Zendaya Hasn't Watched 'Dancing With the Stars' Since She Was on the Show: 'It Was a Very Stressful Experience'

Zendaya has kept her distance from Dancing With the Stars ever since her time on the show — and she has a reason why.

"I have not watched Dancing With the Stars since I was on," the 28-year-old dancer told Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview.

On the latest episode of the outlet's " The Awardist " podcast, Zendaya shared, "I have not watched Dancing with the Stars since I was on it. I didn’t really watch it before either. I don’t think I was the target demographic. My grandma loves Dancing with the Stars ; that’s her bag."

"But yeah, I also think it was a very stressful experience . I was like, 'I don't think I'm gonna be watching this anymore,'" she continued.

Over ten years after her days as a teen dancer and Disney star, Zendaya has evolved into a celebrated actress, earning two Emmys for her portrayal of Rue in HBO's Euphoria . These days, s he's now stirring up Oscar buzz for her role as tennis coach Tashi Duncan in Challengers .

Her former dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy , 38, predicted she'd be successful in showbiz.

When the DWTS alum won her first Emmy in 2020, Chmerkovskiy took to Instagram to celebrate her achievements thus far.

"Nearly 8 years ago I got the pleasure to teach a brilliant young woman how to ballroom dance on @dancingabc," he wrote. "After giving it every ounce of our effort we came in second. Devastated by the loss, I remember telling her that one day you’ll be winning an Oscar, and part of the reason why will be this feeling of defeat you feel right now."

Though the Emmy "isn’t an Oscar winner yet," Chmerkovskiy continued in the post, "I always knew you were special. Our season on DWTS , and now your continued success since has brought me ridiculous amount of joy. I’m so proud of you Z!"

At 16 years old, Zendaya took the stage during Season 16 of the long-running dance competition program in 2013.

Known then for her standout roles on Disney Channel's Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover , she made it to the finals, narrowly missing the top spot and finishing as the runner-up alongside Chmerkovskiy.

Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough won the mirrorball that season.