Zendaya Coleman has revealed she isn't over losing Dancing with the Stars to Kellie Pickler more than 10 years after their season aired.
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Zendaya, 28, competed on Dancing with the Stars' sixteenth season in 2013 and made it all the way to the finale with her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy; however, Kellie and her pro partner Derek Hough won the ABC reality dancing competition.
"Listen, I'm still harboring a little animosity about that," Zendaya, who just attended the 2025 Golden Globes which were broadcast on CBS on Sunday, admitted to W Magazine in a recent interview.
"I felt that loss. I was only 16 years old, and it was highly stressful."
Although Zendaya is a big celebrity now having starred on The Greatest Showman and Dune, the actress recalled how taking the stage for live television each week and receiving judges' scores on Dancing with the Stars was "so scary" at the time.
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"I took it very seriously, which, in retrospect, I wish I didn't," Zendaya shared.
"I wish I'd enjoyed it a little bit more and just was like, 'Eh, whatever.' You know what I mean? But I was stressing myself out. I really went through it on that [show]."
Zendaya had landed consistently high scores on her Dancing with the Stars season, so it was a tough break when the mirrorball trophy went to Kellie.
Zendaya said she doesn't even watch Dancing with the Stars anymore.
Zendaya had revealed on "The Awardist" podcast last year that she hasn't seen a DWTS episode in over a decade.
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"I have not watched Dancing with the Stars since I was on [it]," Zendaya said in October 2024, according to Us Weekly.
"I didn't really watch Dancing with the Stars before I was on Dancing with the Stars. I don't think I was the target demographic. My grandma, like, loves Dancing with the Stars. That's her bag."
Zendaya reiterated at the time how Dancing with the Stars was "a very stressful experience" for her.
"I was like, 'I don't think I'm going to be watching this anymore,'" Zendaya confessed.
During the show's Season 16 finale, Zendaya said in her final words after losing to Kellie, "I am very proud [of myself] and I'm very happy. And I get to leave here with an amazing experience, so I'm happy."
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Val was also clearly upset about the pair's Dancing with the Stars loss, even though Kellie and Derek were worthy and fierce competitors on Season 16.
Val -- who has since won Dancing with the Stars with actress Willis, athlete Laurie Hernandez and movie star Xochitl Gomez -- told Entertainment Tonight in early 2018 that it really hurt to see Zendaya so disappointed.
"My biggest heartbreak was on Dancing with the Stars, not winning with Zendaya, honestly," Val admitted at the time.
"That was a huge heartbreak for me because she was 16. I wanted this to be such a huge moment for her. She worked so hard, and I really wanted her to lift that trophy and jumpstart her career."
But Val added of the actress, "She didn't lift the trophy and I felt heartbroken about that."
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However, Zendaya's stint on Dancing with the Stars clearly kickstarted her career.
In 2013, Zendaya was a star on the Disney Channel best known for her role on Shake It Up, but she has gone on to win two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as a Golden Globe Award.
Time also named Zendaya, who has about 180 million followers on Instagram, one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
"That's when you learn that it's not necessarily always about winning or losing, it's really about learning through the process and then using those tools to further yourself down the road," Val said in 2018.
Dancing with the Stars' latest season just wrapped in November 2024 with The Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei and his Season 33 pro partner Jenna Johnson, who is Val's wife, winning the trophy.