Joey King Slams Ex-Boyfriend Jacob Elordi For Trashing Their 'Kissing Booth' Movies
Joey King is not happy that Jacob Elordi has publicly stated something that doesn’t seem that controversial.
The two actors, who co-starred in the “Kissing Booth” trilogy and dated for over a year, are at odds because one feels that Netflix’s successful trio of rom-coms brimming with sexism, flimsy plots and weird character motivations was silly, while the other had fun making them.
In November, Elordi — who has moved on from the “Kissing Booth” to more serious roles in the HBO series “Euphoria” and the 2023 films “Priscilla” and “Saltburn” — told GQ that he felt the movies were “ridiculous.”
On Monday, Variety asked King what she thought about her former co-star and boyfriend’s remarks about the movies, which were released between 2018 and 2021 — and she didn’t seem pleased.
“I think it’s unfortunate anyone would feel that way,” she said. “I had a great time making those movies no matter what anyone says.”
Joey King and Jacob Elordi both starred in Netflix's "Kissing Booth" film series.
Unfortunately for King, many people felt the same way as Elordi about the “Kissing Booth” trilogy.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first movie received a 56% audience score and a 15% critics score.
A critic for IndieWirecalled the first film a “sexist and regressive look at relationships that highlights the worst impulses of the genre.”
“The film combines classic narrative tropes of the genre — think a low-budget mishmash of ‘Pretty in Pink,’ ‘Never Been Kissed,’ ‘Mean Girls,’ and ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ — but is also hobbled by a gross understanding of gender dynamics and what makes a healthy relationship,” Kate Erbland wrote.
While talking to GQ, Elordi seemed pretty aware of how bad these movies were going to be — despite their popularity.
“I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies,” Elordi, who was a struggling, unknown actor before he signed on to become a Netflix heartthrob, told GQ. “Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape.”
When the magazine pointed out that some may find Elordi’s trashing of the “Kissing Booth” movies ungrateful or pretentious, the actor responded with: “How is caring about your output pretentious?”
“But not caring, and knowingly feeding people shit, knowing that you’re making money off of people’s time, which is literally the most valuable thing that they have. How is that the cool thing?” he said.