Taj Cross was around 14 years old when he first appeared on screen in PEN15, and the performance felt so natural that most viewers assumed he had been acting for years. He had not.
That kind of immediate authenticity is rare, and it is the reason he became one of the most-searched young actors in Hollywood after the show launched on Hulu in 2019. In 2026, he is 22 years old and still building on that breakthrough.
This article covers everything confirmed about Taj Cross his age, birthday, height, family, career, and where he stands right now.
Taj Cross Profile Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Taj Cross |
| Date of Birth | February 11, 2004 |
| Age in 2026 | 22 years old |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Birthplace | Venice, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 feet 4 inches (163 cm) |
| Mother | Christena Karras |
| Father | Jake Cross |
| Stepfather | CJ Bonura |
| Sister | Camille Cross |
| Parents | Divorced |
| Pet | Dog named Mocha |
| Profession | Actor |
| @taj_cross | |
| Breakthrough Role | Sam in PEN15 (Hulu) |
| Other Projects | Young Rock, Big Boys, The Rookie |
| Hobbies | Painting, skateboarding, visual art |
| Net Worth (Est.) | Approximately $500,000 |
Who Is Taj Cross?
Taj Cross is an American actor born in Venice, California, best known for playing Sam in the Hulu comedy series PEN15. He made his acting debut in 2019 and quickly gained recognition for a performance that felt emotionally authentic far beyond his age at the time.
His character Sam was written as part of the tight-knit middle school social world at the center of PEN15, and Taj’s portrayal of that character — the awkwardness, the loyalty, the social pressure of early adolescence — helped make the show’s world feel genuinely lived-in rather than reconstructed for television.
After PEN15 wrapped in 2021, he appeared in Young Rock and Big Boys, proving he was capable of building a career beyond his breakthrough role. He is 22 years old in 2026 and continues to develop his acting portfolio.
Taj Cross Age and Birthday
Taj Cross was born on February 11, 2004. His zodiac sign is Aquarius, a sign associated with independent thinking, creativity, and originality — traits that show up in both his acting choices and his creative interests outside of film.
His birthday is one of the most searched facts about him because fans who discovered him through PEN15 were often surprised by how young he was when the show first aired. Seeing a 14-year-old deliver that kind of performance naturally generates curiosity about the person behind it.
How Old Is Taj Cross in 2026?
Taj Cross is 22 years old in 2026. He turned 22 on February 11, 2026.
Some older biography sites still list him as 21, because those pages were written or published before his February 2026 birthday. His correct age in 2026 is 22 once that birthday has passed. He was born on February 11, 2004, which makes the calculation straightforward.
Early Life and Childhood
Taj Cross grew up in Venice, California, a coastal neighborhood of Los Angeles known for its creative culture, street art, and longstanding association with artists and musicians. That environment shaped his personality and his outside-acting interests from an early age.
He developed multiple creative interests during childhood. Painting and visual art became part of his regular life alongside performing. He also took up skateboarding, which fits naturally with Venice’s outdoor culture. Music was part of the household as well.
His mother, Christena Karras, has a background connected to creative work, and the household encouraged artistic exploration. His parents separated when he was young, and he grew up in a blended family with his stepfather CJ Bonura also playing a role in his upbringing. He lives in Venice with his mother and sister.
Acting entered the picture not through a formal audition process that he was pushed toward, but through a natural path that came out of his interests and the environment he was raised in.
Taj Cross Family
Taj Cross comes from a blended family that has stayed largely out of the public eye while offering consistent support for his acting career.
His mother is Christena Karras. His father is Jake Cross. His parents separated when he was young. His stepfather is CJ Bonura, who has been part of his household and family life in Venice, California.
His family generally keeps a low public profile. Most information about them available in public sources is limited to their names and basic relationship details, which is consistent with Taj’s own approach to keeping his personal life private while maintaining an active professional presence.
Taj Cross Sister
Taj Cross has one older sister named Camille Cross. She maintains a lower public profile than Taj and has not pursued a public career in entertainment.
The sibling relationship appears close based on what limited personal details Taj has shared in interviews and on social media. Camille is part of the household Taj shares with his mother in Venice.
Taj Cross Height
Taj Cross’s height is consistently reported at approximately 5 feet 4 inches, or 163 centimeters. This figure appears across the majority of credible celebrity measurement databases and biographical sources that cover him.
No official height measurement has been confirmed by Taj himself or by any of his representation. The 5’4″ figure represents a consensus estimate from publicly available sources rather than a formally confirmed measurement. Online height information for celebrities should generally be treated as approximate unless accompanied by an official source.
Taj Cross Acting Career
Taj Cross made his professional acting debut in 2019 with his appearance in PEN15. Before that, he had not accumulated significant credits or public-facing acting experience. His performance in PEN15 was, for many viewers, their first introduction to him — and the impression it left was strong enough to make him one of the most-discussed young actors working in American television at the time.
His career since then has focused on building a varied portfolio of television credits while maintaining the thoughtful approach to role selection that his PEN15 debut suggested.
Taj Cross in PEN15
PEN15 is the project most closely linked to Taj Cross’s name in 2026, even though several years have passed since the show ended. The series aired on Hulu beginning in February 2019 and concluded in December 2021.
Taj played Sam, a character who was written in close connection with real-life writer Sam Zvibleman. The character’s emotional dynamics — friendship loyalty under social pressure, early adolescent confusion, the specific awkwardness of middle school — required a performer who could make those feelings feel immediate rather than reconstructed.
The show’s approach was deliberately realistic. Adult performers played some teenage roles, which created an interesting contrast with the younger actors like Taj who were actually close in age to the characters they portrayed. That combination produced something tonally unusual that drew strong critical attention across both seasons.
How Old Was Taj Cross in PEN15?
When PEN15 premiered on Hulu on February 8, 2019, Taj Cross was 15 years old, having turned 15 just days earlier on February 11. He was approximately 14 to 15 during the production of the first season.
During the filming of PEN15 Season 2, which aired in 2021, he was approximately 16 to 17 years old. That real-life age placed him very close to the middle school years his character was navigating on screen, which contributed directly to the authenticity viewers responded to.
Taj Cross in Young Rock
After PEN15 concluded, Taj Cross appeared in Young Rock, the NBC biographical comedy series based on the early life of Dwayne Johnson. He played Gabe, a recurring character who appeared across multiple episodes.
The Young Rock role gave him experience working on a different kind of production — one with a larger ensemble cast, a longer production history, and a creative approach rooted in dramatized biography rather than the hyperspecific world of PEN15. That experience expanded his professional range and demonstrated his ability to function effectively in different television environments.
Taj Cross Movies and TV Shows
His documented credits as of 2026 include:
- PEN15 (Hulu, 2019 to 2021) — Sam
- Young Rock (NBC) — Gabe
- Big Boys — featured role
- The Rookie (ABC) — one episode
- The Wrong Girls — additional credit
PEN15 remains his most significant project by profile and critical reception. His subsequent credits show consistent work rather than a gap following his breakthrough, which is a positive sign for the trajectory of a young actor’s career.
Taj Cross Hobbies and Interests
Taj Cross has creative interests that extend well outside of acting. These are not recent additions developed for publicity purposes — they are part of how he has described his life in the limited public interviews he has given.
Painting and visual art are consistent hobbies for him. He approaches art as a genuine creative outlet rather than an occasional activity. His Venice, California upbringing gave him early exposure to visual culture that fed those interests from childhood.
Skateboarding is another active part of his life. Venice is one of the spiritual homes of American skateboarding culture, and he grew up around the sport in a way that made it part of his identity rather than a learned hobby.
He also has a dog named Mocha, which appears in biographical listings across multiple sources and was mentioned early enough in his public profile that it appears to be a genuine detail rather than an incidental addition.
Taj Cross Social Media
| Platform | Handle | Status |
|---|---|---|
| @taj_cross | Active | |
| TikTok | Not publicly confirmed | Unknown |
| Twitter/X | Not publicly confirmed | Unknown |
| YouTube | Not publicly confirmed | Unknown |
His Instagram account is the most consistently verified social media presence across sources. Fans who want to follow his work and occasional personal updates are directed there by multiple biographical sites.
He keeps his social media relatively restrained compared to many actors his age, which is consistent with his general approach to maintaining some separation between his professional public presence and his private life.
Is Taj Cross Dating Anyone?
Taj Cross has not publicly confirmed a romantic relationship. His dating life, if any, is kept private. He does not discuss personal relationships in interviews, and no reliable source has published verified information about a girlfriend or partner.
Fans who follow him on social media will not find personal relationship content there either. He maintains a consistent pattern of keeping that aspect of his life outside the public record.
Taj Cross Net Worth 2026
Taj Cross’s net worth in 2026 is estimated at approximately $500,000. This figure appears across the majority of credible biographical sources covering him and reflects the early stage of his professional career rather than a long established income history.
His income sources include:
- Acting fees from PEN15 across two seasons on Hulu
- Fees from Young Rock episodes on NBC
- Fees from Big Boys and other credited productions
- Any brand partnerships or social media income connected to his Instagram presence
$500,000 is a reasonable estimate for a young actor at his career stage with his specific credit list. It is not a confirmed or officially disclosed figure — no public financial record establishes a specific number. Readers should treat it as an informed estimate based on industry income modeling rather than a documented fact.
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Why Is Taj Cross Popular?
Taj Cross is popular for one primary reason that holds up across every platform where his name generates discussion: his PEN15 performance was genuinely good. Not good for his age. Not good given the circumstances. Actually good — specific, emotionally honest, and naturalistically committed to a character in a way that older, more experienced actors sometimes fail to achieve.
The show itself generated significant critical attention for its unusual approach to adolescence and its willingness to portray middle school life without either sanitizing it or playing it purely for comedy. Taj was part of a cast that made that approach work.
That combination — a well-made show that found a real audience, and a performance inside it that people remembered — produced the kind of name recognition that stays active in searches even years after the production ended.
His subsequent credits in Young Rock and Big Boys helped prevent him from becoming permanently associated with a single role, which is an important career management challenge for any young actor who breaks through with a single defining performance.
Interesting Facts About Taj Cross
- He was born on February 11, 2004, in Venice, California, making him an Aquarius
- He turned 22 years old on February 11, 2026
- His character Sam in PEN15 was written based on real-life writer and producer Sam Zvibleman
- He was approximately 14 to 15 years old when PEN15 first premiered in 2019
- He grew up in Venice, California, one of Los Angeles’s most creatively distinct neighborhoods
- His parents are Christena Karras and Jake Cross, who separated when he was young
- His stepfather is CJ Bonura
- His older sister is named Camille Cross
- He has a dog named Mocha
- Painting and visual art are consistent creative interests alongside acting
- He is also a skateboarder, fitting naturally with the culture of Venice, California
- His Instagram handle is @taj_cross
- His estimated net worth in 2026 is approximately $500,000
Final Words
Taj Cross at 22 is still at the beginning of a career that his PEN15 performance suggested could go in genuinely interesting directions. He was not a child prodigy prepared for stardom by years of auditions and industry exposure. He was a young person from Venice, California, who had good instincts, a creative family environment, and the specific kind of emotional availability that great coming-of-age storytelling requires.
His credits since PEN15 show consistency rather than explosion steady professional work rather than a rapid rise to Hollywood leading roles. For someone his age with the kind of foundation he built in his teens, that steady pace is probably the healthiest possible trajectory. The roles will get larger as he gets older, and the emotional range he demonstrated early is a resource that does not expire with youth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Taj Cross age in 2026?
Taj Cross is 22 years old in 2026, having been born on February 11, 2004 and turning 22 on that date in 2026.
When is Taj Cross’s birthday?
His birthday is February 11. He was born on February 11, 2004.
What is Taj Cross famous for?
He is best known for playing Sam in the Hulu comedy series PEN15, which ran from 2019 to 2021. He has since appeared in Young Rock and Big Boys.
How tall is Taj Cross?
He is commonly reported to be approximately 5 feet 4 inches (163 cm) tall. This is an estimate from public sources rather than an officially confirmed measurement.
Who are Taj Cross’s parents?
His mother is Christena Karras and his father is Jake Cross. His parents separated when he was young. His stepfather is CJ Bonura.
Does Taj Cross have a sister?
Yes. His older sister is named Camille Cross. She keeps a low public profile.
What is Taj Cross’s Instagram?
His Instagram handle is @taj_cross.
How old was Taj Cross in PEN15?
He was approximately 14 to 15 years old when PEN15 first aired in February 2019, and approximately 16 to 17 during the filming of Season 2.
