‘Kissing Booth’ Star Joey King Reacts to Jacob Elordi’s Criticism of Franchise: ‘It’s Unfortunate Anyone Would Feel That Way’

Joey King is speaking out about her “Kissing Booth” co-star Jacob Elordi’s criticism of their hit Netflix rom-com franchise.

“I think it’s unfortunate anyone would feel that way,” King told me Saturday at the Balenciaga fashion show in Los Angeles. “I had a great time making those movies no matter what anyone says.”

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Elordi disappointed the casts of the three “The Kissing Booth” films as well as their fans when he slammed the film in his GQ Men of the Year cover story. “I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies,” he told the magazine. “Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape.”

At the Men of the Year party last month, “Kissing Booth” actor Taylor Zakhar Perez told me, “I thought it was a shame because to my knowledge, everybody else had such a wonderful experience.”

Perez continued, “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.”

Later in the evening, Elordi deflected the reaction by saying, “I’m incredibly grateful to everybody in it.”

Directed, co-written and produced by Vince Marcello, the “Kissing Booth” movies follow the romance between high schoolers Elle (King) and Noah (Elordi). Perez pops up in the second installment as the new guy at school who becomes another love interest for Elle.

Asked about expanding the franchise, King said, “If there were to be a fourth installment it would be picking up where Elle and the gang are in their fifties or something, just to drop back in with them and see where they’re at.”

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