“See now, this is why I stay off Twitter…”
After rumours alleging Spider-Man star Zendaya was pregnant circled widely on social media yesterday, the star has since addressed the situation.
The actor took to Instagram for a simple, yet very direct statement, writing, “See now, this is why I stay off Twitter…”
She also pointed to the rumours being fake, as she continued it was full of people “just making stuff up for no reason…weekly.”
The rumours began as part of a pranking trend on TikTok known as ‘Krissing’, referring to Kardashians matriarch Kris Jenner. One video went viral, with a user editing together a video which made it appear as though Zendaya had shared an ultrasound announcing her supposed pregnancy.
The photo of the ultrasound was edited to look like it had been posted by her Instagram account, tagging Tom Holland. The user drew on an existing Instagram caption Zendaya posted in January to promote Euphoria, which read “I love you. Halfway there.”
At the end of the viral TikTok, footage of Jenner dancing appeared along with the words “you just got Krissed!” - an indication the video was a complete fake. Getting ‘Krissed’ has been likened to getting Rickrolled, where people are unwittingly pranked into watching Rick Astley’s 80s hit ‘Never Gonna Give You Up.’
The TikTok spread like wildfire onto other social media platforms, as other users began to take the claims more seriously - causing the phrase “Zendaya pregnant” to trend on Twitter. The reactions ranged from congratulatory tweets to other users jokingly pretending to be in a state of mourning.
Other users also tweeted variations on the phrase “Zendaya only got pregnant to make me jealous” - which led to a pretty savage takedown by another user below.
The Dune star refused to let the rumours distract her however, as she instead redirected her 145 million Instagram followers to her newest project: a tennis drama called Challengers. Following her criticism of the Twitter debacle, she wrote in her Instagram stories, “Anyway back to filming.”
Zendaya has withdrawn from Twitter in recent months, mostly taking to the platform to retweet information about her latest projects. On Instagram - where she issued her response - she tends to share more of her personal life, including photos of herself with her Spider-Man costar and boyfriend Tom Holland.
After Holland and Zendaya were spotted last year attending a wedding together and kissing in a car, the couple made things Instagram official last September when Holland referred to her as “My MJ” in a heartfelt birthday post. The Dune star returned the favour earlier this June for Holland’s birthday, sharing a black and white picture of the pair which she captioned, “Happiest of birthdays to the one who makes me the happiest.”