Bella Thorne Says Disney Adults Pitted Her Against Zendaya at 12

Q: Did surviving Hollywood's toxic obsession with female rivalry ultimately forge an unbreakable bond between these two massive stars today?

Yes — the evidence suggests they turned that early, manufactured rivalry into a lasting mutual bond, even if there is no public proof it is an “unbreakable” present-day best friendship. Bella Thorne says the key turning point came during their “Good Luck Charlie” crossover, when she and Zendaya slipped away from set to talk privately about how Disney, management, fans and media were pushing them to compete. Thorne described that conversation on “Call Her Daddy” as a genuine “woman to woman” moment that let them hear each other clearly and repair the damage. She has also said in past interviews that the rivalry narrative “fed into our heads” and hurt their friendship during the first season of “Shake It Up.” What followed, by Thorne’s own account, was a real recovery. She said in 2021 that after that difficult start, they became close over the next two seasons. In her latest comments, she again framed Zendaya as one of the few Disney Channel peers she truly spent time with. Zendaya has also spoken positively about their time together, recalling their closeness on set as “good times.” Still, there is a limit to what can be said about today. Publicly, they have not been seen together often in recent years, and neither has claimed they are inseparable now. The strongest verified takeaway is that they overcame an industry-driven attempt to pit them against each other, preserved respect for one another, and emerged with a bond rooted in shared experience rather than rivalry.

3 articles · Updated · Vulture · Aug 5

Call Her Daddy gave Bella Thorne a wider account of how she and Zendaya were pushed into rivalry while starring as best friends on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up.
Thorne said the pressure came not just from adults on the show and management, but also from media coverage and fans who treated the two girls as competitors for one spot.
A Good Luck Charlie crossover became the turning point: Thorne said they slipped away during a live taping, confronted the tension directly and realized the hostility had been manufactured around them.
Thorne framed that talk as her first real woman-to-woman breakthrough, saying they resolved the conflict themselves when no adult stepped in.