‘Riverdale’ alum KJ Apa name-drops co-star that punched him in the face at strip club

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KJ Apa put his “Riverdale” co-star Cole Sprouse on blast for once punching him in the face in a new interview.

Speaking on Tuesday’s “Wildmen” podcast episode, the actor explained that incident, which happened at a strip club, was meant to be a “wake-up” call.

“At this time, I was doing a lot of drugs and a lot of my close friends were worried about me,” the 29-year-old told Cole’s twin brother, Dylan Sprouse, and his co-host Brendan Columbus.

“And he had learned that I was doing drugs again.”

KJ Apa got punched in the face by a “Riverdale” co-star, he revealed Monday.
Cole Sprouse hit the actor at a strip club, Apa shared on the “Wildmen” podcast. ©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

The “Map That Leads to You” star ultimately dubbed the strike a “love punch.”

Dylan, who witnessed the jab, went on to chide Apa for running away from Cole “like an ostrich.”

The “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” alum, 33, remembered, “I looked at my brother after that, and I was like, ‘Dude, you could have just died.’”

Apa called it a “love punch” since his friends were “worried” about him “doing drugs.” Wildmen Podcast
It was a “wake-up” call, he explained. ©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

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Dylan noted that he “made the mistake of trying to chase after” Apa, who was “three blocks away by the time [he] was just, like, getting [his] bearings.”

The former Disney Channel star called Apa instead, quipping, “You might still have the voicemail.”

Dylan felt the interaction highlighted Apa and Cole’s “beautiful” bond while respectively playing Archie Andrews and Jughead on the CW show, which ran from 2017 to 2023.

At the time, Apa (pictured above in July 2017) ran away “like an ostrich,” according to podcast co-host Dylan Sprouse. Dia Dipasupil
Elsewhere in the episode, Apa (pictured above in July 2025) talked about his addiction struggles and past eating disorder. Getty Images for Angel City Sports

It made Dylan feel “safe” to know his sibling was filming in Canada with “someone who’s … of a similar mentality to him, [a] similar kind of person.’”

Cole’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

Elsewhere in the sitdown, Apa opened up about his struggles with addiction and a “gnarly” eating disorder.

“I used to eat donuts all day long. Go back to my trailer, throw up,” he said before describing one experience where he binged fast food — and then took it outside and peed on it to stop himself.

The “Map That Leads to You” star (pictured above in April 2022) told listeners about binging and purging while filming the CW show in Canada. Getty Images
He credited his “unhealthy” habits with the “environment” of the show, from “having [his] shirt off all the time” to “experiencing fame.” ©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

Apa later got “hungry again” after purging and “ate around the piss.”

He added, “I had so many things that I was doing that were so unhealthy that kind of bred throughout that show, maybe because of … the environment, having my shirt off all the time. Even just experiencing fame.”

Apa went public with his sobriety last year, crediting his change with son Sasha’s birth.

If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). 

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