Zendaya’s Faces Backlash For Wearing 3,000-Year-Old Iranian Earrings On Press Tour

Zendaya is under fire after wearing 3,000-year-old Iranian gold earrings at a London press event for The Odyssey. Jewelry dealer Barron London described the pieces as “a pair of Ziwiye gold medallion plaques, circa first millennium BC Iran.” Macquarie University archaeologist Peter Edwell said the earrings likely came from a “problematic hoard” that was “plundered” in the 1940s, not excavated. He noted the phrase “undisclosed origin” typically signals illegal looting tied to “criminal gangs and organized crime syndicates.” Islamic history expert Zirrar Ali called the choice “distasteful,” citing the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, which has reportedly caused over 3,000 deaths. Barron London welcomed “informed dialogue about provenance.” The controversy follows separate criticism of Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach for using a private jet during the same press tour.