Zendaya reflects on her DWTS season 16 loss to Kellie Pickler

It’s been more than 10 years Zendaya competed on Dancing with the starsbut she is still angry about the final results of her season.

The 28-year-old actress competed on season 16 of the ABC competition series in 2013. After a season full of high scores, she and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiyultimately lost to Kellie Pickler And Derek Hough.

“Listen, I still have a little bit of animosity about that,” Zendaya said W magazine in an interview published on Friday, January 3. “I felt that loss. I was only 16 years old and it was very stressful.”

Competing on live television every week was something Zendaya told the network was “so scary,” adding, “I took it very seriously, which in retrospect I wish I didn’t do.” I wish I would have enjoyed it a little more and thought, “Eh, whatever.” You know what I mean? But I worried myself. In that respect, I have really experienced it [show].”

Zendaya further noted that she doesn’t watch anymore these days DWTS even though you’re sitting on it. She first made the revelation in an interview Podcast ‘The Awardist’ last year, saying she hasn’t tuned in since her season ended.

“I didn’t look Dancing with the stars since I was on [it]” she said in October 2024. “I didn’t really look Dancing with the stars before I was on Dancing with the stars. I don’t think I was the target audience. My grandma loves Dancing with the stars. That’s her bag.”

She continued: “I also think it was a very stressful experience. I thought, ‘I don’t think I’m going to watch this again.’”

She shares Zendaya’s anger over Season 16’s results with Chmerkovskiy, 38, who has since won the mirrorball trophy three times with former partners Rumer Willis, Laurie Hernández And Xochitl Gomez.

“My biggest heartbreak was happening Dancing with the starshonestly not winning with Zendaya. That was a huge sadness for me because she was 16,” he said Entertainment tonight in March 2018. “I wanted this to be such a big moment for her. She worked so hard, and I really wanted her to lift that trophy and kick-start her career. And she didn’t lift the trophy and I felt heartbroken about that.”

Luckily, as Chmerkovskiy put it, it was Zendaya’s turn DWTS “gave her career a flying start.” He added: “Then you learn that it’s not necessarily always about winning or losing, but it’s really about learning through the process and then using those tools to help yourself along the way.”

Related: Zendaya doesn’t know how much choice she had about child stardom

Zendaya rose to fame as a teenager, but now has mixed feelings about working as a child actor. “I don’t know how much choice I had,” the 27-year-old actress told Serena Williams during a conversation for Vogue’s May cover story, published on Tuesday, April 9. “I have complicated feelings about children and fame. […]

Prior to DWTSZendaya was best known for her roles on Disney Channel Shake it up. In the decade since, she has become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars with projects like The greatest showman, Challengersthe Dune series and the Spider Man franchise.

In 2020, Chmerkovskiy started working on it Instagram to congratulate Zendaya on becoming the youngest actress to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Euphoria (an award she also took home in 2022).

‘I always knew you were special. Our season has started DWTSand now your continued success has brought me ever since [a] ridiculous amount of joy,” he captioned a clip from one of their performances. “I’m so proud of you Z! Youngest ever winner of an Emmy for a leading role. You are a superstar, and you always have been! I love you, family, for many more victories in your life.