Highlights
- Zendaya cheered on nephew EJ Coleman at Folsom High School’s Senior Night football game near Sacramento on Oct. 23.
- She wore a shirt with EJ’s photo and jeans with his name and number, then sang Oasis’ “Wonderwall” at halftime.
- Folsom edged Del Oro 42-41 to stay unbeaten while Zendaya hugged students and posed with the cheerleading squad.
Forget the red carpet. Zendaya traded premieres for bleachers Friday night, and Folsom, California, may never be the same.
The Dune star turned up at Folsom High School near Sacramento on Oct. 23 to watch nephew EJ Coleman play on Senior Night. EJ, a senior linebacker, is already committed to Washington State.
He also plays tight end and wears No. 7, which matters, because his aunt dressed for the assignment.
Zendaya layered a fuzzy green coat over a custom shirt featuring EJ’s photo, plus jeans emblazoned with his name and jersey number. That’s not merch. That’s devotion.
EJ is the son of Zendaya’s half-brother, Julien “EZ” Coleman.
Then came halftime. Zendaya got caught on camera singing and dancing to Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” and the clips spread fast online.
Students did what students do. Once they realized who was in the stands, they swarmed her, and she handed out hugs, snapped photos, and posed for a group shot with the cheerleading squad.
KCRA 3 shared footage of her on the field with the cheer team, while fans posted even more video on X.
Oh, and there was an actual game. Folsom squeaked past Del Oro 42-41 in its final regular-season home game, keeping the Bulldogs undefeated.
A one-point thriller with a movie star in the stands? Hollywood couldn’t script it better.
None of this is out of character. “I have many, many little nieces and nephews. So they’re like my borrowed children,” she told People at the London premiere of Challengers.
Back in 2015, she told Complex, “Honestly, I think about my little nieces and my little nephews first.”
She has also credited “being with my family” with keeping her life normal amid the fame.
EJ posted the receipts himself, sharing a photo with his famous aunt on Instagram on Oct. 25.
She’s the star of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. On Friday night, though, she earned the best role: Aunt of the Year.
