Where is the cast of “The Kissing Booth” trilogy now? Here’s the latest on Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and more
- - Where is the cast of “The Kissing Booth” trilogy now? Here’s the latest on Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and more
Staff Author, Kelly MartinezJanuary 26, 2026 at 1:00 AM
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Marcos Cruz/NETFLIX
Elle, Noah, Lee, and Rachel led the wildly popular 'Kissing Booth' series
Before The Summer I Turned Pretty dominated the streaming charts, another YA romance featuring two cute brothers was all the rage: The Kissing Booth.
Based on Beth Reekles’ novel, originally published on Wattpad, the Netflix rom-com trilogy stars Joey King as Elle, whose teenage existence gets suddenly complicated when she falls into a romance with her best friend Lee’s (Joel Courtney) “bad boy” older brother, Noah (Jacob Elordi).
Released between 2018 and 2021, the films' critical reception was largely unkind, but they were nonetheless a hit with their target audience — and helped kickstart Elordi’s ascent to Hollywood heartthrob status.
Read on to see what King, Elordi, and the rest of the cast have been up to since the Kissing Booth films wrapped.
01 of 09
Joey King (Rochelle "Elle" Evans)
Marcos Cruz/Netflix; ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty
Joey King, then and now
Joey King led the trilogy as our teenage heroine Elle, who, much like Belly Conklin, is a “late bloomer.”
Though her screen career dates all the way back to the mid-2000s, she first gained attention as a preteen when she landed the role of Ramona Quimby in Ramona and Beezus (2010) opposite Selena Gomez. She took the obvious road from Beverly Cleary to Batman, appearing as a young, imprisoned Talia al-Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) in addition to roles in Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), and The Conjuring (2013).
She went on to become a horror headliner with Wish Upon (2017) and Slender Man (2018) before going the polar opposite route with the Kissing Booth trilogy.
“I couldn't be prouder of those movies,” the actress told The Independent. “I loved them so much and playing that character made me happy. I'll never regret those movies, and I love them so much no matter what anyone says."
Since her starring role as Elle, King garnered career-best acclaim for her portrayal of Gypsy-Rose Blanchard on The Act (2019), opposite Patricia Arquette, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
In recent years, she’s booked meaty roles in the star-studded actioner Bullet Train (2022) and her own action vehicle for Hulu, The Princess (2022). Next up is a key role in the legacy sequel, Practical Magic 2.
King dated her onscreen love interest Jacob Elordi after meeting on the set of The Kissing Booth in 2017, but the two split in 2018. She married director Steven Piet in 2023.
02 of 09
Jacob Elordi (Noah Flynn)
Netflix; Lisa O'CONNOR / AFP via Getty
Jacob Elordi, then and now
Before he was one of the most recognizable Gen Z faces in Hollywood, Elordi kickstarted his career as Noah, the older Flynn brother and popular “bad boy” jock… who, apparently, still has a good enough academic record to get into Harvard.
Elordi’s first acting gig was a small part in the Aussie film Swinging Safari (2018) before being discovered in the U.S. After the original Kissing Booth came the role of sociopathic high school football star Nate Jacobs on Euphoria (2019–present), widely considered his breakout role.
It wasn’t long before the big-screen offers came flooding in. He expanded his repertoire as the King himself in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, as well as lead roles in Oh, Canada (2024) and Saltburn (2023), the latter of which earned him a BAFTA nomination.
After returning to his native Australia for Justin Kurzel’s limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2025), he took on the legendary role of the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (2025), earning Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.
The train’s not stopping anytime soon, as Elordi is set to heat up the screen alongside Margot Robbie in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights (2026).
The actor sparked controversy in 2023 when he expressed his disdain for the Kissing Booth films, telling GQ: “I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies. Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape.”
03 of 09
Joel Courtney (Lee Flynn)
Marcos Cruz/Netflix; Brett Carlsen/Getty
Joel Courtney, then and now
Joel Courtney starred as Lee, the younger Flynn brother and Elle’s lifelong best friend who disapproves of her romance with Noah.
Many still recognize the young actor for his debut film — the starring role in J.J. Abrams’ coming-of-age extraterrestrial flick Super 8 (2011). He went on to more genre work with the Stephen King adaptation Mercy (2012), Don’t Let Me Go (2013), and the short-lived CW series The Messengers (2015).
After winning the role in The Kissing Booth, the young actor shored up his résumé with an appearance in the burgeoning cult classic The Empty Man (2020) and lead roles in Jesus Revolution (2023) and Soul on Fire (2025).
Courtney married his longtime partner Mia Scholink in 2020.
04 of 09
Meganne Young (Rachel)
Marcos Cruz/Netflix; Meganne Young/Instagram
Meganne Young, then and now
Meganne Young played Rachel, Lee’s on-again, off-again girlfriend.
“With The Kissing Booth, the amount of messages that all of us got about how it really helped someone during a difficult time … That is hugely powerful,” she said in a 2025 interview. “To me, that is just as valuable as The Substance being this genre-pushing piece of art.”
Young landed her first major role a few years prior with a handful of episodes of Starz’s gritty swashbuckler, Black Sails (2015). She later went on to score guest appearances on Supernatural (2018) and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (2018), where she played none other than Zelda Fitzgerald.
The actress' has most recent screen credit is Hallmark’s TV movie Christmas at the Catnip Café (2025).
05 of 09
Taylor Zakhar Perez (Marco Peña)
Marcos Cruz/NETFLIX; Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty
Taylor Zakhar Perez, then and now
Before he stole hearts as Alex in Red, White & Royal Blue (2023), Taylor Zakhar Perez made a convincing case for being “Team Marco,” shaking things up in The Kissing Booth 2 as a handsome transfer student who catches Elle’s eye.
"More guys should be like Marco," he told EW in 2020. "The bad boy is overplayed, and you get your heart broken twice over unless you have a proponent of emotional intimacy and support and transparency."
Prior to his breakout role as Marco, Perez guest starred on a handful of series, including iCarly (2012) and Scandal (2018), and later popped up on Starz’s acclaimed Minx (2022) before scoring the lead role in the queer rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue.
A sequel, Red, White & Royal Wedding, is in development.
Perez responded to Elordi’s criticism of The Kissing Booth films in 2023, telling Variety: “I thought it was a shame because to my knowledge, everybody else had such a wonderful experience. 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."
06 of 09
Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Chloe Winthrop)
Netflix; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Maisie Richardson-Sellers, then and now
Maisie Richardson-Sellers appeared in both sequels as the magnetic Chloe, Noah’s friend at Harvard — and the subject of Elle’s suspicions vis a vis Noah’s fidelity.
“It actually came to me as a bit of a surprise, because… it was an untitled film. They were hiding all the information and it was all made-up names,” the actress told Elle about joining the sequel. “I loved the character, and then I found out, on my callback, that it was Kissing Booth 2. To be fair, I'm not big on social media, so I had no idea what a phenomenon the first film had been. But then I watched it, and I remember smiling the whole way through, thinking, ‘This is such a feel-good [movie].’ It celebrates quirkiness, uniqueness, and I was really excited to bring a new perspective and some new energy to that, and a bit of diversity, which I think the first film needed.”
Prior to the rom-com franchise, the British actress was primarily known as Rebekah Mikaelson/Eva Sinclair (IYKYK) on The Originals (2014–2017). She reinforced her fantasy franchise bonafides on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (2016–2020) — in two different roles, no less. And let’s not forget a small role in that little franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).
Since bidding goodbye to Chloe, the London native has landed small-screen roles on The Undeclared War (2022), Wolf Hall (2024), and Nine Perfect Strangers (2025). She’s also set to star in the sixth Insidious installment, The Bleeding World (2026).
Richardson-Sellers got engaged to her longtime partner Saba Kia in 2025.
07 of 09
Stephen Jennings (Mike Evans)
Netflix
Stephen Jennings in 'The Kissing Booth'
Stephen Jennings played Elle’s loving father who’s doing his best to raise two kids as a single dad after his wife died of cancer. (These YA parents just can’t catch a break!)
The veteran actor has made the rounds on TV and in lower-profile films for a few decades now, in addition to his work on stage. His most high-profile credits include episodes of Generation Kill (2008), Homeland (2014), and Good Omens (2019).
Jennings has maintained a long international career as a voiceover specialist, and has also worked as an accent and dialect coach.
08 of 09
Carson White (Brad Evans)
Netflix; Carson White/Instagram
Carson White, then and now
Carson White, who was roughly 9 years old when The Kissing Booth began filming, portrayed Elle’s younger brother Brad.
Outside of the trilogy, he’s appeared in a handful of short films as well as Netflix’s drama series Special (2019). However, the now-teenager (feel old yet?) hasn’t been on-screen since the 2021 trilogy-capper.
09 of 09
Molly Ringwald (Sara Flynn)
Marcos Cruz/NETFLIX; Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty
Molly Ringwald, then and now
The legendary Molly Ringwald rounded out the Kissing Booth cast as Sara, Noah and Lee’s mom and the best friend of Elle’s late mother.
Ringwald first rose to Hollywood prominence with a role in Diff'rent Strokes (1979–1980) and its hit spinoff, The Facts of Life (1979–1980). But, needless to say, she cemented herself as a household name a few years later, becoming a teen idol for a string of hits written and/or directed by John Hughes: Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Pretty in Pink (1986).
While her subsequent years found her working in smaller films, both stateside and in Europe, she’s had a mini-resurgence over the last two decades. She returned to her coming-of-age roots in mom roles on teen dramas, including The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013) and Riverdale (2017–2023).
The veteran actress’s most recent credits include Jeffrey Dahmer’s stepmother on Monster (2022) and Joanne Carson on Feud: Capote vs. the Swans (2024).
In 2007, Ringwald married book editor and writer Panio Gianopoulos. The couple has three children together.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
