Zendaya reflects on her DWTS season 16 loss to Kelly Pickler

More than 10 years have passed since then Zendaya raced on Dancing with the starsbut she is still upset about the results of the season finale.

The 28-year-old actress appeared in season 16 of the ABC competition series in 2013. After a record-breaking season, she and her partner Val Chmerkovskiyeventually lost Kelly Pickler and Derek Hough.

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

Competing on live television every week was something Zendaya said was “so scary,” adding, “I took it very seriously, and in retrospect, I wish I hadn't. I wish I would have enjoyed it a little bit more and just been like “Eh, whatever.” You know what I mean? But I was stressing myself out. I really experienced that on this (show).

Zendaya went on to note that she doesn't watch these days DWTS despite being in it. She revealed for the first time in an interview about The Awardist Podcast. last year, sharing that she hasn't been in the mood since her season.

“I haven't looked Dancing with the stars since I used it,” she said in October 2024. “I wasn't really looking Dancing with the stars before i was on Dancing with the stars. I don't think I was targeted. My grandmother, for example, loves Dancing with the stars. It'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.”

Zendaya is upset with the results of Season 16, and she shares Chmerkovskiy, 38, who has since won the mirror ball trophy three times with previous partners. Rumer Willis, Lori Hernandez and Xochitl Gomez.

“My biggest heartache was on Dancing with the starshonestly didn't win with zendaya. It was a huge heartbreak for me because she was 16 years old,” he said Entertainment tonight in March 2018. “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 start her career. And she didn't lift the trophy and I was heartbroken for that.

Thankfully, as Chmerkovskiy said, Zendaya's time is up DWTS “launched his career.” He added, “That's when you learn that you don't always have to win or lose, but learn as you go along and then use those tools to continue on your way.”

Related: Zendaya doesn't know “how much choice” she had about child stars

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

Before DWTSZendaya was best known for her roles on the Disney Channel Shake it up. Since the decade, she has become one of Hollywood's biggest stars with projects like The greatest showman, Challengers, Dune series and Spiderman franchise.

Back in 2020, Chmerkovskiy committed Instagram congrats to zendaya on becoming the youngest actress to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Euphoria (an award she also took home in 2022).

“I always knew you were special. Our season begins DWTSand now your continued success has brought (a) ridiculous joy to me,” he captioned a clip of one of their performances. “I'm so proud of you Z! Youngest ever to win an Emmy for a lead role. You are a superstar and always have been! Love you family to many more victories in your life.