A story from Bill Hader about a bizarre encounter with Martin Kove from decades ago has resurfaced following recent headlines about the “Cobra Kai” actor. The “Barry” star shared details of what he called his first “welcome to Hollywood, kid” moment during a 2013 appearance on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast, describing an unusual experience that occurred when he was just starting out in the entertainment industry.
The incident took place when Hader was around 20 years old and working as a driver for actors heading to various sets. One day, he found himself responsible for transporting Kove, the veteran actor known for playing the villain John Kreese in “The Karate Kid” franchise.
According to Hader’s account, what should have been a straightforward drive turned into something much more complicated. “I’m driving him around in my [expletive] car, and he got me lost on purpose,” Hader revealed on the podcast. He explained that Kove deliberately gave him wrong directions because “he hadn’t read the script yet.”
The misdirection resulted in them arriving late to the set, where Hader’s boss “screamed at” him for the tardiness. What Hader thought was the end of a difficult day was actually just the beginning of a more memorable experience.
An Unexpected McDonald’s Stop
The return journey that evening took an even stranger turn. While driving down the freeway at night, Kove asked Hader if he was upset about the earlier events. “On the way back, we’re driving. It’s at night, we’re driving down the freeway, and he goes, ‘Hey, Bill, you mad at me?’” Hader recounted.
When Hader responded that he wasn’t angry, Kove appeared to want to make amends for the day’s events. The “Saturday Night Live” alum recalled that Kove suggested stopping at McDonald’s to buy him a cookie and milkshake, even asking about his preferred flavor.
However, the gesture took an unexpected twist. “He comes back out eating the chocolate chip cookie and the milkshake,” Hader revealed. “And he just sits in the back and goes, ‘Come on, let’s go. Go.’”
Hader described the moment as “the biggest [expletive] you” and called it “a weird mind[expletive] of, like, ‘I’m gonna get you this thing,’ and then he ate it in front of me, and I just drove home in silence.”
The experience left a lasting impression on the future Emmy winner, who continued driving Kove to the set for several more days. “I didn’t talk to him after that,” Hader shared on the podcast. “I just kind of stared straight ahead.”
Understanding and Forgiveness
Hader told his roommates the story at the time, and they were “dying laughing” at him, but he didn’t hold lasting resentment toward Kove. “I heard he was going through a divorce, or something was happening with him,” Hader noted during the podcast interview. “He might be a really nice guy, but I just, for some reason, I rubbed him the wrong way. I don’t know what was going on.”
Hader’s story has gained renewed attention following a recent incident involving Kove at a fan convention. The 78-year-old actor was removed from Summer Con in Washington after allegedly biting his former Cobra Kai co-star Alicia Hannah-Kim’s arm during what he described as playful behavior.
Kove has since issued a public apology for the convention incident. “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,” he stated to TMZ. “I was being playful in the moment but went too far and there is absolutely no excuse for my behavior.”
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