NEWS
🚨🔥 WHOA Zendaya (FIANCÉE to Tom Holland) kissed Timothée Chalamet on the red carpet for DUNE: Part 3 😳 In the face of fierce criticism from her fans, she described the kiss as “staged” 💔😪
A viral social media claim that Zendaya kissed Timothée Chalamet on the red carpet for *Dune: Part Three* has circulated widely in recent days, complete with dramatic captions and images. The posts suggested the actress, who is married to Tom Holland, shared a public kiss with her co-star and later described it as “staged” in response to fan backlash. However, fact-checkers have determined the entire story is fabricated.
*Dune: Part Three*, the concluding chapter of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novels, is scheduled for theatrical release on December 18, 2026. As of late October 2026, no red-carpet premiere for the film has taken place. Trailer releases and promotional videos featuring Chalamet and Zendaya have appeared, but no formal premiere event matching the viral claims has been held or reported by legitimate outlets.
The images accompanying the false posts were taken from the 2021 Venice Film Festival premiere of the original *Dune*. In those photographs, Zendaya and Chalamet posed closely and playfully on the red carpet while promoting the first film, but they did not kiss. One widely shared image of an apparent kiss appears to have been AI-generated or digitally altered. The original post that sparked the rumor came from a satirical celebrity gossip account that openly labels its content as humor.
There is no record of Zendaya commenting on any such red-carpet moment or calling a kiss “staged.” The pair have discussed on-screen kisses between their characters Paul Atreides and Chani in previous *Dune* films as part of their professional work, but those conversations concerned scripted scenes filmed years earlier. No credible reporting supports claims of a real-life red-carpet kiss or subsequent public defense of it.
Zendaya and Tom Holland, longtime partners who became engaged around the 2024 holidays, have since married in a private ceremony. The couple has kept many personal details out of the spotlight while continuing to appear together at events related to their respective projects. The false *Dune* rumor briefly fueled speculation about their relationship, including unfounded claims that Holland had reacted negatively online.
The episode illustrates how quickly AI-altered images and satirical posts can spread when attached to high-profile names and upcoming blockbusters. As *Dune: Part Three* approaches its December release, audiences can expect genuine promotional appearances from the cast, but the alleged red-carpet kiss remains a product of online invention rather than reality.
