The Real Life Partners Of The Kissing Booth Cast
With its steamy love story — and even steamier cast — Netflix's teen rom-com, The Kissing Booth, flipped the world upside down upon its premiere in May 2018. Based on Beth Reekles' young adult novel of the same name, the film follows the story of likable high schooler Elle Evans (Joey King) who has a crush on bad boy player Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi)... who just so happens to be the older brother of her best friend Lee Flynn, portrayed by Joel Courtney. When a kissing booth for charity forces Elle and Noah to lock lips, what seemed like a hopeless infatuation turns into a forbidden romance. And that's just the first movie!
While critics may have panned the film, audiences couldn't get enough, with Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos telling Vulture that the film was "one of the most watched-movies in the country, and maybe in the world." It was only fitting that the movie inspired two sequels which were filmed back-to-back in 2019, introducing new characters, including the charming Marco (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and flirtatious Chloe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) into the fold.
While we're obsessed with the love stories of Noah, Elle, and Lee, how do the actors bringing their romances to life fare offscreen? These are the real life partners of The Kissing Booth cast.
Joey King 'couldn't' date another actor after Jacob Elordi
After The Kissing Booth wrapped, it was happily ever after for Noah and Elle in real life — for a while. Joey King was instantly attracted to Jacob Elordi, although it wasn't quite love at first sight on set in 2017. "I thought he was very cute when we first met, but it started as friendship," King told Bello. "But before long I started to realize, 'Hey, I think I kind of like this person!'" Somewhere in between onscreen smooches and "spending 17 hours a day together," a romance sparked.
The couple made it social media official in April 2017 in since deleted Instagram posts, per PopSugar, and while Elordi was on hand to support his gal at the August 2018 premiere of Slender Man (via People), by November it seemed the two had called it quits, with King writing, "Thank god I have my dog tho" in a since deleted tweet (via Refinery 29).
While it didn't work out, King and Elordi made the decision to keep it professional filming the sequels in 2019. "Elle Evans needs her Noah Flynn, and whatever that means for my personal life, I'll do anything to make sure the story ... is complete," King told Cosmopolitan in August 2020. Around the same time, she told The Howard Stern Show that she "learned the most [she's] ever learned" from their relationship, although she "couldn't" date another actor again as "it's really tough."
Jacob Elordi went from Joey King to Cindy Crawford's daughter
With the success of The Kissing Booth films and HBO's Euphoria, Jacob Elordi certainly has a lot more eyes on him — though that doesn't change the fact that he's a huge romantic. In 2020, he told Vanity Fair that his ideal date is "a night in Paris with wine ... dressed to the nines," but being an A-list celebrity under constant scrutiny means it's tough to achieve his admittedly lofty goal of "hav[ing] all the feelings of what you read in 1920s literature." Though the Australian actor has been coy about his romantic life since splitting with Joey King, that hasn't stopped him from trying his hand at love again.
As this writing, Elordi is dating model Kaia Gerber, who also happens to be the daughter of famous supermodel Cindy Crawford. According to E!, the two started dating sometime around September 2020, stepping out together in Los Angeles and New York City. We got the social media confirmation we were waiting for at Halloween when Gerber shared snaps of their flawlessly executed Elvis and Priscilla Presley costumes on Instagram. Although they're keeping things low key, the paparazzi hasn't had trouble snapping the absolutely adorable pair (above). But don't expect either of them to speak at length about their relationship anytime soon. "When people are watching and talking about [your relationship], it makes it a little bit difficult," Elordi told Vanity Fair. We'll take what we can get!
Joel Courtney got married at 24-years-old
While his Kissing Booth character Lee Flynn seems to struggle with the ladies, Joel Courtney is happily off the market. According to People, at 24-years-old, Courtney married his "longtime love" in September 2020: Mia Scholink, who was 23 at the time. While it "moved really quickly," Courtney has known the Beautycounter entrepreneur his whole life. "My parents knew Mia's parents before either one of us were born," Courtney told People. "By the time Mia and I were born, we hung out for three or four years running around in diapers and play dates."
Although the two fell out of touch, they "reconnected in 2015" and began dating two years later, splitting up "for a little bit of time" before getting back together in 2019. When the couple tied the knot in an outdoor ceremony in Phoenix, Ariz., the Super 8 actor said he had "never experienced such joy" as watching his bride walk down the aisle. "My chin was trembling and I had tears in my eyes," he told People. "It was everything I could do to keep them from pouring down my face."
This Brat Pack member is a proud mama
Molly Ringwald portrays Lee and Noah Flynn's mother in The Kissing Booth, a fitting role considering she skyrocketed to fame starring in John Hughes' iconic teen comedies in the '80s. In 1999, she married her first husband Valery Lameignvère, a French writer, although they divorced in 2002. According to People, she married writer Panio Gianopoulos, in 2007. "I was definitely wondering if I was able to find love again," she recalled. "There was a lot of trepidation."
Not only did Ringwald find love with Gianopoulos, who is six years younger than her, but the two also started a family. They had their first daughter Mathilda together in 2003, and Ringwald gave birth to fraternal twins Roman and Adele in 2009 at 41-years-old, per People. "When we first started talking about wanting children, he said he wanted to wait until he was 40," Ringwald told the outlet. "I said, 'Oh, no, that's not gonna work.'"
Although she channeled universal angst in films like The Breakfast Club and 16 Candles, Ringwald admits that she's "very often just as confused and perplexed as anyone else" when it comes to parenting. "I thought I would've had a little bit more edge or info or intel or something," she joked to HuffPost in 2020. While all their kids haven't seen her biggest flicks yet, it's on the docket. "I feel like it's a rite of passage and I'm just not ready," Ringwald said. "There's time though."
Maisie Richardson-Sellers and CLAY are going strong
Maisie Richardson-Seller joined The Kissing Booth series in the sequel, playing the attractive and funny Chloe Winthrop. Much to Elle's chagrin, Noah finds himself exploring the possibilities with Chloe after moving to Harvard. Offscreen, however, Richardson-Sellers identifies as queer. "The LGBTQ community has meant so much to me when I was growing up and I hope to keep giving back," the British actor told Gay Times in 2018. "It's such a special, supportive, unique space that I've found all over the world."
Richardson-Sellers has been dating California-born singer CLAY since 2016, according to her Instagram. "We met at a party that neither of us particularly wanted to be at," CLAY told Ones to Watch. "It's always the case, I suppose, to encounter something/someone amazing when you're least expecting it." The Legends of Tomorrow star directed CLAY's home video visual for track "project 5 (demo)" in 2019, telling Diva that the collaboration was perfect as they "know each other so well that there is an effortless flow and trust." From their dedicated Halloween costumes to their romantic getaways, it's clear the two are positively smitten. It doesn't hurt that Richardson-Sellers is a fan of her girlfriend's music, as well. "Her voice is otherworldly," she gushed to E! in 2020.
Camilla Wolfson is happily taken
Camilla Wolfson might portray Mia, the popular mean girl who heads up the OMG clique in The Kissing Booth, but she's markedly more down-to-earth than her character might suggest — and she's good friends with the cast. "We all became really close from spending so much time together for months on end," she told Hypebae in 2020. The burgeoning actor, who appeared in 2018's Action Point, also spoke with the outlet about the importance of knowing who you are. "It's not as easy as it sounds but surrounding yourself with people who know you, who make you feel like your best self and will hold you accountable in the most loving of ways are the key to navigating happiness..."
It seems Wolfson has found her best self alongside creative director Saul Chilchik. The two appear to have been dating since at least January 2018 when Wolfson posted a picture of them on the beach in South Africa — where Kissing Booth was filmed — on Instagram. From matching Christmas outfits to coffee adventures, Wolfson writes that "he loves and accepts [her] just the way [she] is." Chilchik works at social media and marketing firm Piper Ave, to which Wolfson credits for taking some of her most stunning snaps. Score!