The current season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars is in full swing, but one former contestant, Emmy-winning actor Zendaya, isn’t tuning in.
Zendaya competed on DWTS Season 16 in 2013 with her dance pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy. The pair just missed out on the mirror ball trophy, finishing in second place behind that year’s winner, American Idol alum Kellie Pickler, and her partner, Derek Hough.
The actor reflected on her ballroom experience in a recent episode of Entertainment Weekly‘s The Awardist podcast, explaining why she doesn’t watch DWTS anymore.
“I have not watched Dancing With the Stars since I was on,” she said, admitting that she never tuned in before competing, either. “I don’t think I was the target demographic. My grandma loves Dancing with the Stars, that’s her bag.”
Zendaya also described her time on DWTS as “a very stressful experience.” She added, “I was like, I don’t think I’m gonna be watching this anymore.”
At the time of her Dancing with the Stars stint, the actor was best known for her roles on the Disney Channel’s Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover. She has since gone on to star in the acclaimed Dune movie franchise, 2024’s The Challengers, and HBO’s Euphoria — a role that has earned her two Emmy awards.
Val Is “Proud” Of Zendaya
While their dance partner days are behind them, the DWTS duo have sung each other’s praises since competing on the show.
In 2013, Zendaya invited Chmerkovskiy on stage at an L.A. County Fair concert and encouraged the audience to vote for him and his Season 17 partner, Elizabeth Berkley.
More recently, Chmerkovskiy congratulated Zendaya on her first Emmy win in 2020, writing on Instagram that the actor’s continued success brought him “ridiculous amounts of joy.”
“Nearly 8 years ago I got the pleasure to teach a brilliant young woman how to ballroom dance,” he wrote. “After giving it every ounce of our effort we came in second. Devastated by the loss I remember telling her that one day you’ll be winning an Oscar and part of the reason why will be this feeling of defeat you feel right now.”
