Actor KJ Apa says Riverdale co-star Cole Sprouse punched him in the face during a period when Apa was relapsing and using drugs. Apa describes the incident as a “wake-up” call, saying it happened at a strip club. According to Apa, his close friends were concerned because he was “doing drugs,” and Sprouse’s action was meant to interrupt or address the situation. Apa discusses the broader context of the relapse in a podcast interview, describing excessive drug use and the worry it caused among people around him. The accounts describe a direct confrontation between the two co-stars, framed by Apa as an effort to bring him back to safety or awareness. Both outlets report the same core details: the location (a strip club), the co-star involved (Cole Sprouse), the physical punch, and Apa’s characterization of the episode as a moment meant to jolt him out of the relapse.