Actor Martin Kove, widely recognized for his portrayal of antagonist John Kreese in The Karate Kid franchise and its popular sequel series Cobra Kai, is facing accusations from co-star Alicia Hannah-Kim following an alleged incident at a recent fan convention. Hannah-Kim claims Kove bit her arm hard enough to nearly draw blood during a meet-and-greet event.
Incident at Summer Con
The alleged encounter reportedly took place on Sunday, June 22, at Summer Con in Puyallup, Washington. According to accounts detailed in an informational police report, Hannah-Kim, 42, was walking past Kove’s table during a VIP session and tapped him on the shoulder to say hello.
Hannah-Kim stated that Kove, 78, then unexpectedly grabbed her arm and bit down forcefully. She described yelping in pain and pulling back. Following the alleged bite, Kove reportedly grabbed her arm again, seemingly attempting to kiss the spot where he had bitten her. Hannah-Kim pulled away and returned to her own table.
Police Report and Visible Injury
Immediately following the incident, Hannah-Kim located a police officer present at the convention. According to the police report, the officer observed a “very easy to see bite mark” on Hannah-Kim’s upper arm. The report noted that the mark was already beginning to turn blue and bruise. Photos of the injury were reportedly taken for the police record.
Hannah-Kim informed her husband, actor Sebastian Roche, about what had happened. When they reportedly attempted to calmly confront Kove about the alleged bite, he became “furious and outraged,” insisting that he had done nothing wrong and had bitten her “for fun.”
Kove Admits to Biting, Claims Jest
The police officer, identified in reports as Officer Eric Barry, then spoke with Martin Kove. According to the police report, Kove admitted to biting Hannah-Kim’s arm. He reportedly told the officer that he did it “out of jest,” believing he “was being funny.” Kove allegedly attempted to downplay the seriousness, claiming they “play fight all the time on the set of Cobra Kai” and he “did not think it was a big deal.”
Officer Barry reportedly informed Kove that, regardless of his intent or their relationship on set, his actions constituted breaking the law according to the State of Washington and would not be tolerated in the future. Kove allegedly responded that he “did not mean for it to be perceived as illegal” and was “just messing around.”
No Charges Filed, Kove Escorted Out
Despite the visible bite mark and Kove’s admission, Alicia Hannah-Kim ultimately decided not to press criminal charges against her co-star at that time. However, she requested that an official informational police report be filed to document the incident for the record, stating her desire to have it on file “in case this continues.”
Kove declined to provide a voluntary written statement but thanked the officer. He was subsequently instructed to leave Summer Con and was reportedly escorted out of the venue, at the discretion of a Cobra Kai producer who was present.
Martin Kove Issues Formal Apology
Following initial reports of the alleged incident, Martin Kove released a statement exclusively to Deadline through his public relations firm. In the statement, Kove expressed “deep regret” and offered a direct apology to Alicia Hannah-Kim.
Kove described Hannah-Kim as a “genuinely kind and wonderful person” who did not deserve the situation. He took “full responsibility” for his actions, acknowledging that while he was “being playful in the moment,” he “went too far” and there was “absolutely no excuse” for his behavior. Kove reiterated his apology to Hannah-Kim and her husband and committed to learning from the event, stating it “will never happen again.”
Martin Kove has starred as John Kreese throughout the Cobra Kai series run (2018-2025). Alicia Hannah-Kim joined the cast in Season 5 as South Korean sensei Kim Da-Eun, making the two actors costars for the show’s final seasons. Both were attending the fan convention to participate in activities like autograph and photo sessions.
As of Tuesday, representatives for Martin Kove, Alicia Hannah-Kim, and Netflix had not immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the alleged incident.
