Cobra Kai Actor Quits Acting After 20 Years With Passionate Statement: "What Once Felt Necessary... Became Stifling"

Cobra Kai's Courtney Henggeler has quit acting after 20 years. A popular Netflix series, Cobra Kai is a spinoff of Karate Kid that brings back the now-legendary martial arts star Daniel LaRusso, who is once again a rival to Johnny Lawrence. It ran for six seasons, beginning in 2018 and wrapping up in 2025. Henggeler played Amanda LaRusso on the series, Daniel's wife and the mother of their shared children.

Per Henggeler's own Substack, the actor is quitting acting after 20 years in the industry. She begins her post by writing, "After 20 plus years of fighting the good fight in the acting business, I hung up my gloves on Friday." She describes her life as "the hustle, the grind, sprinkled occasionally with the odd acting job" and had to "survive[] off crumbs." After over two decades, she decided she was exhausted with being "a cog in the wheel of machine," and she will leave acting as a result.

What This Means For Courtney Henggeler

She Had A Lot Of Guest Star Roles

Years before she became a lead character on Cobra Kai, Henggeler had smaller roles. She first appeared on-screen as a character named Susan Beth in the movie The Bog Creatures in 2003. Throughout the next two decades, the actor would occasionally be on big-name shows(e.g. House, NCIS, Mom, Bones, and Jane the Virgin, to name a few) but always in guest-star appearances. Those familiar with The Big Bang Theory universe may recognize her as Missy Cooper from the flagship series. Unfortunately for Henggeler, that part only lasted two episodes.

Custom image of Daniel and Johnny in Cobra Kai

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In her writing, Henggeler acknowledged how big of a deal this was in this particular part of her career. In more recent years, she was "considered one of the lucky ones" because she "was on a series," referring to Cobra Kai. This was by far the biggest role in her career. In her post, Henggeler also refers to being directed by George Clooney in 2018's The Boys in the Boat as another career highlight.

Our Take On Henggeler Quitting Acting

This Speaks To Broader Issues In The Industry

Henggeler's bold decision highlights the less glamorous side of the industry that people are less often exposed to. While one hears word of actors auditioning repeatedly just to be awarded tiny roles or nothing, the Hollywood that audiences are most aware of is one of fame and lavish lifestyles. The Cobra Kaiactor's tough decision, and the statement she put out regarding it, highlights the struggles for working actors.