Zendaya has been slammed by her half-sister in an incendiary new interview ahead of the star’s wedding to Tom Holland.
Latonja Coleman, 51, who shares a father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, 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.
She also branded Zendaya and new fiance Holland an ‘odd couple’, fears she’ll be snubbed from their wedding and claimed even her own grandchildren don’t know her famous half-sister and think of her merely as from the ‘Disney Channel.’
Latonja told the US Sun she last saw Zendaya at her grandmother’s funeral on January 17 – which was the first meeting since Thanksgiving at the star’s house in 2018.
She said of the reunion: ‘When I tried to talk to her, she just gave me a one-arm hug. It felt like I was just a fan. Zendaya is very active with my other sister and brother’s kids, but my grandkids don’t even know her. They think she’s just from the Disney Channel.’
Latonja is 65-year-old Kazembe’s eldest child who he shares with high school sweetheart Michelle Mackintosh. He also has five children with his second wife. Zendaya’s mom is teacher Claire Stoermer, who he wed in 2008 when their daughter was 12 years old.
Zendaya has been slammed by her half-sister Latonja Coleman in an incendiary new interview ahead of the star’s wedding to Tom Holland – pictured together 2016
Latonja branded Zendaya and new fiance Holland an ‘odd couple’, fears she’ll be snubbed from their wedding (the couple are pictured in 2021)
Stoermer filed for divorce in 2016 and the former couple have remained friends. In 2016 Zendaya shared a rare snap with her parents captioned: ‘My parents ain’t been together for a long time, y’all didn’t know cause we private+they still homies.’
Latonja said she met Holland at Thanksgiving 2018 and called the Spider-Man star ‘really really cool.’
‘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.’
Latonja added that while Zendaya is ‘very active’ with her other sister and brother’s children, she has no relationship with her younger sister.
Latonja claims she tried to get in touch with Zendaya when she was diagnosed with cancer but unnamed family members ‘slammed the door on me.’
She said: ‘I went through cancer and chemotherapy all by myself with no help, no support. I just want to know why Zendaya wasn’t there for me. [I believe] they never told her [I had cancer], but I’m sure she found out later.’
She now feels she is the ‘black sheep’ of the family due to being from her father’s first relationship – and blames him for her failure to have a bond with Zendaya and being allegedly ‘pushed out’ by her other siblings.
She added that Zendaya is ‘different’ and that she loves her ‘no matter what.’
Latonja, 51, 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 – pictured together with the family in 2016
Zendaya is pictured with her parents Kazembe Ajamu Coleman and Claire Stoermer in 2013 – Latonja is the oldest child of Kazembe
Latonja said she met Holland at Thanksgiving 2018 and called the Spider-Man star ‘really really cool.’ ‘They just look like an odd couple because he’s so short and she’s so tall’ – pictured October 2024
Latonja says she fears being snubbed from Zendaya’s upcoming wedding – the actress is pictured January debuting her engagement ring at the Golden Globes
Latonja appeared to confirm she is estranged from her dad – Kazembe shared this photo of her as a baby with his ‘teenage boo’ in 2020
Sending a plea to her sister, she said: ‘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’
Zendaya is pictured with her nieces in 2017
Latonja said she now no longer tells anyone Zendaya is her sister due to being ‘ashamed’ of her father and ‘how he raised us.’
Sending a plea to her sister, she said: ‘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.’
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Zendaya for comment.
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. Having such a big, grounded family, I realized as you get older how important that is.’
Sources had previously told DailyMail.com that Tom took an ‘old-fashioned’ approach and got permission from Zendaya’s family before he asked for his Spider-Man: Homecoming co-star’s hand in marriage.
‘The proposal was sweet and romantic and happened over the holidays,’ the insider dished. ‘He did it the old-fashioned way and got permission from her folks. Everyone is thrilled.’
The source continued: ‘They are the most normal couple at home, and she is ready to spend her life with him.
‘She has gotten everything she dreamed of and marrying Tom and starting a family is next on her list.’
The Spider Man actor has been in a relationship with his co-star Zendaya since 2021 and the pair own a $3.7 million home together in London’s leafy Richmond.
Opening up about the star’s decision to reveal her ring at the Sunday night’s star-studded award ceremony, the insider explained: ‘Zendaya knew what she was doing when she wore that ring, and she did not care.
‘She also knew that this would get out there, but she was ready for it.
Zendaya and Tom met on the set of Spider-man: Homecoming in 2017, and first started dating in 2021 (pictured that year)
‘She loves Tom and he has been with her through thick and thin. They have a unique private romance and although they may seem very opposite, nothing could be further from the truth.’
Indeed, the pair appear to have very clear goals for their future after Tom recently express his hopes to quit acting and become a stay-at-home-dad when he and Zendaya have children.
Tom – who also shares two dogs with Zendaya – vowed that he will ‘disappear’ from the spotlight once he has a family of his own, explaining that he will be content with just spending time with his kids and playing the occasional round of golf.
He told Men’s Health magazine: ‘When I have kids, you will not see me in movies anymore.
‘Golf and dad – and I will just disappear off the face of the earth.’
Shedding light on the couple’s plans to be hands-on parents, the source told DailyMail.com: ‘They do not want to be the couple who has nannies and babysitters taking care of their children.
‘One of them will always be there with their children when they do have kids.’
The insider added: ‘They want to have the traditional family, and they currently do not have a team at home. It is just them and this is how they prefer it.’
