Joey King's Top Pops Open in Hilarious Moment While Accepting Face of the Future Award
Joey King had a minor wardrobe malfunction while accepting the Face of the Future Award, but she played it off hilariously and adorably!
The 25-year-old actress was presented with the Max Mara Face of the Future honor at the 2024 WIF Honors Ceremony on Thursday night (October 24) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
When Joey stood up from her table to accept the award, her shirtless blazer popped open, so she held her jacket together until she got up on stage. With her back facing the audience, one of the on-stage ushers temporarily safety-pinned Joey back into jacket. When she finally got to the podium, Joey jokingly sing-songed, “Wow. The perfect time for my shirt to pop open. And I’m not wearing a bra!”
Keep reading to find out more…
Joey gave an emotional acceptance speech in which she paid tribute to the women in her life, including her mom Jamie, grandmother Elaine, and sisters Kelli and Hunter (who just got engaged!).
“The women in my life are the only reason that I’m here today. And I couldn’t be named the Women in Film Max Mara Face of the Future without their leadership,” she said.
Joey was joined at the event by her husband Steven Piet, sister Kelli, and Max Mara Global Brand Ambassador Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti, who presented the award. Inside the party she was seen mingling with Jane Fonda and Lili Reinhart.
Watch the clip below!
Read the full transcript of her speech below…
Maria, thank you so much for those wonderful words. I’m so flattered. What a night. I’m overwhelmed in the best possible way. First of all, I just want to thank Max Mara and Women in Film for this incredible privilege of being named Max Mara’s Face of the Future. It really is just it is such an amazing feeling to be recognized by a brand and an organization that I love so much. You know, I’m 25 years old and I’ve been acting since I was 4. From the time I was 4 all the way to about 19, I’ve always had this deepest sense of FOMO (fear of missing out).
I’ve been working consistently since a young age. Having success is the only thing I wanted to do with my life, but sometimes I just never felt like I was enough. It was because I was focused on wanting to be included in the things that I wasn’t included. It didn’t matter that I have so much to be grateful for. I would often ruminate on what wasn’t happening instead of what was. Maybe this is a youngest child syndrome of some kind.
I don’t know, just wanting to play with my sisters and their older friends. Or maybe it was because we are in an industry we are constantly made to feel that we need to compare ourselves to others who are doing great ones. Something inside me changed at around 19 or 20 years old. I just felt so much more at peace.
I felt less and less like I was needing an invite or an email to feel worthy and more focused on the beauty and fulfillment that I already had in me and in my world. And it’s kind of funny. I think just that simple perspective change allowed me to accept good things into my life in a way that I just hadn’t before.
It’s nights like this and programs like Women in Film and brands like Max Mara that show so beautifully that there is room for everyone at the table. And the more that you cheer others on in a true authentic way, your heart opens up and allows you to stop comparing yourself. The process of self acceptance is a gift that makes me a better actor, a better daughter, a better sister, a better wife, and a better friend. Well, like I said, it’s a process, you know, self confidence is a target that’s kind of ever moving. When I was a little girl, I would walk out of my room ready to leave for school in striped knee high socks, a polka dot raincoat, my pajama shirt with The Lion King on it, a ruffled skirt, and light-up shoes.
None of it matched, but I loved it. And my mom and sisters would take one look at me at the breakfast table and tell me that I looked great and they love my shoes. And at the time, I knew I looked great, so I didn’t really think twice of their reaction. But looking back, the women in my life that really meant the most to me were planting the seed of encouraging self-exploration and self-confidence in me every day. I’m lucky enough to be raised and loved by women who are rooting for you to be your most authentic self, but I have gotten incredibly lucky with the women I’ve had the honor of working with over the course of my career so far.
I’ve had the privilege of meeting women who work in front of and behind the camera, who range from ages much younger than me to more than 50 years my senior. And I have learned so much from all of them. Growing up as a child actor, I always looked to the women I was working with for guidance and friendship, to help me navigate the uncertainty of being in this industry. These women who taught me how to advocate for myself on set and who taught me how to be in a position of leadership of grace are the reason I’m being named with this honor. My sisters, who are the best friends I’ve ever had in this world, and who just by being related to them, made me understand unconditional love, are the reason I’m being named with this honor. My grandmother who adored when I dressed up in her clothes and I would put on shows that I made up for her in the living room, is the reason I’m being made with this honor. My mom, who howled with laughter at all the ridiculous things I said as a kid, which made me feel so seen, is responsible for every ounce of ambition that I have, is the reason that we named this one. The women in my life are the only reason that I’m here today.
And I could not be named the Women in Film Max Mara Face of the Future without their leadership. I’m so deeply appreciative for this honor and for this fight, and for all this organization does to make women feel as powerful as they are. Because we are so powerful. Thank you so much. This is amazing.