Introducing Cosmopolitan’s 2026 Z-Stars

This year, Gen Z has garnered more attention than ever for their viral creativity, political vocality, and deeply personal responses to a world that is feeling less and less human by the day. That’s no easy feat for a group of people—some who are about to enter their 30s and some who are just now legally allowed to enter the club—facing off against AI and unrelenting timelines while also being expected to lead those who come next. Yet so many are meeting the moment with persistence and optimism, and finding unexpected ways to shape our lives for the better.

To create Cosmopolitan’s 2026 Z-Stars list—an annual celebration of Gen Z luminaries driving our culture forward—we cast a wide net across industries like entertainment, sports, art, politics, science, and beyond. We searched for people influencing the way we think, act, love, and laugh both online and in person. Our final 25 honorees (meet them all below, listed in no particular order) work across astrobiology, comedy, health, music, tech, filmmaking, and more and showcase Gen Z’s collective desire to build something unique. At the height of the attention economy, they’ve successfully broken out and managed to capture all of ours.

Artist, singer-songwriter, and choreographer | ​@baileysok​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

We’re becoming increasingly hungry for things that feel human; genuine connection is something that you can’t manufacture. Authenticity has almost become its own form of rebellion, and the concept of originality is less about creating something no one has ever seen before and more about making something only you could have made.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

I hope that whenever I put something into the world through music, dance, or simply a more human side of myself, I’ve added something honest and real. If anything I created this year made someone feel understood, inspired them to create, or simply made their day a little brighter, that’s the kind of impact I’d be proud to have.

Professional tennis player | @alex.eala​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

This incredible ability to find community anywhere. You can be from completely different parts of the world and connect over the same sport, music, person, or moment almost instantly.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

Filipino tennis fans may have taken over my internet this year—in the best possible way. Seeing all the edits, posts, reactions, and Filipino flags on my feed after a match always makes me smile. I love that tennis has become something we can all celebrate together.

Filmmaker and actor | ​@curry.barker​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

The ability to connect with people all over the world. I got a message from someone in India the other day about Obsession, and it blows my mind that my work has been seen in places I haven’t even been able to visit.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

Seeing the fan reaction to Obsession has been surreal. It’s been amazing to see the fan art, tattoos, memes, and other ways people have been engaging with the film online. I’ve loved seeing a community form around Obsession, and hopefully, my journey from starting online can inspire others to dream big and pursue their goals.

Reality tv star | ​@soootrini​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

Our ability to turn strangers into community. You can find someone online who lives completely across the world and has a completely different life from you and somehow you find this one thing that connects you. That is really special because community is everything to me.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

I think my biggest moment was allowing myself to be really vulnerable and authentic. Sometimes we all, myself included, can get caught up in the facades that social media creates. Seeing the highlights, the perfect moments, and the polished versions of people and forgetting there’s a real person behind it all. Being on television gave people the chance to see me in an unfiltered way, and I think that’s what allowed so many people to genuinely connect with me. If someone saw a piece of themselves in my experience on Love Island USA, felt less alone, or was simply reminded that it’s okay to be imperfect and still show up as yourself, then I think that made the internet a little better.

Comedian and actor | @wolkmindvirus2​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

We are the first to have the internet as the nexus of all experience. Culture moves outward from the phone. This is distressing and daunting to a lot of people, but I have a lot of faith and optimism. We are exposed to such multiplicity and a range of truths that would previously be unavailable to us. I hope such expansiveness inspires curiosity and empathy.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

I try my best to encourage the joys of empathy and literacy in those who consume my work online, and all I can hope is that I instilled in them a desire to use the internet as a tool to learn more about how other people live and connect.

Bookish content creator | ​@kimmybookss​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

We are essentially internet babies. The transparency we have with our lives and shared experiences bonds our generation in ways that have never been done before.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

I got invited to my first ever NYFW show by Coach! I got to meet so many of the celebrities I grew up with, as well as seeing the looks on the runway. 10/10 experience—I would relive that day over and over again if I could.

Makeup artist | ​@sophiasinot​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

Gen Z gets inspired by someone on the other side of the world who posted something seconds ago, and that has completely changed the way we create, share, and influence each other.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

My maximalist makeup looks!

Pro basketball player for the NY Knicks | ​@oanunoby​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

How connected everyone is. We got to grow up with the internet but also remember life when it was just starting. I grew up in London, moved to Missouri, and have played in Indiana, Toronto, and New York. Throughout my career and moving around, I have been able to keep up with friends and family like no time has passed.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

Our entire 2026 Championship run made the internet better this year. From coming back from 2-1 vs. the Hawks to my Game 4 tip-in and ultimately winning the NBA Finals, it was really cool to see New York and fans across the world rallying together and around our team. It was a very special summer for me and my teammates.

Musician | ​@flowerovlove​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

I’m fortunate enough to be growing up in the generation of expression, awareness of self, and global issues. It’s so special that people are now deciding that being purely themselves is the only way to live your life and that being awkward and quirky is cool. I also love how serious my generation is about fighting for what’s right.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

I’d like to think anytime a young Black girl sees me on her FYP, it’s a big moment and it makes the internet way better, because representation is so important to evoke inspiration for the generation coming after me! Seeing natural hair should be normal, it should feel accepted, and it should feel beautiful because it is beautiful. When I was backstage at Coachella, North West came up to me and said she loves my songs and sees all of my TikToks, and she is a young Black alt girl—we’re all coming from a place of loving the edge!

2026 Tony Award–winning actor now starring in The Lost Boys​ |​ @ali.louis​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

This new desire to invest in real connection. I’ve noticed a trend in Gen Z culture of skipping the bar and trading it for dinner parties, game nights, or artist gatherings. Analog is becoming cool again, and our ability to crystallize real human experiences from a divided, numbed-out world gives me hope.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

When it came to the Tony Awards campaign this year, I wanted to make some positive change in both my industry and the internet community. On my Instagram Story for a month leading up to the Tony Awards, I highlighted people whose work was/is pivotal to helping me put on the performance I do every night at The Lost Boys. I called it Behind the Nomination and told stories of every person who’s held my hand on this journey from childhood to now. No one does it alone, and I think it’s important, a necessity, to celebrate community. When I ended up winning the Tony, I decided to extend that spotlight to the people in our country and around the world who are often voiceless.

Creative tech creator | ​@ubeboobey_​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

Our accessibility to knowledge. We’ve grown up navigating the internet and absorbing all sorts of media, which means a broader acceptance of different identities, aesthetics, and ideologies!

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

My DIY tech content. So many people were so supportive and also so curious as to how I learned how to make things and what my creative process is. People were pretty stoked with my aesthetic take on traditionally minimalist technology. It even started a mini trend of people making their own DIY tech.

Astrobiologist | @nasablueberry​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

My generation is not afraid to go after their dreams. As I chase my own ambitions, I can share that journey with other strangers around the world who are doing the same with their own paths. I think the connectivity and honesty that this generation embraces bring us closer together and allows previously unattainable goals to feel possible.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

I worked on a documentary that interviewed women in STEM during a cross-country road trip in tandem with NASA’s Artemis 2 mission. I shared my journey in real time, and as the documentary comes together, I hope the next generation of young girls feels inspired that a space career is possible for them. Seeing the first woman to ever travel to the Moon in 2026 is empowering and I hope this project embodied all that same spirit while telling the stories of many women here on Earth. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to teach the next generation, and I look forward to more people seeing Driven to Explore in 2027.

Professional dancer, TV personality, and digital creator | @ryleearnold1​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

I think something really special about our generation is how we make people feel less alone. We’re so open about sharing our lives—not just the fun, happy moments but the harder stuff, too. I love that social media lets us connect with people we’ve never even met and remind each other that we’re all going through things. It makes the world feel a little smaller, and I think that’s really special!

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

Being able to share more of my journey with Type 1 diabetes this year has been really special to me. I’m still learning something new every day, and I think it’s so important to be open and honest about both the hard days and the good moments. If sharing my experience helps even one person feel less alone or reminds them that someone understands what they’re going through, that means the world to me. One of the things I love most about social media is the ability to connect with people in such a meaningful way and remind others that a diagnosis doesn’t mean giving up on your dreams. Getting to dance on Dancing With the Stars while navigating something as challenging as Type 1 diabetes is something I never take for granted. Every week I step onto that dance floor, I hope I’m showing others that even with the challenges this diagnosis brings, you can still chase your dreams and do what you love.

Actor and comedian | @charlesahsu​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

We’re immune to being cheugy, and we will never be cheugy ever. Not even when Gen Alpha starts millennial-ifying us. Actually, maybe when the next generation comes, we might succumb to cheugy.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

I had these videos in a hot air balloon and I felt like it showed a side of the internet that no one expected or even wanted. There’s nothing like seeing someone flying away in a little basket—go, go, GO!

Writer and author of the As Seen On Substack | @reading_aesthetically​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

I love that Gen Z doesn’t really separate “high” and “low” culture. We can care just as much about a great novel as we do a reality show, a TikTok trend, or some niche internet drama. Curiosity of almost any kind is rewarded—which can be jarring at times—but it’s fun that we’re a lot less precious than other generations about where good ideas or interesting conversations can come from.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

I published an essay in my Substack called “The Belonging Industrial Complex,” exploring how brands have basically figured out that wherever young people gather—run clubs, book clubs, knitting circles, dinner parties—there’s an opportunity to sell us something. I was interested in the weirdness of genuinely wanting community while also knowing that so many of the spaces where we’re finding it are being sponsored, branded, and turned into marketing opportunities. It generated a lot of really interesting discourse.

Influencer and creative director | ​@chase_rutherford​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

Growing up alongside the rise of social media. The unlimited access to information, democratization of media, and ability to connect with people who share the same hyper-niche interests as me are the biggest reasons we are the way we are.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

Probably the meme pack I posted back in March on the ’gram. Nobody really ever uses it, but when they do, it signals to other Rutherfans like, Oh, you know the deep cuts, and people feel part of a community, and I love that.

Filmmaker and cofounder of The Endometriosis Collective |​ @itssammyjaye​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

We have the opportunity to speak up about our experiences and learn early in our lives that periods aren’t supposed to be painful.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

I believe that by shining a light on the reality of endometriosis through End of the Cycle—including the pain, the suffering, and the incredible research being done—we can show what the future can be. If we give this disease the attention and funding it deserves, we will provide hope for individuals and families.

Content creator | ​@kamrynrenaaee​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

We’ve had access to technology, information, and people all over the world from such a young age, which has shaped the way we learn, communicate, create, and see what’s possible for our lives. There are obviously challenges that come with being so connected all the time, but I also think it’s given our generation this wonderful ability to find community, share our experiences, and turn the things we care about into something that can reach people.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

Hiking from Mexico to Canada was probably the most amazing experience I’ve ever had! I spent six months hiking 2,650 miles, and it’s currently my greatest accomplishment, but what stayed with me most wasn’t necessarily the distance or even reaching the end. It was how happy I felt simply being outside. My hike really enhanced my understanding of where happiness can come from.

Costume designer and stylist | @blair_james​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

Gen Z is really comfortable with contradictions. We’re nostalgic and futuristic, sincere and ironic, and ambitious but also willing to redefine what success looks like. There’s this freedom to change your mind, change your style, and reinvent yourself.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

My TikToks really opened up the behind-the-scenes world of being an indie film costume designer. People engaged not just with the finished looks but with the process—the research, fittings, sourcing, problem-solving, and all the little decisions that go into creating a character. I love that it’s made the career feel a little more visible and attainable to people who might not have known this job existed. People have told me that my videos are the reason they are going to school to study fashion, and that has been the most rewarding part of sharing my story!

Director and cinematographer | @ivytellin​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

A unique ability to connect with one another, with unprecedented access to people, perspectives, and cultures. The internet has also made the creative industries more accessible, allowing us to produce our own opportunities and advocate for ourselves in ways that weren’t possible for previous generations.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

A music video for the song “Moment” by Bazzi that I directed and DP’d in the country of Georgia. I shared several extended clips alongside the video that ended up resonating with a larger audience than I expected. I feel fortunate to have been able to share a piece of my experience, and I hope I was able to capture just how special and unique Georgia is.

Reality tv star, musician, model, mental health advocate, and former pro skateboarder | ​@kellyjustindillard​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

We challenge norms. We push boundaries and fight for what’s right.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

Opening up about my mental health crisis. The internet shared that I saved their life.

Founder and CEO of The Dotcakes​ | ​@alexxposner​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

The ability to turn individuality into community. We are not afraid to build careers around ideas that may initially seem unconventional, share the process openly, and invite people to feel like they are part of what we are creating. We understand that a brand can be more than a product. It can become a world that people genuinely connect with.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

Our team brought The Dotcakes into its biggest chapter yet, growing what began as a small family business into a brand reaching people far beyond our Roslyn, New York, storefront. Seeing our signature rainbow mix and our original cake-in-a-cup creation, complete with frosting and dots, take over social media has been incredibly rewarding. The fact that people have even started referring to nonpareil sprinkles simply as “dots” feels like the ultimate compliment. If we made the internet a little more colorful this year by giving people something joyful to share, celebrate, and connect over, we consider that a win.

Marketing and comedian | ​@benjenkinsta​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

Everybody gay except for some.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

Um. When I got stuck in Egypt? The best things in life exist offline, so I think the best thing the internet can do is just connect people to each other and information, so that we can enrich our own real-life experiences. So if my story connected anyone to Egypt or just to a good laugh…period. Does that make sense? What was the question? Excuse me.

VFX editor and content creator | @lolabugxd​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

We are especially good at risk-taking. My career path as a full-time fan editor after graduating from Brown is a testament to that, but in general, we see uncertainty as fuel rather than a fear.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

First, my nostalgia Olivia Rodrigo edit made in collaboration with Yusif Rzayev (Vee) that reached over 1 million Likes on Instagram. It resonated so strongly with the internet because it’s referential to a time when a lot of us were kids and newly discovering what pop culture means to us. And it led to my next big moment: our JENNIE edit for Cosmopolitan’s summer issue cover! It was refreshing for viewers to see a big company prioritize human creativity in the age of AI.

Multidisciplinary creative | ​@luisas_files​

What’s something special that’s unique to your generation?

We’re the last to remember life before the internet and also the first to grow up building a career on it. I learned to create with my hands, yet I found my clients through a screen. That mix of something handmade and digital feels very much ours.

What big moment of yours made the internet better in 2026?

A shift in how I work: I started treating personal projects as seriously as client work. Making things just because I love them, trying different mediums, and testing new ways to communicate. I want to be part of the wave of creatives who try things, play, and share the process, because that’s what makes the internet feel alive and human.

(Photo credits) Sok: THEBLACKLABEL. Barker: Sela Shiloni. Tatum: Kevin Luong. Wolk: Taryn Segal. Anunoby: NY Knicks. Flowerovlove: Yana Van Nuffel. Bourzgui: DaMarko GianCarlo. Arnold: Roxy Rodriguez. Hsu: Nicole Niteka. Lang: Getty Images. James: Alissa Roseborough. Renae: Kamryn Renae. Tellin: Ivy Tellin. Dillard: Laine Mostert. Posner: Emma Fishman. Jenkins: Yardley Passport Photo Studio NYC. Eusebio: Wells Bussey. Silva: Luísa Silver.