NEWSTeen Zendaya's Justin Bieber Premiere Clip Becomes the Internet's New Nostalgia Meme
A resurfaced 2011 clip showed teenage Zendaya at Justin Bieber’s documentary premiere.
Aug. 26 2026, Updated 8:05 a.m. ET
Zendaya may be everywhere in 2026, but the internet has temporarily sent her back to 2011.
A resurfaced clip from the Justin Bieber: Never Say Never premiere has turned the then-14-year-old Disney Channel star into a new meme template. At the time, Zendaya was starring on Shake It Up. Fifteen years later, her purple-carpet laugh, shoulder lift and careful interview answers are being treated like pop-culture artifacts.
The clip resurfaced after a viral post pointed out just how many young celebrities attended Bieber’s documentary premiere, including Ariana Grande, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner. The post has been viewed more than 50 million times, but young Zendaya quickly became the standout.
The Disney-Star Candid
Zendaya’s laugh and shoulder pose became a popular reaction meme.
In one carpet moment, Zendaya raises her shoulders and laughs for photographers, appearing to chase the perfect candid shot.
Social media users immediately turned the pose into a reaction meme. One person wrote, “My therapist said cutting people off isn’t healthy Lowkey she’s next.” Another joked, “Me when I didn’t hear what you said.”
Others used the clip for everyday overacting. “When I say please excuse the mess when my house is spotless,” one user wrote, while another captioned it, “Me in the mirror after having a breakdown.”
The Justin Bieber Interview
Fans revisited Zendaya’s candid interview about Justin Bieber.
Fans also found another clip from the same premiere, this time of Zendaya being asked about Bieber.
When a Clevver TV reporter asked what she would say if she met him, Zendaya first answered, “Hi,” then tried out, “Hi, what's up, Biebs!” before laughing.
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The actress carefully answered questions about whether she was a devoted Belieber.
Asked whether she was “a big time Belieber,” she paused, frowned slightly and said, “I am.”
Then came the part fans seized on.
“I think he's pretty cool… I mean, I'm not obsessed or anything like that, but I think he's an amazing artist. And he's… Y'know, he's chosen the right path,” she said.
A Past Everyone Can Remix
Zendaya’s old premiere footage sparked a fresh wave of nostalgia across social media.
The interview clip also took off, with one post joking that Zendaya “didn't gaf about justin bieber” earning more than 55,000 likes.
“She was born media trained,” one user wrote, while another argued, “the media training didn't work on her facial expressions yet.”
It is not Zendaya’s first trip through the nostalgia meme machine. Last year, photos of her wearing a large top hat at the 2014 Teen Vogue Young Hollywood party inspired the “Zendaya Hat Theory,” as fans joked about what could be hiding underneath.
But here in 2026, Zendaya has been promoting The Drama, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with Dune: Part Three still to come.
