The Cast of ‘Cobra Kai’ Is Making Bank on Instagram — But Which Star Pulls in the Most?
Cobra Kai Season 5 is finally here, marking the shortest break between seasons in the show’s history. It’s been just nine months since season 4 dropped on Netflix, and the show’s popularity is bigger than ever. That increasing fan interest has been great for the show’s stars, who’ve been making bank on Instagram via sponsored posts. The question is: which star pulls in the most cash?
The influence of the ‘Cobra Kai’ cast by the numbers
Gaming experts New Casinos recently conducted a study that examined the social media profiles of every cast member from Cobra Kai Season 5 and used influencer marketing calculators to determine how much they earn from sponsored Instagram posts. They found that many of the show’s stars have some serious influence.
Of course, the older cast members were at the bottom of the list. But, they are all still earning a nice four-figure paycheck for a single post — a respectable income stream in addition to their salaries on The Karate Kid sequel series.
Ralph Macchio (Daniel Larusso) came in at number seven on the list, with 2 million followers and a three percent engagement rate. He earns approximately $6,657 per sponsored post.
His on-screen rival William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence) has 2.2 million followers, and a six percent engagement rate. He makes an estimated $7,225 per sponsored post, coming in at number six on the list.
Martin Cove (John Kreese) took the number 10 spot on the list, with 1 million followers, a two percent engagement rate, and average earnings of $3,259 per sponsored post.
The younger stars of the series pull in the most cash
Cobra Kai is a story that follows two generations — the original Gen Xers from The Karate Kid franchise who are now in their 50s — and their Gen Z children and school friends.
The only younger cast members who didn’t make the top five in the study were Hannah Kepple (Moon) at number nine, earning $4,297 per post. And Gianni DeCenzo (Demitri) — at number eight — earning $4,784 per post.
The top five featured all Gen Z stars, including Jacob Bertrand (Hawk) in fifth place with 2.7 million followers, a ten percent engagement rate, and earnings of $8,838 per post. Number four on the list was Mary Mouser (Sam), with 2.9 million followers, a 16 percent engagement rate, and a single post earning rate of $9,642.
At number three was Xolo Maridueña (Miguel Diaz), with three million Instagram followers and an 11 percent engagement rate. His account is an attractive one for advertisers, and he earns nearly $10k per sponsored post.
Peyton List tops the list of ‘Cobra Kai’ social media earners
At number two is Tanner Buchanan (Robbie), earning up to $12,920 per post with his 3.9 million followers and an impressive 23 percent engagement rate. But, he came nowhere near the earnings or influence of the top cast member.
Peyton List (Tory) — who joined the cast of Cobra Kai in season 2 — easily took the top spot of the cast’s social media earners with 20 million followers. At just a two percent engagement rate, List still earns a whopping $65,499 per sponsored Instagram post.
“Cobra Kai has become one of Netflix’s most popular series in the last few years, with a loyal following of The Karate Kid fans and a new wave of contemporary audiences that have been watching the series since its beginning in 2018,” the study read.
“As people tune in to watch the new season on September 9th, we can expect these earnings to increase along with the cast’s social media following, opening more doors and opportunities for the actors to expand their influence across social media.”
Cobra Kai Season 5 is now playing on Netflix.
