Jeff Kay: Why Cobra Kai Season 5 Honored The Late Assistant Director

Summary Jeff Kay, a talented assistant director on Cobra Kai, is honored in season 5, episode 3.

Kay tragically passed away at 56 due to a heart attack, leaving behind a legacy in film and television.

Industry colleagues shared heartfelt tribute posts for Kay, highlighting his impact and joyful presence on set.

Jeff Kay was an assistant director on Cobra Kai, and a dedication to him appears in a season 5 episode. Cobra Kai was a continuation of the Karate Kid franchise, and many fans didn't know what to think when the show was first announced. A sequel series set far past the events of the films and from the point-of-view of the Karate Kid villain, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), was a unique but possibly polarizing idea. It turned out to be an excellent decision, and Cobra Kai has had five successful seasons with Cobra Kai season 6 on the way.

Season 5, episode 3, "Playing with Fire" from September 9, 2022 sees Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) as the sole owner of Cobra Kai and wanting to expand the dojo. In episode 3, Johnny returns from Mexico to discover Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) is pregnant, and he immediately begins prepping for the arrival of his child. At the same time, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) confronts Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), who apologizes for his actions in The Karate Kid. The episode then ends on a dedication card that reads, "In Memoriam Jeff Kay 1965-2021".

Related 10 Biggest Ways Cobra Kai Has Changed After 5 Seasons Cobra Kai is going to wrap itself up in season 6, which makes this the perfect time to reflect on the changes in the Karate Kid spin-off series.

Jeff Kay Was An Assistant Director Who Worked On Two Episodes Of Cobra Kai

Kay Was A Career Assistant Director In Film And Television

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Jeff Kay tragically passed away on October 17, 2021 at the age of 56 due to a heart attack (via Cosmopolitan). As assistant director, Kay worked on two season 5 episodes of Cobra Kai, episodes 3 and 5, the former of which is dedicated to him. An AD has a very important role on a film or television set. The first assistant director is kind of a project manager for the day-to-day operations of a set, including making the filming schedule, and determining who should be in what location and when.

In the early years of his career, Kay was a second assistant director but quickly graduated to first assistant director.

During shooting, they direct the crew on set, ensuring the director and actors have everything they need to work. Occasionally a production manager, Kay spent the majority of his career as an AD. In the early years of his career, Kay was a second assistant director but quickly graduated to first assistant director. Kay worked on numerous shows like Numb3rs, Entourage, and American Housewife. His film credits include Gettysburg, Courage Under Fire, and numerous TV movies.

Jeff Kay Notable Productions Title (Movie/TV) Year(s) Role Gettysburg (movie) 1993 Second AD Powder (Movie) 1995 Second AD Courage Under Fire (Movie) 1996 Second AD Profiler (TV) 1996-1998 Second AD/First AD Entourage (TV) 2005-2007 First AD Numb3rs (TV) 2005-2009 First AD Twisted (TV) 2013-2014 First AD Rizzoli & Isles (TV) 2012-2016 First AD American Housewife (TV) 2017-2021 First AD Cobra Kai (TV) 2022 First AD

Industry Colleagues Shared Tribute Posts For Jeff Kay

Many Went To Social Media To Celebrate Their Friend And Colleague

After Jeff Kay's passing, many of his friends in the industry took to the internet to pay their respects to him as a friend and a vaunted professional. Diedrich Bader, an actor and comedian best known as Rex in Napoleon Dynamite and Bill Ericsson in Veep, posted on X about his friend, whom he met on the set of American Housewife.

Meg Donnelly, an actor from American Housewife, tweeted a video of Kay on of the AD leading a cheer and farewell to the end of filming on one of the show's sets. From his command of the room, it's clear many had a lot of respect for Kay.

Nicholas Falacci, a writer on Numb3rs who worked for the show at the same time as Kay posted a heartfelt X tribute to his friend and a glowing endorsement of assistant directors in general.

In the comments of his post, Falacci writes,

"In my mind, this picture of Jeff (with UPM Michael Attanasio) captures Jeff’s approach to work and everyone around him. He would welcome me on set with a hug and say, 'The sun has just come out. Everything is going to be okay!' That’s how he made everyone feel."

Jeff Kay was quite the respected professional by the time he got to the set of Cobra Kai and had managed to leave a lasting impression on everyone he'd worked with, from the actors in front of the camera to the crew behind it.