Joey King and Taylor Zakhar Perez’s friendship continues to capture hearts.
The Kissing Booth co-stars attended the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards together in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 23. Having met on the set of the 2020 Netflix hit, the two have remained best friends, and King expressed her gratitude for their bond during a red carpet interview.
“Last year I was his plus one, and so this year he’s mine,” she shared. “I think it’s really nice because we communicate in a way of like, we lift each other up, we’re he cut each other’s great hype men, which is nice. Like having each other at something like this, where I’m presenting tonight, I’m a little bit nervous and he’s so sweet.”
She continued, “He’s just the sweetest, most wonderful person. And also, we have the same sense of humor, which is very helpful, and I just love him.”
On their way to the event, King posted a video of Perez in the car with the caption, “My date.” Once at the ceremony, the two posed together on the red carpet for the second consecutive year.
Taylor Zakhar Perez and Joey King
After portraying love interests in The Kissing Booth films, King and Perez maintained a strong friendship off-screen. Perez even attended King’s 2023 wedding to Steven Piet. In June 2024, they reflected on their friendship in an interview, sharing how it developed over time.
Kissing Booth Co-Stars Joey King and Taylor Zakhar Perez
“If you don’t know much about The Kissing Booth 2 and 3, Taylor and I have some elaborate dance numbers, so we really got to know each other while doing rehearsals,” King recalled.
“I remember you asked me a question in the middle of filming — ‘Do you normally stay friends with people that you work with? Or do you get really close to them on set, and then you just don’t talk to them very much afterwards?’”
She added, “It was a sweet question because I felt like the subtext was like, ‘Are we going to be friends after this?’ And I told you, ‘It depends.’”
Taylor Zakhar Perez and Joey King at the 31st Annual SAG Awards
Perez reflected on the moment he realized how special King was, saying that it happened while they were in South Africa for filming.
“Kissing Booth was my first major project, with an incredible No. 1 on the call sheet. I’m going to say it: You lead a set in a way that makes everybody feel comfortable,” he said.
“You raise the energy levels, and people want to come to work. You were my intensive on how to lead. You’ve become a sister to me, but also, you’re a role model and a mentor on how I want to be. I take it with me on every set I go to. It sounds corny, but you totally inspired me.”
