Zendaya Explains Why She Doesn't Watch 'Dancing with the Stars' Despite Being on the Show
Zendaya has admitted that she's not a fan of "Dancing with the Stars" despite having once competed on the show.
Long before she became a two-time Emmy winner, the "Euphoria" star, now 28, was a contestant on Season 16 of "Dancing with the Stars," performing alongside her pro dancer partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, back in 2013.
Their tandem ended up finishing second and losing the season's mirrorball trophy to Kellie Pickler and her partner Derek Hough.
Looking back at her time on the show more than a decade later, Zendaya confessed she hasn't tuned in to watch the ABC dance competition series since her appearance.
"I have not watched 'Dancing with the Stars' since I was on," Zendaya said during a new interview with Entertainment Weekly's podcast "The Awardist."
The triple-threat performer explained that in addition to not being an avid "DWTS" watcher in the first place, she believes seeing other stars compete would bring up memories of her own "stressful" time on the show.
"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," Zendaya told the podcast. "My grandma loves 'Dancing with the Stars,' that's her bag."
"But yeah, I also think it was a very stressful experience," she added. "I was like, I don't think I'm gonna be watching this anymore."
Now on its 33rd season, "DWTS" introduced a new batch of celebrity contestants who will compete against each other on the dancefloor for the coveted prize.
"DWTS" Season 33 features another Disney Channel star in "Zombies" actress Chandler Kinney, who has partnered with pro Brandon Armstrong.
Other cast members include Tori Spelling, Eric Roberts, Phaedra Parks, convicted con artist and fraudster Anna Delvey, and Paris 2024 Olympians Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik.
Catch "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC and Disney+ every Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT. Fans who miss the episode can watch it the following day when it's streamed on Hulu and ABC.com.
