EXCLUSIVE: Cobra Kai & Karate Kid actor Martin Kove‘s bite attack on a co-star at a recent fan convention wasn’t the first time he was accused of misconduct it turns out — though the actor denies anything inappropriate ever occurred.
An incident last year on the Atlanta set of Cobra Kai’s last season led to an investigation by Sony Pictures Television of Kove and his behavior, I’ve learned.
Specifically, the probe emerged from an April 2024 sexual harassment complaint against Kove from an extra on the Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald-created series.
While the matter did not involve any physical contact from Kove, it was said to be “leering” enough and verbally overt that the actress went to the studio with her concerns about the septuagenarian actor and how uncomfortable he made her. Sony conducted an initial review of the allegations on site and found them serious enough to look further into the matter immediately.
That quickly conducted probe resulted in studio reps speaking to the actress in question again and also quickly reaching out to others on the production of Season 6 of Cobra Kai. Satisfied that there may have indeed been inappropriate action on the part of the Karate Kid vet actor, Sony addressed Kove directly.
“He was read the Riot Act,” a person with knowledge of events says of the meeting between Kove and Sony execs and producers.
Today, asking to address himself what happened and the aftermath, Kove told Deadline that “this is so bizarre as it was in April of last year.” In a call with his manager on the phone, Kove added: “If there was something to confess, I would be the first to say it. Sony did ask me about the alleged incident and I was completely transparent.”
“It wasn’t true then, and it isn’t true now,” Kove stated of any physical or emotional misconduct with the female extra.
In the heat of the moment, the Cagney & Lacey alum was encouraged by Sony and producers to stay in his trailer while execs tried to understand what had happened with the extra, sources say. There was however some further production. but Kove was never formally asked to leave set. Kove was also encouraged to apologize to the extra, but it is unclear if that ended up happening or not.
Occurring right near the end of production on the Netflix airing show, that saw the actor’s reformed rage filled sensei character of John Kresse dying in the last episodes, the conversation between Kove and Sony did not result in any precise consequences for the actor.
Beyond his statement, Kove declined Thursday to answer any questions or confirm any details about the 2024 incident. Contacted by Deadline, a representative for Sony declined to comment on the Kove matter. Netflix said they too had no comment on what went down with Kove on the Cobra Kai set during the show’s final season.
With Cobra Kai coming to an elongated end on February 13 as the final five episodes of the show’s sixth season dropped on the streamer, Kove and his self-admitted “absolutely no excuse for” misbehavior got a crane pose kick into the spotlight earlier this week.
(L-R) Alicia Hannah-Kim, Martin Kove in ‘Cobra Kai’
Everett Collection
In fact, Kove avoided a possible arrest on June 22 only because fellow Cobra Kai actor Alicia Hannah-Kim declined to press charges after he bit her and tried to kiss the actress’s arm at a fan convention in Puyallup, Washington. In attendance with several members of the Cobra Kai cast, Kove, along with one of his sons, was asked to leave the Summer Con event after the biting incident and was escorted out.
After details of a police report taken at the time in the Pacific Northwest state started to circulate, Kove put out an apology to Hannah-Kim on June 24.
“I deeply regret and apologize for my actions regarding the incident with Alicia [Hannah-Kim], a genuinely kind and wonderful person who didn’t deserve to be put in this position,” Kove said in a statement provided exclusively to Deadline earlier. “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.”
