Published Sep 21, 2020

Zendaya’s Emmy Win at Just 24 Helps Put Spotlight On Breast Cancer Awareness, Inspired By Her Grandma

Zendaya became the youngest-ever Emmy winner in her category at the 2020 Emmys. The actress has also been a breast cancer advocate for years, due to her grandmother's 2013 diagnosis.

Anne McCarthy

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Zendaya's a Record-Breaking Winner & Awareness Advocate

In 2013, the actress’s grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Zendaya dedicated a performance on Dancing with the Stars to her grandma, who was in attendance.
At 24, the actress became the youngest-ever Emmy winner in her category (Best Lead Actress in a drama) for her work on HBO’s Euphoria.

Zendaya made history last night as the youngest-ever Emmy winner in her category (Best Lead Actress in a drama) for her performance in HBO’s Euphoria and she has been making waves as an advocate for breast cancer awareness for the past seven years.

The single-moniker actress (and one of the few who pulls it off well joining Madonna, who lost her mom to breast cancer) has promoted cancer awareness and breast cancer research funding since her grandmother was diagnosed with the disease. Reports of her diagnosis surfaced in 2013.

Dancing for Awareness on DWTS

The 24-year-old Euphoria actress's grandmother was diagnosed when Zendaya was still a teenager. In 2013, Zendaya then a star on the Disney channel performed on Dancing with the Stars with Valentin Chmerkovskiy for the show's "Prom Night” competition. The actress dedicated their dance to her grandmother, who was in attendance, following the recent medical news.

Zendaya and Valentin Chmerkovskiy perform to "Que Sera, Sera" for her grandma.

"It happened that my grandmother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer," Zendaya said on Dancing with the Stars, so we're recreating some moments from her prom. So this is really for my grandma."

Zendaya says of her DWTS performance: “This is really for my grandma."

She told the show's host, Brooke Burke Charvet, that her grandma would be proud of her no matter what. "She's my grandma, so she'd be proud if I did anything. If I ruined the entire dance, she'd still be proud."

For the competition, she and Chmerkovskiy reimagined her grandmother's 1957 prom and danced to the Doris Day song "Que Sera, Sera." Of the song choice, Zendaya said it was related to her grandmother's diagnosis. "Right now, we're just going to live in the moment, and think positive. And give her all the support she needs."

Whatever will be, will be however, the star took a decidedly more proactive approach to new breast cancer news, refusing to sit idly by.

As her grandmother gives her support and strength, Zendaya decided to give it back.

Fundraising for Breast Cancer Research

You can add "shoe mogul" to the Emmy-winning actress's long list of accomplishments. In 2016, Zendaya linked up with QVC and the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) as a QVC spokesperson.

In a special broadcast, Zendaya sold designer shoes (including her own line, Daya by Zendaya) with at least 80% of the purchase price money going to benefit breast cancer research.

Because of her grandmother's diagnosis, funding research for the disease was an especially important pursuit for her. "Breast cancer affects so many women, and there's not a lot of awareness, with young people, especially. It's important because my grandmother dealt with breast cancer."

Zendaya has also said that her grandmother had great taste in shoes, inspiring her "obsession" with high-heels. She has called both of her grandmothers "the Queens of my world" in a heartfelt Tweet in 2018.

To the Queens of my world…my grandmothers…happy Mother’s Day. pic.twitter.com/VqMVmM9M56
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) May 13, 2018

A Desire to Give & A Joyful Win

Her Emmy's win was called "one of the biggest surprises of the night," and the joyful smile on Zendaya's face confirms it. Host Jimmy Kimmel said of her win, "She's younger than Baby Yoda, and she already has an Emmy."

A culture writer for The New York Times said of the win on Twitter: I hope something makes me as joyous this week as @Zendaya was tonight when she won her first Emmy.

I hope something makes me as joyous this week as @Zendaya was tonight when she won her first Emmy. https://t.co/rM64d8Oa8r
— Sarah Bahr (@smbahr14) September 21, 2020

With an Emmy win under her belt and a skyrocketing career, Zendaya's place in the public eye could lead to even greater awareness around breast cancer. We'll be cheering on her successes along the way.

How Other Women Have Fought and Won

Joan Lunden, former host of ABC's Good Morning America and Giuliana Rancic, an "E! News" personality, both say they were stunned to receive a diagnosis of breast cancer. But both say, in many ways, the experience led them where they needed to be. Here is their story:

SurvivorNet TV Presents: Remarkable Breast Cancer Survivors, Joan Lunden and Giuliana Rancic

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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