Joey King Will Not Tolerate Jacob Elordi’s ‘Kissing Booth’ Slander
The Kissing Booth films are… not exactly Oscar-worthy. But they’re exactly what they say on the tin: a cheesy teen rom-com that hits all the right tropes. And even though you know exactly what’s going to happen, you sit down and watch the whole damn thing anyway.
The Netflix trilogy helped launch Jacob Elordi’s career, and while his then-girlfriend Joey King had been acting since she was nine years old, snagging the lead as Elle Evans was a big deal at the time.
So, when our fave himbo Jacob recently called The Kissing Booth movies “ridiculous” and said he “didn’t want to make those movies before [he] made those movies”, Joey clapped back. Honestly, good for her. The trilogy is iconic, even if it does straddle the line between Not Good and So Bad It’s Actually Amazing.
“I think it’s unfortunate anyone would feel that way,” she told Variety during a Balenciaga fashion show in LA. “I had a great time making those movies no matter what anyone says.”
Joey has previously spoken about her love for The Kissing Booth – she also produced the two sequels – so it makes sense that she would fiercely defend the films. She told Cosmopolitan in 2020 that she was “thrilled” to be Elle Evans again on the set of The Kissing Booth 2. “I’ll do anything to make sure the story of my character who I care about so much is complete,” she said at the time.
The cast of The Kissing Booth. Image credit: Netflix, The Kissing Booth
Red, White and Royal Blue star Taylor Zakhar Perez played Marco Valentin Peña in The Kissing Booth 2 and The Kissing Booth 3, and he recently said Jacob’s remarks were “a shame”.
“To my knowledge, everybody else had such a wonderful experience,” Taylor told Variety. “It’s a shame that was his experience on the set. Especially when those movies came out, it was a time when we really needed something like that.”
“I know from our fan interactions, getting stopped everywhere I go, what Kissing Booth means to people and what it brought them during such a dark time. I guess the silver lining is he still made people laugh and feel good.”
Fans react to Jacob Elordi’s The Kissing Booth comments.
In Jacob’s profile for GQ, the interviewer pointed out that it’s common for young actors in Hollywood to make films they aren’t interested in, with a “one for them, one for me” mindset, the star said that mindset can be “a trap”.
“It can become 15 for them, none for you. You have no original ideas and you’re dead inside. So it’s a fine dance. My ‘one for them’, I’ve done it,” he said.
The Aussie received some backlash from The Kissing Booth fans after this particular comment, with many telling him to be “grateful” for the films that helped launch his career.
Jacob Elordi and Joey King in The Kissing Booth. Image credit: Netflix, The Kissing Booth
“Those movies got you your start in the big time. Be thankful for what you have,” one person wrote on Facebook.
“Be grateful mate. That movie made you famous and launched your career. Even if that’s how you feel, have the self-awareness to keep those thoughts to yourself. You sound incredibly entitled,” another pointed out.
“By degrading [The Kissing Booth], Jacob Elordi was arrogant enough not to care about the feelings of fans,” a third tweeted.
Welp. It looks like we won’t be getting The Kissing Booth 4 anytime soon.
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Image credits: Netflix, The Kissing Booth