Bella Thorne Says She and Zendaya Were Pitted Against Each Other on Disney, But ‘Hashed It Out’: ‘It Got Pretty Bad’
Bella Thorne Says She and Zendaya Were Pitted Against Each Other on Disney, But ‘Hashed It Out’: ‘It Got Pretty Bad’
Madison E. GoldbergThu, August 6, 2026 at 10:34 AM UTC
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Bella Thorne and Zendaya on ‘Shake It Up’Credit: Eric McCandless/Disney Channel via Getty -
Bella Thorne discussed the pressures she and Zendaya faced as young Disney stars during an appearance on Call Her Daddy
Thorne said she thought they were pitted against each other, but they reconciled during a heartfelt conversation as teens
Both actresses have since found success, with Zendaya starring in the likes of Euphoria and The Odyssey and Thorne in Famous in Love and Find Your Friends
Bella Thorne is opening up about her early brush with fame alongside Zendaya when they co-starred on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up.
Thorne, 28, appeared on Call Her Daddy on Wednesday, Aug. 5, in a wide-ranging interview discussing her career post-Disney, her experience being the breadwinner for her family at a young age, and how the entertainment industry impacted her personal relationships. Thorne appeared on Shake It Up as CeCe Jones from 2010 to 2013 opposite Zendaya’s Rocky Blue.
“With women it’s like, ‘We have to make you all beg for one spot … if you can beat each other down and scrap to whatever extent we’re asking you two [and] eat yourselves alive while we have all these spots but for women, it’s just one of you…’ “ Thorne told host Alex Cooper on the podcast.
Bella Thorne and Zendaya on ‘Shake It Up’Credit: Eric McCandless/Disney Channel via Getty
“The patriarchy has been doing it since the beginning of time,” Thorne added. “You go back and we were 12! What’s wrong with you? We are supposed to be best friends. We play best friends. It got pretty bad.”
Bella Thorne on ‘Call Her Daddy’Credit: Call Her Daddy/Youtube
In spite of the pressures placed on the young actresses, Thorne shared that she and The Odyssey star, 29, were quick to reconcile.
“It got to a point where when we were on our Good Luck Charlie crossover, we escaped to another set in the middle of live taping — which is really ballsy, badass and rebellious,” Thorne recounted. “We snuck out. We knew we had three scenes until we were up again and we like just went to talk.”
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“We got into it, hashed it out, and it was so beautiful,” Thorne said of her conversation with Zendaya. “It was my first experience — woman to woman, girl to girl — where you actually can speak.”
Thorne called their conversation as teens “one of the most genuine girl-on-girl talks.”
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PEOPLE has reached out to reps for Zendaya and Thorne for comment.
Since their time on the hit Disney Channel show, both actresses have found success on their own paths. This year, Zendaya has starred in The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day,The Drama and the third and final season of Euphoria, while Thorne most recently appeared in Find Your Friends in 2025.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
