The internet has a funny way of remembering things that people desperately want to forget. If you spent any time on Netflix in 2018, you probably remember the absolute chokehold The Kissing Booth had on pop culture. It wasn't just the movie, though. It was the fact that the two leads, Jacob Elordi and Joey King, were actually a thing in real life. They were the ultimate "it" couple for the Gen Z crowd, and their feeds were basically a shrine to their relationship.
Then, it all vanished.
If you go looking for jacob elordi and joey king instagram pictures today, you’re going to hit a lot of dead ends. The grid is clean. The tagged photos are a graveyard of "post unavailable" screens. It’s a digital erasure so thorough it would make a PR firm weep with joy. But for the fans who were there, those photos were the receipts of a very specific era of Netflix stardom.
The Rise and Fall of the Grid
Back in 2017, when they were filming in South Africa, the vibe was different. They were just two relatively unknown actors—Joey was a veteran but Jacob was the "new guy"—falling in love on a beachy set. Jacob’s first public hard-launch of the relationship happened in April 2017. Joey followed suit in June.
For about a year and a half, they were inseparable on social media. We saw them at amusement parks. We saw them wearing matching Birkenstocks. There was even that famous photo of them at a party where Jacob was looking at her like she was the only person in the room. Honestly, it was cute. It felt real because they weren't "A-list" yet; they were just kids sharing their lives.
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But the pressure of a "showmance" is heavy. When The Kissing Booth premiered in May 2018, it became a global phenomenon almost overnight. Suddenly, their private relationship was being consumed by millions of fans who felt entitled to every update. By November 2018, the cracks started showing—not in person, but on the screen. Jacob announced a social media "break" to focus on work (which we now know was for Euphoria), and Joey tweeted about how her dog was her only companion.
Where Did the Photos Go?
By early 2019, the purge was complete. Jacob Elordi wiped his Instagram almost entirely, a move he’s made multiple times since as he transitioned from "teen heartthrob" to "serious actor." Joey eventually followed, archiving or deleting the candid shots of them together.
Today, the only surviving jacob elordi and joey king instagram pictures are the ones they couldn't control. You'll find them on fan accounts, Pinterest, or Getty Images from red carpets like the Variety Power of Young Hollywood event in 2018.
There's something a bit melancholy about it. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Joey admitted that working with her ex on the sequels wasn't easy. She said, "No one's thinking to themselves, 'That was easy,' because it wasn't." They had to film The Kissing Booth 2 and 3 after the breakup, playing a couple on screen while their real-life digital footprint was being systematically scrubbed.
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The "Capping" Incident
We can't talk about their digital history without mentioning the 2020 Twitter drama. When Jacob told an interviewer he hadn't even seen The Kissing Booth 2, Joey famously tweeted, "Jacob watched it. He's capping."
She deleted it almost immediately.
Later, she told Howard Stern that she actually got Jacob’s permission to post it, but deleted it because she realized "capping" was a term she shouldn't be using. It was a rare, messy glimpse into their dynamic post-breakup—a far cry from the polished, curated Instagram pictures of 2017.
Why the Deletions Matter
In the world of celebrity branding, your Instagram grid is your resume. Jacob Elordi has worked hard to distance himself from the "Noah Flynn" persona. He’s called those movies "ridiculous" in recent years. Deleting the photos wasn't just about a breakup; it was about a career pivot.
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Joey King, meanwhile, has moved on entirely. She’s now married to director Steven Piet, and her Instagram reflects a completely different chapter of her life. She’s a producer, an Emmy nominee, and a fashion icon. The old photos with Jacob don't fit the narrative anymore.
How to Find the "Lost" Photos
If you’re looking for those original posts for a hit of nostalgia, you won't find them on their official handles. Your best bets are:
- Fan Archives: Accounts like @joeyandjacob (many are now inactive but the posts remain).
- Wayback Machine: If you have the specific URLs from old articles, you can sometimes see the original posts.
- Pinterest: Still the best repository for 2018-era celebrity candids.
The era of jacob elordi and joey king instagram pictures is officially over, replaced by Jacob’s moody Priscilla press tours and Joey’s high-fashion red carpet moments. It’s a reminder that social media is fleeting, but fan screenshots are forever.
To see how their styles have evolved since the "Birkenstock days," you can check out current red carpet galleries on sites like Vogue or The Hollywood Reporter. Most people find that comparing their 2018 "couple style" to their 2026 solo ventures shows just how much they've grown—both as actors and as individuals who no longer need to share their every move to stay relevant.