5 Shocking Details Behind Mary Mouser And Tanner Buchanan's Real-Life Kiss And Surprise Engagement

The question of whether Mary Mouser and Tanner Buchanan would ever be a real-life couple has finally been answered, and the truth is more dramatic than any plot twist in Cobra Kai. The monumental kiss that fans had been waiting for didn't happen on-screen between Sam LaRusso and Robby Keene, but rather on the red carpet at the series finale event in February 2025, a moment that officially confirmed their long-rumored, top-secret romance and a surprise engagement.

The news broke on the eve of the final episodes of Cobra Kai Season 6, part 3, which began streaming on Netflix in February 2025. For years, the pair maintained they were just "best friends," but their passionate red-carpet kiss, coupled with the flashing of matching rings, revealed the incredible truth: the on-screen rivals-turned-brief-lovers were getting married in real life.

Mary Mouser and Tanner Buchanan: Complete Biography and Profile

Before their real-life romance became the biggest story in the Karate Kid universe, both Mary Mouser and Tanner Buchanan had established significant careers in Hollywood, starring in major TV series and films.

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Mary Matilyn Mouser (Samantha "Sam" LaRusso)

• Born: May 9, 1996, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
• Age (as of December 2025): 29 years old.
• Key Roles: Samantha LaRusso in Cobra Kai (2018–2025), Lacey Fleming in Body of Proof (2011–2013), and Karen Grant in Scandal (2014–2015).
• Early Career: Made her debut on the police procedural drama Without a Trace and voiced Eloise in Eloise: The Animated Series.

Tanner Emmanuel Buchanan (Robby Keene)

• Born: December 8, 1998, in Ottawa, Ohio, USA.
• Age (as of December 2025): 27 years old.
• Key Roles: Robby Keene in Cobra Kai (2018–2025), Leo Kirkman in Designated Survivor (2016–2019), and Chad in He's All That (2021).
• Recurring TV Roles: Appeared in popular shows such as Modern Family, The Goldbergs, Girl Meets World, The Fosters, Game Shakers, and Fuller House.
• Other Talents: He is also a dancer, singer, and model, with a passion for music and the ability to play the guitar and piano.

The On-Screen Kiss That Caused Real-Life Anxiety

The first major on-screen kiss between their characters, Sam LaRusso and Robby Keene, occurred in Cobra Kai Season 2. While the moment was a huge event for the show’s plot—cementing a new relationship that challenged the existing dynamics with Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña)—it was a source of massive anxiety for Tanner Buchanan.

Buchanan publicly confessed in a 2020 interview that the romantic scenes with Mouser caused him "the most anxiety" of any scene he had to film, even more than the intense martial arts and fight choreography.

The reason for the nervousness was simple: they were already the closest of friends. "You could talk to Mary [Mouser] about this because she and I are such good friends," Buchanan explained. "When we had our first kiss scene in season two... My heart was pounding, I was shaking. It just feels weird to go to that place, because we're such good friends."

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This admission highlights the unique challenge of their professional relationship. They had to portray a complicated romance—from rivals to friends to brief lovers—all while navigating an intense, platonic friendship off-screen that had begun when they met on the set of the Netflix series in 2017.

From 'Besties' to Forever: The Secret Romance Timeline

For years, Mary Mouser and Tanner Buchanan successfully convinced the public and the media that their connection was purely platonic, referring to each other as "besties" even as they traveled and spent holidays together.

Their relationship was a masterclass in privacy, a secret romance that bloomed behind the scenes of one of Netflix's biggest hits. They supported each other's projects, with Mouser celebrating Buchanan's role in the film He's All That, and they even dressed up in matching Halloween costumes (like Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable in 2019).

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In December 2022, they were photographed cuddling up in matching Mickey Mouse sweaters during a trip to Disneyland Paris, a moment that fueled fan speculation but was still brushed off as a deep friendship. Their decision to keep their personal lives private was a shared one, allowing them to enjoy their relationship away from the intense scrutiny of the Cobra Kai fandom, which had been "shipping" their characters for years.

The Red-Carpet Revelation and Engagement

The long-held secret was finally revealed in February 2025 at the highly anticipated series finale event for Cobra Kai. Stepping onto the red carpet, the couple made their relationship "undeniable" by sharing a kiss in front of the cameras.

The kiss was only the beginning. They also pointedly held up their left hands to show off matching gold rings, instantly igniting engagement rumors across social media. The following day, February 14, 2025 (Valentine's Day), they officially confirmed the joyous news in a joint Instagram post.

Their joint statement read: "We're so happy to finally share that we're engaged. This is such a special moment in our lives, the closing of one chapter and celebrating the continuation of another."

Co-star Gianni DeCenzo, who plays Demetri, shared his excitement, noting that the pair were "perfect for each other" and had been secretly together for a "couple of years." Showrunner Jon Hurwitz even embraced the role of "matchmaker," joking on social media that their primary goal with Cobra Kai was for Daniel LaRusso's daughter and Johnny Lawrence's son to fall in love in real life.

The Legacy of Real-Life Cobra Kai Romances

Mary Mouser and Tanner Buchanan are not the first cast members from the Cobra Kai set to find love. The show has developed a reputation for being a real-life matchmaker, fostering several significant off-screen romances that have delighted the show’s dedicated fanbase.

Most notably, co-stars Peyton List (Tory Nichols) and Jacob Bertrand (Eli Moskowitz / Hawk) publicly confirmed their romance in March 2022, having previously worked together on the 2016 Disney Channel movie The Swap. Additionally, Xolo Maridueña (Miguel Diaz) and Hannah Keple (Moon) dated for about three years before their relationship ended sometime in 2022.

The news of Mary and Tanner's engagement, however, is arguably the biggest and most surprising romantic development to come out of the series. It provides a perfect, heartwarming ending for the stars as the final season of the show, which initially premiered on YouTube Red in 2018 before moving to Netflix, concludes its run. The real-life love story between Robby Keene and Sam LaRusso is truly a case of life imitating art, only with a much happier, long-term ending than their brief on-screen fling.