Wondering who's responsible for raising the multi-talented Zendaya?
Meet 's parents, mom Claire Stoermer and dad Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, who have been the star's biggest supporters since she was born in Oakland, California on Sept. 1, 1996.
When they aren't accompanying Zendaya on set or supporting her at events (including the 2020 Emmys when ), Claire and Kazembe are cheering her on from afar, posting to their daughter on their respective Instagram pages.
Although Zendaya has a publicly tight relationship with both of her parents, she keeps personal family matters private. Following reports that her parents had split after eight years of marriage in 2016,
, writing, "My parents ain't been together for a long time, y'all didn't know cause we private+they still homies #lateassnews."
Here's what to know about Zendaya's parents, including what the actress has said about them over the years.
Aside from being Zendaya's mom, Claire is also a school teacher. Because of this, the actress always had an extra appreciation for education. When she was young, she often looked up to her mom as a role model due to her passion for helping others.
"Growing up, I watched my mom teach in the heart of Oakland, California, at inner-city schools that were always underfunded.
My mom went above and beyond, working constantly to open her students' eyes to an education that could lift them far beyond their current circumstances," the actress told .
"She would introduce them to the arts, guide them through the language of Shakespeare, and show them the wonders of nature outside city life — all things that they wouldn't have experienced otherwise," she continued.
Zendaya also noted that if she wasn't an actress, she'd be "a teacher in a heartbeat — guaranteed!"
Zendaya first turned heads when she starred as Rocky Blue in the Disney Channel series
in 2010. Since making a name for herself as a Disney star, she has landed several major movie and TV gigs through the years including MCU's franchise, , and .
Amid the prestigious awards received and critical acclaim amassed, the two-time Emmy winner has remained humble throughout all of her success — and attributes her mom and dad for keeping her grounded.
"I gotta give it up to my parents," Zendaya in 2016. "I'm really lucky to have the parents that I have. They just have always instilled in me those core values that I think I have to carry with me through everything. I give it up to them, I give it up to my family.
"
While Zendaya has gotten glammed up for award shows, red carpets and photoshoots, she is a huge advocate for embracing her natural beauty, something she credits her mom for.
"My beauty icons are the women in my life. My mom didn't wear makeup; I don't think she knew that to me, it was empowering that she didn't care," Zendaya told . Though, when they do indulge in glam, they !
Zendaya's mom also has her own jewelry line, , made from crystals such as amethysts, hematites and chrysocollas.
In addition to
, Zendaya has also posted about her work online. "So my mom's a dope ass jewelry designer/maker and also slays my line," the actress wrote on in support of her mom's business.
Like Claire, Kazembe was also a teacher but has worked with Zendaya as a manager in recent years. Given her parents' professions, the actress told in 2014 that she "always had to take school very seriously" growing up. In fact, she further shared that "in 2nd grade [she] failed some spelling tests and got in a lot of trouble!"
Though Zendaya is the only child of Claire and Kazembe, she has five older stepsiblings from her father's previous marriage. She has three older sisters, Katianna, Annabella and Kaylee, and two older brothers, Austin and Julien.
"I look up to my big sister and realize the influence she's had on me and making me a better person," Zendaya told in a 2015 interview. "Having such a big, grounded family, I realized as you get older how important that is."
She also revealed to that she's an aunt as well.
"Honestly, I think about my little nieces and my little nephews first," she told the outlet in 2015. "Because one day they're going to have Twitter and they're going to have Instagram, and I'm going to be like, 'This is how you handle it, kids.'"
As the youngest of a big family, Zendaya admitted that her dad is very protective of her when it comes to her love life. "My dad is going to vet any guy that even looks at me," Zendaya said in 2016.
"If I decide to have my dad around to make sure dad vets them out and makes sure they are cool, they better go through dad first!" she added.
