‘Cobra Kai’ Star Martin Kove Admits to Biting the Arm of Former Co-Star While at Fan Convention

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This weekend, Martin Kove, a star on the show Cobra Kai, was escorted away from a convention in Washington state following an incident. He confessed to biting his former co-star‘s hand and then becoming aggressive towards her and her spouse when confronted about the attack, as reported by local police.

Previously known Cobra Kai actor Martin Kove, who played the character sensei John Kreese on the Netflix series, a revival of his villainous role from the original 1984 movie The Karate Kid, and Alicia Hannah-Kim, portraying Kim Da-Eun in seasons 5 and 6 of the show, were at Washington State’s Summer Con in Puyallup when the incident transpired.

At a TV show convention, Kove and Hannah-Kim were engaging in fan events related to the series, which debuted in 2018 and wrapped up in February after six seasons. Notably, this story unfolds 34 years following the happenings of “The Karate Kid.” In that movie, Kove portrayed Kreese, a role he reprised in its successful sequels, thereby establishing himself as one of the memorable antagonists from the ’80s.

As reported by a Puyallup police officer and published by The Hollywood Reporter, the biting incident took place following an interaction between Hannah-Kim and her former co-star Kove. According to Hannah-Kim’s account given to the officer, the bite occurred after she gently touched Kove’s shoulder in an attempt to gain his attention. The report further mentions that Kove then began biting Hannah-Kim’s arm.

According to the account, when Alicia performed an action, Martin Kove quickly seized her arm and sank his teeth deeply into it, causing her significant pain and almost breaking the skin. Following this, he once more grabbed her arm and started kissing the spot where he had bitten her (Alicia already had a conspicuous bite mark on her arm that was swelling and bruising). The report indicates this.

Later on, Hannah-Kim located her partner, Sebastian Roche, and together with him, they set off to locate Kove for a confrontation regarding the attack. Upon finding the actor, who was accompanied by his son and an agent at the event, he erupted at them, claiming that it was unjust for them to question him, asserting his innocence. Subsequently, after Hannah-Kim and her husband sought assistance from the VIP area officer, Kove was escorted away from the convention crowd to a private location.

While conversing with the officer, Kove openly acknowledged nipping at Hannah-Kim. According to the report, he explained that he meant it playfully and believed it was amusing, stating, “I thought I was being funny.” Kove added that they frequently engaged in mock sparring on the Cobra Kai set. He seemed unconcerned about the incident, the report indicated.

Alicia shared the details of the incident with her supervisor and her spouse, Sebastian Roche. Together, they approached Martin Kove to discuss it. They informed him that Martin had become angry, allegedly saying something along the lines of “How dare you challenge me? I have done nothing wrong.

Hannah-Kim’s arm had become increasingly conspicuous with bruising since the officer initially spoke to her, as suggested by the report. Upon learning from a former colleague that his actions towards her were unlawful, Kove appeared dismissive, claiming it was just horseplay. However, his demeanor drastically changed after the officer clarified the potential penalties associated with his behavior, which constituted assault.

The officer’s report stated that the man’s actions were clearly illegal, overstepping boundaries and violating the law. The incident was being looked into as an assault case, and there was a possibility he could be arrested or given a ticket for his unwarranted biting and kissing.

Following Kove’s apology to the officer, Hannah-Kim requested a private conversation with him. She explained that she had no intention of filing charges against Kove, but wanted the incident to be recorded for future reference if Kove’s behavior recurred. Together with her husband, they also prepared and handed over written statements about the event.

Later, Kove and his son were guided out of the gathering, and the officer mentioned in his write-up that Kove repeated that such roughhousing between them was common on the set of Cobra Kai, as he was being dismissed from the occasion.

On Tuesday, emails I sent to my talent agent and manager from THR went unanswered straight away.

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2025-06-24 21:55