While Zendaya ought to be focusing on her upcoming wedding to fellow Marvel star Tom Holland, she’s instead having to deal with relatives sharing details about family drama. And what’s recently been revealed just might come as a huge shocker.
Thanks to a new interview she did for The Sun released on Thursday, Zendaya’s older half-sister Latonja Coleman is painting a different picture of the beloved actress and how she claims she’s been treated by her over the years. For clarity, the two have different mothers but share the same father—Kazembe Ajamu Coleman—and were born over 20 years apart. But according to Latonja, their father is partially to blame for their strained relationship.
“He’s the reason I haven’t been able to have a relationship with Zendaya,” Coleman said. “I don’t even tell people anymore that she’s my sister. I’m ashamed of my dad and how he raised us. My dad favored the other kids, not his own blood.”
However, their father isn’t the only one who’s contributed to the relationship breakdown between Latonja and Zendaya. The former revealed that she’s only seen the “Spider-Man” star twice in the past seven years and their last encounter happened back in January when the two attended their grandmother’s funeral—and it wasn’t pleasant.
“When I tried to talk to her, she just gave me a one-arm hug. It felt like I was just a fan,”she explained.
That moment in addition to the disregard she claims she experienced years ago when she was diagnosed with cancer has also caused the divide between her and Zendaya to widen.
“I tried to get in touch with Zendaya when I was diagnosed with cancer, but [family members] slammed the door on me,” Latonja said. “I went through cancer and chemotherapy all by myself with no help, no support.”
But while the lack of support and comfort from the “Dune” star soured their sisterhood, Latonja made it clear that her speaking out and trying to get closer to her has nothing to do with her sister’s success and everything to do with simply feeling included in her life.
“I don’t want her money. I just want to be in her life, to show her that I love her and support her. Whatever I can contribute to her life, I would love to do it,” she explained.
Elsewhere in the interview, Coleman spoke on Zendaya’s forthcoming wedding and said that while she thinks the “Euphoria” star and Holland look like “an odd couple,” he’s gotten the family’s stamp of approval.
“He’s down to earth and my family likes him. They just look like an odd couple because he’s so short and she’s so tall. But other than that, I think he’s the one for her,” she said.
While Zendaya has yet to comment on her half-sister’s new interview, a source close to her told the Daily Mail later in the day on Thursday: “Latonja has not really been part of the family for years and actually fell out with the father, so there’s no reason for Zendaya to stay in touch with her. There’s a big age gap between Zendaya and Latonja and they don’t really have a lot in common, but speaking out now will certainly not help rebuild bridges.”