New Yorker Lindsay Lohan was named the most influential star of Mean Girls, earning up to a whopping $64,500 per single sponsored post on Instagram. Lindsay Lohan can earn almost 10 times the average New York monthly salary with just one sponsored Instagram post, according to new research.
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Social poker site Replay Poker analyzed the Instagram accounts of cast members starring in the original 2004 Mean Girls and 2024’s new musical adaptation to reveal the stars with the highest maximum earnings per sponsored post on the platform. Cast members such as Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey, Lizzy Caplan, and Jon Hamm are not currently active on Instagram and therefore did not feature in the study.
New Yorker and original Mean Girls lead Lindsay Lohan is the most influential actor in the entire franchise, ranking higher than every other cast member. Since gaining immense popularity in the early 2000s for her roles in various films, including Mean Girls, Lohan has accumulated over 14 million followers on Instagram. Thanks to her legion of fans on the platform, she can earn up to $64,500 for one sponsored post on Instagram, almost double the amount of any other Mean Girls star. Her earnings mean she takes home almost 10 times the average New York monthly salary of around $6,500, per World Population Review, for just a single post on the platform.
Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls’ Karen Smith, was named the second most influential cast member. After starring in the original 2004 film, Seyfried went on to enjoy a successful career, securing a Golden Globe and an Emmy while also starring in major Hollywood films like Les Misérables and Mamma Mia!. Her glittering career has seen her gather over 6.2 million followers on Instagram, offering her the opportunity to earn up to $34,300 per sponsored post on the platform.
Better known for her long-running role as Pam in The Office, Jenna Fischer is the highest-paid star of Mean Girls (2024) on Instagram and the third highest-earning of the franchise overall. She takes on the role of Ms Heron, originally held by Ana Gasteyer in the original film. Fischer’s popularity on Instagram has seen her follower count rise to over 3.8 million, more than any other actor in the new Mean Girls musical film adaptation, including new lead Reneé Rapp. The actress is estimated to earn up to $23,700 for a single sponsored post on Instagram.
Mean Girls’ new Aaron Samuels, Christopher Briney, is the fourth most influential star of the franchise. The highest-earning male cast member, Briney ranks above people like Jonathan Bennett, the original Aaron Samuels from the 2004 movie. With a lead role on the Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty, he has gathered a significant fanbase on social media with more than 3.3 million followers on Instagram. Briney has some of the most engaged fans of any cast member, with an engagement rate of 14% and can earn a maximum of $21,300 per sponsored post on Instagram.
Ashley Park, who takes on a new role created for the 2024 Mean Girls, is also among the franchise’s most influential stars. Park, who originated the role of Gretchen Weiners in the original Broadway production, has garnered fame and success for her role in Emily in Paris. Thanks to an Instagram following of over 2.9 million, Park can earn up to $19,100 for a sponsored post on the platform, making her the fifth highest-earning Mean Girls star on Instagram.
Cougar Town and Dawson’s Creek actress Busy Philipps placed sixth on the list of the highest-earning Mean Girls cast members on Instagram. Philipps, who follows up Amy Poehler’s iconic turn as Regina George’s mother in the original film, remains popular on Instagram, totaling over 2.4 million followers. She can earn up to $16,800 per sponsored post on the platform.
American singer, songwriter, and actress Reneé Rapp not only cemented her place as the seventh highest-earning Mean Girls star on Instagram, but also has the most loyal fans of any cast member. Enjoying success with music and HBO series The Sex Lives of College Girls, Rapp is now donning all pink as the leader of the Plastics, Regina George. She has the most engaged fans of any Mean Girls star, with an impressive engagement rate on Instagram of 21.4%. Rapp’s road to stardom has seen her gain over 1.7 million followers on Instagram so far, meaning she can earn up to $13,400 for one sponsored post. Her Instagram following has increased by 353,980 from January 12, when Mean Girls wasreleased in theaters across America.
The original Gretchen Weiners, Lacey Chabert, remains popular 20 years on from the release of Mean Girls. Chabert, who also starred in films such as Not Another Teen Movie and Daddy Day Care, has almost 1.1 million followers on Instagram, earning a possible $8,800 for each sponsored post. These earnings secured her position as the eighth highest-earning Mean Girls star on Instagram.
Jonathan Bennett was named the ninth most influential Mean Girls cast member. The actor, who played the original Aaron Samuels, has amassed over 1 million followers on Instagram thanks to his role in the hit 00s comedy and films like Cheaper by the Dozen 2. With an engagement rate of 1.8% on Instagram, Bennett can earn up to $8,500 per sponsored post, making him the ninth highest-earning cast member of Mean Girls on Instagram.
Auli’i Cravalho rounds out the 10 highest-earning Mean Girls stars on Instagram. Playing Janis ‘lmi’ike in the new musical adaptation, a role made popular by Lizzy Caplan, Cravalho may be better known for her lead role voicing Disney princess Moana. Her Instagram following has grown to over 800,000, allowing her to earn up to $7,100 for one sponsored post.
