{"id":13889,"date":"2026-07-22T20:45:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T15:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13889"},"modified":"2026-07-22T20:45:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T15:45:17","slug":"riverdale-alum-kj-apa-name-drops-co-star-that-punched-him-in-the-face-at-strip-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13889","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Riverdale&#8217; alum KJ Apa name-drops co-star that punched him in the face at strip club"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F07%2FUntitled-1-copy-2026-07-22T105922.405.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>KJ Apa put his \u201cRiverdale\u201d co-star Cole Sprouse on blast for once punching him in the face in a new interview.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PmAfzeIyw2A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Speaking on Tuesday\u2019s \u201cWildmen\u201d podcast episode<\/a>, the actor explained that incident, which happened at a strip club, was meant to be a \u201cwake-up\u201d call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt this time, I was doing a lot of drugs and a lot of my close friends were worried about me,\u201d the 29-year-old told Cole\u2019s twin brother, Dylan Sprouse, and his co-host Brendan Columbus. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he had learned that I was doing drugs again.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>KJ Apa got punched in the face by a \u201cRiverdale\u201d co-star, he revealed Monday.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Cole Sprouse hit the actor at a strip club, Apa shared on the \u201cWildmen\u201d podcast. <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9CW Network\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The \u201cMap That Leads to You\u201d star ultimately dubbed the strike a \u201clove punch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dylan, who witnessed the jab, went on to chide Apa for running away from Cole \u201clike an ostrich.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cSuite Life of Zack and Cody\u201d alum, 33, remembered, \u201cI looked at my brother after that, and I was like, \u2018Dude, you could have just died.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Apa called it a \u201clove punch\u201d since his friends were \u201cworried\u201d about him \u201cdoing drugs.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Wildmen Podcast<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>It was a \u201cwake-up\u201d call, he explained. <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9CW Network\/Courtesy Everett Collection \/ Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Page Six Daily\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dylan noted that he \u201cmade the mistake of trying to chase after\u201d Apa, who was \u201cthree blocks away by the time [he] was just, like, getting [his] bearings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The former Disney Channel star called Apa instead, quipping, \u201cYou might still have the voicemail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dylan felt the interaction highlighted Apa and Cole\u2019s \u201cbeautiful\u201d bond while respectively playing Archie Andrews and Jughead on the CW show, which <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/08\/24\/riverdale-fans-outraged-the-show-ended-with-a-foursome\/\">ran from 2017 to 2023<\/a>. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>At the time, Apa (pictured above in July 2017) ran away \u201clike an ostrich,\u201d according to podcast co-host Dylan Sprouse. <span class=\"credit\">Dia Dipasupil<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Elsewhere in the episode, Apa (pictured above in July 2025) talked about his addiction struggles and past eating disorder. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for Angel City Sports<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It made Dylan feel \u201csafe\u201d to know his sibling was filming in Canada with \u201csomeone who\u2019s \u2026 of a similar mentality to him, [a] similar kind of person.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cole\u2019s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in the sitdown, Apa opened up about his struggles with addiction and a \u201cgnarly\u201d eating disorder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used to eat donuts all day long. Go back to my trailer, throw up,\u201d he said before describing one experience where he binged fast food \u2014 and then took it outside and peed on it to stop himself.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The \u201cMap That Leads to You\u201d star (pictured above in April 2022) told listeners about binging and purging while filming the CW show in Canada. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>He credited his \u201cunhealthy\u201d habits with the \u201cenvironment\u201d of the show, from \u201chaving [his] shirt off all the time\u201d to \u201cexperiencing fame.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9CW Network\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Apa later got \u201chungry again\u201d after purging and \u201cate around the piss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cI had so many things that I was doing that were so unhealthy that kind of bred throughout that show, maybe because of \u2026 the environment, having my shirt off all the time. Even just experiencing fame.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Apa went public with his sobriety last year, crediting his change with <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2021\/09\/26\/kj-apas-first-child-born-with-girlfriend-clara-berry\/\">son Sasha\u2019s birth<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA\u2019s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KJ Apa put his \u201cRiverdale\u201d co-star Cole Sprouse on blast for once punching him in the face in a new interview. Speaking on Tuesday\u2019s \u201cWildmen\u201d podcast episode, the actor explained that incident, which happened at a strip club, was meant to be a \u201cwake-up\u201d call. \u201cAt this time, I was doing a lot of drugs&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/Untitled-1-copy-2026-07-22T105922.405.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}