American actor Courtney Henggeler, best known for her role as Amanda LaRusso on Cobra Kai, has officially stepped away from acting. In a heartfelt and candid post on her Substack—also shared via her Instagram—the actor opened up about her decision to leave the industry after more than two decades.
“After 20-plus years of fighting the good fight in the acting business, I hung up my gloves on Friday. I called my agents and told them I was tapping out. I no longer wanted to be a cog in the wheel of the machine,” Courtney revealed.
American actor Courtney Henggeler, best known for her role as Amanda LaRusso on Cobra Kai, has officially stepped away from acting. In a heartfelt and candid post on her Substack—also shared via her Instagram—the actor opened up about her decision to leave the industry after more than two decades.
“After 20-plus years of fighting the good fight in the acting business, I hung up my gloves on Friday. I called my agents and told them I was tapping out. I no longer wanted to be a cog in the wheel of the machine,” Courtney revealed.
While she didn’t go into detail about her next move, she did hint at wanting to take control of her own path: “I want to be the machine.”
Reflecting on her career, Courtney admitted that acting itself wasn’t always at the center of her experience. “All I’ve ever known in my professional life was acting. But not even the art or craft of acting. All I’ve truly ever knew was the hustle. The hustle, the grind, sprinkled occasionally with the odd acting job. Perhaps a line or two to TV’s Dr. House – ‘Sorry’ (that’s it. That was my line. Genius). Nailed it. Or a recurring guest-star that never seemed to recur….Whatever the opposite of nailing it is.”
Before her breakout role in Cobra Kai, Courtney appeared in a variety of television shows including Jane the Virgin, Working Class, Bones, Henry Danger, Royal Pains, Mom, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and The Big Bang Theory. Her film credits include Friends with Benefits, Nobody’s Fool, and Feed.
Despite the recognition that came with Cobra Kai, the grind never seemed to let up. “We survived off the crumbs. We filled our cup with the possibility; our mugs with delusion. Our plates were empty, but a golden goose hung over our heads. Today might be the day. Today might be the day I reach the golden goose.”
Her announcement followed the conclusion of Cobra Kai, which wrapped its sixth and final season on Netflix earlier this year. The show brought her consistent work and success, but Courtney still felt something was missing. “I was on a series. A successful series. I made money. My face was on the billboards I longed for 20 plus years. I was directed by George Clooney for godsakes. This by all definitions is the golden goose.”
Even with those achievements, the emotional and mental toll of the industry’s demands became hard to ignore. “For years I silenced the voice in my head, begging me to walk away. The voice, the constant gnawing. Not because of the acting itself. But because of the gauntlet I had to run to reach the acting. What once felt necessary, something I willingly participated, even celebrated, became stifling,” she said.
Courtney wrapped up her post with a powerful set of questions that pointed toward self-empowerment and a sense of clarity: “What if we choose to believe we have the power? What if we had it all along? … What if we never needed to run the gauntlet? What if we are the gauntlet?”
