It happens to everyone. You’re watching Cobra Kai or School Spirits and you think, “Wait, hasn’t she been on TV for twenty years?” Then you look her up and find a completely different person with the same name starring in Mad Men or Gotham.
Honestly, the "Peyton List" name situation is one of the weirdest glitches in the Hollywood matrix. If you’re trying to figure out how old is Peyton List, the answer depends entirely on which one you’re looking for. Usually, people are searching for the younger star who played Emma Ross on Disney Channel’s Jessie.
The "Cobra Kai" Star: Peyton Roi List
Let's get the main one out of the way. The actress most people are following right now—the one who plays the fierce Tory Nichols—is 27 years old.
She was born on April 6, 1998.
If you feel like she’s been around forever, you’re not wrong. She started out as a child model and hit the big screen early. She actually played the younger version of Katherine Heigl’s character in 27 Dresses back in 2008. She was only ten. Since then, she hasn’t really stopped working. Most of us grew up watching her as the fashion-obsessed Emma Ross on Jessie (which premiered in 2011), meaning we’ve literally watched her grow from a 13-year-old middle schooler into a grown woman.
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Wait, There’s Another One?
This is where it gets kinda messy. There is a second actress named Peyton List. She’s also very successful, which is why Google gets so confused.
The "other" Peyton List was born on August 8, 1986. That makes her 39 years old.
She is best known for playing Jane Siegel in Mad Men, Poison Ivy in Gotham, and leading the CW show Frequency. To make things even weirder, both actresses have actually appeared in the same project. Back in the early 2000s, the older Peyton was a regular on the soap opera As the World Turns. The younger Peyton (the Cobra Kai one) actually showed up in a scene as a little girl.
They even share the same name in the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), which usually doesn't happen. Most actors have to change their name if someone else already has it (think Emma Stone, whose real name is Emily). For some reason, these two both got to keep it. The younger one sometimes uses Peyton R. List to help people tell them apart, but let’s be real, most of us just type the name and hope for the best.
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Why 2026 is a Massive Year for Her
If you’re checking her age because you saw her in something new, it’s probably because she’s currently everywhere. As of January 2026, she’s taking a huge leap into live theater.
She just started her run as Heather Chandler in the Off-Broadway revival of Heathers: The Musical in New York City. It’s her big musical debut. Stepping into that "mythic bitch" role is a far cry from the Disney days, but if you saw her fight scenes in Cobra Kai, you know she can handle the intensity.
She’s also still executive producing and starring in School Spirits. Season 3 just dropped this month. It’s pretty impressive to see someone who's only 27 not only acting but also running things behind the scenes as a producer.
Career Timeline at a Glance
- Age 10: Debuts in 27 Dresses (2008).
- Age 12: Plays Holly Hills in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.
- Age 13-20: Becomes a Disney staple on Jessie and its spinoff Bunk’d.
- Age 21: Joins Cobra Kai as Tory Nichols, changing her "good girl" image forever.
- Age 25: Stars in and executive produces School Spirits.
- Age 27 (Current): Heads to New York for Heathers: The Musical.
What’s Next?
A lot of people think that once a Disney star hits their late 20s, they either fade away or go through a "rebel" phase. Peyton seems to be doing neither. She’s just... working. Hard.
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If you’re in New York, you can actually catch her live at New World Stages through May 2026. If not, School Spirits is still the move on Paramount+. It’s rare to see a child star transition this smoothly without a major public breakdown or a total career stall.
Actionable Insight for Fans:
If you're trying to keep up with her latest projects without getting confused by the "two Peytons" situation, always look for the "R" or check if the project is associated with Netflix or Paramount+. If the actress looks like she could have been in Mad Men (late 30s), it's the 1986 Peyton. If she looks like she could kick your teeth in with a karate move (late 20s), it's the 1998 Peyton.
Keep an eye on the School Spirits Season 3 updates, as the production has hinted at a "much darker tone" for Maddie's journey this year.