before kicking off her career on Disney Channel’s sitcom, Shake It Off, which ran from 2010 to 2013, was a backup dancer for Selena Gomez in a Sears commercial and a Kidz Bop kid.
The Golden Globe winner has since starred in HBO’s hit series Euphoria as well as box office hits, like the superhero film Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Greatest Showman and the Dune film franchise.
Just last month it was revealed that Zendaya’s loved ones have the perfect nickname for fiancé Tom – and fans have declared he’s officially part of the family.
The Euphoria actress took her husband-to-be, also 28, to a party with her relatives in the Bay Area, California, in February.
And in a video shared from the event, one of the guests asked Zendaya to show him how to say ‘I love you’ in sign language, to which she immediately demonstrated.
Unsure whether she was being truthful, the guest then turned the camera to Tom and said: ‘Oh, hold on, let me get Spider-Man.’
Zendaya and Tom met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017, and first started dating in 2021 (pictured that year)
She is the only child of both her parent’s but has five older half-siblings
As a mixed-race actress she has made a point of openly discussing her heritage (Zendaya and her dad pictured)
Zendaya has previously reflected on her struggles with anxiety after being put in a ‘very adult position’ as a child star (seen in 2011)
In another clip from the evening, Tom was seen cradling a baby. Captioning the adorable upload, the poster wrote: ‘The real Spider-Man. Facts.’
Of course, Tom famously played Spider-Man in the Marvel franchise, with Zendaya playing his love interest, MJ.
Naturally, the nickname has gone down a storm with Zendaya and Tom’s fans on socials, with many declaring that it will stick with him for life.
Read More Zendaya reflects on being her family’s breadwinner at a ‘very early’ age and ‘never really having the opportunity’ to be a kid in her quest to be ‘perfect’ 
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one said: ‘Zendaya’s family clearly knows how to have fun with Tom’s iconic role.’
Another wrote: ‘If you’re a famous actor, whatever your biggest role ever is will be your name for life. My family still refers to Hugh Jackman as “Wolverine” all the time and Keanu Reeves is “Neo.” That’s just the rules.’
A third noted: ‘He’ll be “spider man” for the rest of his life.’
‘He’s not just Spider-Man, he’s officially family-man now,’ a fourth joked.
A fifth exclaimed: ‘They make me so happy! It seems like they can really be themselves with each other and that’s so beautiful.
‘Just a genuine connection and friendship that blossomed into a healthy and lasting relationship. I hope nothing but the absolute best for them.’
It was reported last month that after four years together, Zendaya and are gearing up to walk down the aisle, as he reportedly popped the question over the holidays.
The pair famously met of the film Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, and immediately, they developed a strong bond.
The couple first sparked dating rumors when they posed on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter together in November 2016, however they didn’t confirm their relationship until September 2021 when he posted a loved-up snap with the actress to Instagram in honor of her birthday.
News of their reported engagement came after Zendaya sparked engagement rumors when she flashed a mᴀssive diamond ring on her wedding finger at the Golden Globes.
At the event, she was seen showing off her cushion-cut 5-carat diamond to friends and colleagues that rushed to congratulate her.
The ring is said to be by the fashionable New Zealand-born and London-based jeweler, Jessica McCormack, and estimated to be worth over $200,000.
