UPDATE — 6/24/25 at 9:20 p.m. ET: Cobra Kai star Martin Kove apologized for a recent alleged assault against his costar.
In a report by TMZ, published on Tuesday, June 24, Kove, 78, offered a statement that addressed the incident involving Alicia Hannah-Kim.
“I deeply regret and apologize for my actions regarding the incident with Alicia, a genuinely kind and wonderful person who didn’t deserve to be put in this position,” Kove stated. “I’ve always respected her and considered her a highly professional and talented co-worker on ‘Cobra Kai.’ I was being playful in the moment but went too far and there is absolutely no excuse for my behavior. I regret my actions for which I take full responsibility for what I did, and again I apologize to her and her husband. I’m committed to learning from this and it will never happen again.”
Original story below:
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Cobra Kai’s Martin Kove was reportedly kicked out of a recent fan convention after he allegedly assaulted costar Alicia Hannah-Kim.
According to a police report obtained by TMZ, Kove, 78, was asked to leave Summer Con in Puyallup, Washington, on Sunday, June 22, after he allegedly bit Hannah-Kim. The actress, 37, reportedly told authorities she went to say hello to Kove and he responded by allegedly sinking his teeth into her arm,nearly drawing blood. After Hannah-Kim cried out in pain, Kove allegedly kissed her arm.
Hannah-Kim then reportedly told her husband, Sebastian Roché, what happened between her and Kove. Roché, who was in attendance at the convention, went with his wife to speak to Kove about the incident, per the outlet.
After Hannah-Kim and Roché, 60, confronted Kove, the martial artist was reportedly upset. In the report, Hannah-Kim stated that Kove “was furious and outraged and visibly angry when I told him calmly not to bite me … he insisted he bit me for fun.”
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Kove reportedly received a warning from the officer and apologized to Hannah-Kim and her husband for his behavior. He was then reportedly instructed to leave the venue after the incident.
While police made an incident report, Hannah-Kim did not press charges against Kove. However, she did request for an informational report be taken with statements from her and Roché. A photo of her arm was also taken for the report, per the outlet. Police reportedly described the injury as a “very noticeable bite mark on her arm that was already turning blue and bruising.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Kove and Hannah-Kim for comment.
Kove was part of the Cobra Kai cast since season 1, making a guest appearance by reprising his Karate Kid character John Kreese. In the beloved film franchise, John is a Vietnam veteran and karate sensei who founded the Cobra Kai dojo and taught his students to be aggressive and show no mercy toward their opponents. The gym’s success was challenged when Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) found success with a more peaceful approach.
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On Cobra Kai, which takes place nearly three decades after the events of the original movies, it is revealed that John is homeless and unmotivated to run the dojo. Kove was not the only original Karate Kid star to reprise his role as Macchio, William Zabka and Terry Silver all returned.
Hannah-Kim joined the Netflix series in season 5 as Kim Da-Eun. She remained on Cobra Kai until the show’s season 6 finale. Cobra Kai came to an end earlier this year after six seasons.
