With Zendaya and Tom Holland now happily engaged, her half-sister admitted her name might not take a spot on their wedding guest list.
The sibling claimed she met Tom at a Thanksgiving event with the family and described the star couple as “odd” together.
“I don’t even tell people anymore that she’s my sister. I’m ashamed of my dad and how he raised us,” said Latonja Coleman, Zendaya’s half-sister.
Highlights
- Zendaya‘s half-sister Latonja Coleman spilled family secrets involving the Hollywood actress.
- Latonja and Zendaya share the same father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman.
- “I just want to know why Zendaya wasn’t there for me,” the half-sister said.
- She claimed she met Tom Holland and said the couple looked “odd” together.
Zendaya's half-sister Latonja Coleman spoke about being “pushed” by the family
Image credits: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images
Latonja, 51, who shares the same father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, with Zendaya, said she last met the actress in January for their grandmother’s funeral.
She claimed the family “pushed” her out and accused her father of favoring the “other kids” over “his own blood.”
“My dad favored the other kids, not his own blood,” she told the US Sun. “He’s the reason I haven’t been able to have a relationship with Zendaya.”
Image credits: Latonja Eqwin Coleman
“It feels like I’m the black sheep of the family. They’ve pushed me out,” she added. “My other siblings don’t care about me, and honestly, I don’t care about them either.”
But Zendaya is “different,” the half-sister said before declaring, “She’s my sister, and I love her no matter what.”
Latonja is the eldest daughter fathered by Kazembe during his previous relationship with his high school sweetheart, Michelle Mackintosh.
Father Kazembe Ajamu Coleman welcomed Latonja with his high school sweetheart Michelle Mackintosh
Image credits: kazembeajamu
Kazembe also shares five children—Katianna, Annabella, Kaylee, Austin, and Julien—with his second wife.
In 1996, he and his third wife Claire Stoermer welcomed Zendaya, their only child together, and they tied the knot in 2008 when the former Disney star was 12 years old.
Zendaya’s parents remained close even after Claire filed for divorce in 2016.
Kazembe is a father to at least six children from three different women
Image credits: Zendayas_Dad
Latonja spoke about her relationship with her half-sister Zendaya and said she has only met the actress twice in the last seven years.
“I saw Zendaya at my grandmother’s funeral last month," she told the tabloid.
Prior to that, they met during Thanksgiving 2018 when family members gathered at the Dune star’s house.
Image credits: Karwai Tang/WireImage
“When I tried to talk to her [at the funeral], she just gave me a one-arm hug,” she told the outlet. “It felt like I was just a fan.”
While Zendaya is “very active” with their five other shared half-siblings, it is not the same case with Latonja, the half-sister said.
“My grandkids don’t even know her. They think she’s just from the Disney Channel,” she added.
Latonja said her famous half-sister treated her like she was a “fan”
Image credits: kazembeajamu
Even when she had cancer, the first-born daughter said she underwent chemotherapy and treatment all by herself with “no help” and “no support.”
“I tried to get in touch with Zendaya when I was diagnosed with cancer, but [family members] slammed the door on me,” she claimed.
It is possible the relatives never informed Zendaya about the cancer, but “I’m sure she found out later,” Latonja said.
“I just want to know why Zendaya wasn’t there for me,” she added.
Image credits: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images
Asserting that she didn’t want her money, Latonja said she “would love” to “contribute” to the Hollywood star's life in whatever way she can.
“I don’t want her money. I just want to be in her life, to show her that I love her and support her,” the half-sibling said.
While talking about meeting Tom Holland during Thanksgiving in 2018, Latonja described him as “really, really cool” and “down to earth.”
“My family likes him,” she said.
“They just look like an odd couple because he's so short and she's so tall,” she added. “But other than that, I think he’s the one for her.”
The star couple looked “odd” together, but Latonja still called Tom Holland “the one” for her
Image credits: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage
Zendaya’s other siblings generally keep a low profile.
The Greatest Showman actress previously said she shares a close relationship with her nieces and nephews.
She attended the Los Angeles premiere of Spider-Man: Homecoming with her two young nephews on either side in 2017. One of her nieces also joined her for the 2017 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
Image credits: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
“I think the closest person to me is my niece,” the actress told Complex in 2015.
“I’ll call her at any time about anything, we’ll go out to dinner for random stuff,” she added. “We just chill.”
She also credited one of her big sisters for “making [her] a better person.”
“Having such a big, grounded family, I realized as you get older how important that is,” she told Time in 2015.
The Dune star said she realized the importance of her “big, grounded family” as she got older
Image credits: Zendayas_Dad
Fans sided with Zendaya after reading Latonja’s statements about the alleged rift within the family.
“Clearly she’s jealous of her,” one commenter said, while another wrote, “Someone is bitter.”
“It’s about money,” another claimed.
“Estranged from all of them, including her dad, sounds like she’s the problem,” another wrote.
Latonja’s statements raised eyebrows among netizens for her statements about the alleged family rift
