Kissing Booth Star Joey King Responds to Jacob Elordi’s “Unfortunate” Criticism of the Franchise

Joey King is standing by The Kissing Booth. 

After her ex Jacob Elordi seemingly shaded their Netflix rom-com trilogy, the actress shared her own perspective on the films.

"I think it's unfortunate anyone would feel that way," Joey, who dated the Priscilla star from 2017 to 2019, told Variety on Dec. 2. "I had a great time making those movies no matter what anyone says."

In fact, the 24-year-old has made her stance in the films clear in the past, as she told The Independent in 2022, "I couldn't be prouder of those movies." 

Last month, Jacob raised eyebrows after sharing his less-than-fond memories of working on the franchise."I didn't want to make those movies before I made those movies," the Euphoria actor told GQ in his Men of the Year cover story. "Those movies are ridiculous. They're not universal. They're an escape."  

Jacob further explained that he felt The Kissing Booth films—which debuted between 2018 and 2021—were a part of a Hollywood "one for them, one for me" ethos, which he called a "trap."

"You have no original ideas and you're dead inside," he added to GQ. "So it's a fine dance. My ‘one for them,' I've done it." 

Following Jacob's critical remarks, his former costar Taylor Zakhar Perez also explained why he believes the films being an "escape" isn't necessarily a bad thing. 

"I thought it was a shame because to my knowledge, everybody else had such a wonderful experience," the Red, White & Royal Blue actor told Variety on Nov. 16. "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."

 And he's seen first-hand the impact those films had on fans.

 "I know from our fan interactions, getting stopped everywhere I go," Taylor explained, "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."

But despite how Jacob feels looking back on his time making The Kissing Booth, it's all love when it comes to his costars. As the 26-year-old told Variety on Dec. 2: "I'm incredibly grateful to everybody in it." 

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