Joey King and Taylor Zakhar Perez's Complete Friendship Timeline

After The Kissing Booth 2 hit Netflix in July 2020, fans wondered if Joey King (who played Elle Evans in the film series) and Taylor Zakhar Perez (otherwise known as Marco Valentin Peña) were more than friends. Following some major speculation from fans, the actor and singer set the record straight.

“Joey King and I are not dating,” the actor said during an interview with GQ in September 2020. “I love her dearly but, no, we are not dating. We might take trips together, but no.”

Since meeting on the set of the second movie, the pair became rather close, which is what led to possible relationship rumors. That, and the fact that their characters had a short-lived romance in the movie.

“We just kind of hit it off,” he told Entertainment Tonight in August 2020. “When we were in South Africa, we had dinner together. I cooked for her, she cooked for me. We just became kind of like the best of friends. When we got back to Los Angeles we just kept hanging out. We live really near each other. And then the quarantine hit and we kinda just needed someone to trust during that time, like, ‘OK, I know you’re not going out. I know who you’re seeing.’ So we just became really close.”

Around the same time, the actor appeared on an episode of the “Chicks in the Office” podcast where he called Joey one of his “quarantine buddies.”

“I would see her all the time because we lived five minutes away from each other, just happenstance. We know what our relationship is, like, we love each other dearly,” Taylor explained. “It’s been interesting how everyone is trying to make something out of it, but it’s fine. It’s like, hey, I would love to be dating Joey King. Like, she’s dope.”

The singer also told WWD in August 2021 how the Ramona and Beezus alum inadvertently helped him with the newfound fame that came with The Kissing Booth.

“When we were shooting [in South Africa], people came up to her all the time, and she was nothing but lovely. I was, like, ‘I have to do that, too,’” Taylor recalled. “I’ve looked at other actors and how they interact, and it turns me off.”

Since their first meeting, the pair have showcased their friendship all over social media and in various interviews. Scroll through our gallery for a full timeline.

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First Impressions

“Joey walked in, she was wearing blue jean overalls, she had really short hair and a daisy in her hair,” he recalled on the “Chicks in the Office” podcast. “She walked in and she was like a ray of sunshine. She was so sweet and so supportive. I never had a chemistry read quite like hers. She’s just so talented and gives you everything she has and leans into it. Even if she doesn’t know her lines, she’s connected with you energetically. When she says something you believe it.”

The Birthday Tribute

“Happy friggen birthday @joeyking. Honestly I could write about this woman all day. She is the reason I joined the KB2 family, she welcomed me with open arms and love, she supported me, she pushed me, she made me laugh (like pee my pants laughter and had to check my underwear), she inspired me to be a better actor, she shared her family with me, THE LIST GOES ON. Grateful for you forever,” Taylor shared on Instagram in July 2020.

Joey replied, “Can’t imagine my life without you. I heart you T.”

Setting the Record Straight

“We went away this weekend for some friends’ birthdays, and her birthday, and everyone kinda freaked about it. I will say that we are not dating,” Taylor told Access in August 2020. “We just became really close during filming, but then we became even closer after filming because we live really close to each other. I think we’re like a three or four minute drive from each other. We’re kind of each other’s accountability partners during quarantine. So we got to hang out, make sure that we weren’t seeing anybody outside of the circle of people that we trusted.”