Agent Joshua Kohn was an ATF agent and former lover of Tara Knowles, and the secondary antagonist of the first season on the FX original series Sons of Anarchy. Played by American actor Jay Karnes, Josh makes his debut on the episode "Fun Town" in season one. Playing a recurring role through the same season, he met his demise in the episode, "The Pull".
Biography[]
Background[]
Kohn was a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent from Chicago, Illinois. He dated Tara Knowles, but they split and she returned to her home town of Charming, California to escape him. She also filed a restraining order against him. Tara was pregnant with his child but she had it aborted at six weeks. He then became obsessed with her and tracked her down, using the Sons as his excuse for doing so.
Agent Kohn was a sociopathic pervert and an obsessed individual. He was a dangerous stalker that almost destroyed Tara's life, forcing her to return to Charming to Jax. Because of that, he hated Jax and wanted to bring him and the Sons down. He was deluded, thinking that he was protecting Tara when in fact he was the real danger in her life.
Season 1[]
"Fun Town"[]
Kohn calls Tara Knowles, a woman with whom he used to have a relationship with. Tara has since gotten a restraining order against him. He speaks to her on the phone but she immediately hangs up.
Later on, Kohn has files bought to him about Tara's arrest history. He notices that the same name keeps popping up Jackson "Jax" Teller, a native of Charming and Vice President of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original. Kohn pieces the puzzle together as he realises the pair used to be romantically involved, he is possibly the reason Tara has returned to Charming.
Kohn wastes no time and heads to Charming the following day. He arrives the Charming police station and meets Deputy Chief David Hale. He tells him that he is investigating weapons trafficking in Charming, and believes the Sons are heavily involved. Hale seems delighted to meet him, and even carries his bag inside for him.
"Patch Over"[]
Kohn chats with Hale, Hale explains that SAMCRO have been in Charming as long as he can remember. Some locals support them and believe they are keeping the corporate bogeymen away. Hale also admits that they even have assistance from inside the police department.
Unser is furious to learn that the ATF have arrived in Charming two days ago, and he is only just finding out. He speaks to Hale who relishes in keeping Unser out of the loop. Unser tells Hale he isn't to assist in Kohn's investigations and to let him know if anything happens.
Kohn watches SAMCRO and Tara from a distance. He tails Jax and another member of SAMCRO out of town as they head towards Nevada.
Kohn watches the club all night, and is eventually able to photograph Jax having sex with a random woman inside a clubhouse. The following morning, Kohn watches as the Sons engage in a gunfight with the Mayans Motorcycle Club.
Kohn then sends the photos to Tara's workplace, further attempting to turn her against Jax.
"Giving Back"[]
"AK-51"[]
As Kohn continues to work in the Charming PD building. He overhears another ATF agent learn they are unable to get a warrant to search the Son's clubhouse. Kohn introduces himself to Agent June Stahl, he tells Stahl that he can't reveal specifics of his investigation but does show Stahl some photos of SAMCRO in Nevada the previous week shooting weapons in a gunfight with a rival motorcycle club. Hale also has information on Piermont "Piney" Winston, another member of SAMCRO of whom Nate was previously in a platoon with in Vietnam.
Tara is shocked to see Kohn once again at the hospital, this time he is in the incubation room, staring at Abel. Kohn tells Tara to be at the clubhouse in 45 minutes if he wants to see Abel's future.
The warrant finally comes through, hordes of armed ATF agents storm the clubhouse and quickly detain all the Sons. The Sons seem to be in surprisingly high spirits. Kohn investigates the clubhouse and finds a room he believes belongs to Jax. He finds an old photo of Jax and Tara from many years ago and pockets it for himself, before trashing Jax's room.
"Old Bones"[]
Kohn tails Jax and Tara as they leave the hospital, he parks up near Tara's house and watches. Kohn deduces that Tara has finally come clean to Jax as Jax heads straight to Kohn's car, telling Tara to go inside and lock the door behind her, which she does. Jax approaches Kohn's car with his knife in hand and stabs a hole through the radiator on his car. Kohn exits the car and a brief verbal altercation occurs between the men, Jax tells Kohn to stay away from Tara or else.
Whilst out, Kohn breaks in to Jax's house and urinates on the floor of Abel's nursery.
Kohn is at the barbershop one final time before he leaves Charming, he believes his work is done. Suddenly, Jax arrives and he throws Kohn through the window of the barbershop and begins to beat him senseless, Kohn is able to stab Jax in the leg with a pair of scissors.
Back at the station, Kohn sits with Hale and Stahl. They till him he is finished, according to witnesses he attacked Jax first, luckily for him Jax isn't pressing charges. They also know about him stalking Tara and various other crimes he has committed during his stay in Charming. Before he leaves, Kohn pleads with the pair to stop Tara being involved with Jax.
Kohn is led to a cruiser where he is to be escorted out of Charming. Jax is waiting nearby, having just gotten out of the station also, he wants to make sure Kohn is gone and tails the cruiser as it rides out of Charming.
"The Pull"[]
Kohn returns to Charming and breaks in to Tara's house. He hides and awaits her return. Hours later he hears her returning with Jax but is relieved to hear him leaving soon after. He approaches Tara in her bedroom, covering Tara's mouth and subduing her, Tara attempts to scream for Jax but hears him riding away.
Kohn lets Tara up, apologising and saying he just needs five minutes to speak to her. Tara agrees and Kohn says they should start over, apologising for all the recent things he has done to get her attention, he says he believes the restraining order was too far and makes him seem like some sort of psycho. Kohn says he heard Tara talking to Jax outside and says that she knows it can never happen, Tara smiles and nods as Kohn says to tell him everything that didn't work in their relationship and he can be a better man. Tara admits to Kohn that he was very possessive of her and she was scared of him, Kohn says that surely now she must realise there isn't anything to be afraid of. Kohn then asks Tara about their baby, Tara says it was aborted at 6 weeks and was never a baby. Kohn smacks her across the face and she tries to flee, Kohn pushes her in to the door, hitting her head and knocking her out. He carries her to the bed and begins to undress, putting on music and lighting candles. Tara awakens and quickly tells Kohn that she knows he can be gentle and wants him to make love to her, kissing him. Tara continues to whisper sweet things to Kohn as she manoeuvres him underneath her as she kisses him and whilst he is distracted, she reaches for his gun holster on the side table, the pair struggle and the gun goes off, Kohn is shot in the stomach. He staggers off the bed and falls to the floor, begging Tara to call an ambulance or he will bleed out. Tara backs away and makes a phone call.
Kohn attempts to get back to his feet in the bedroom whilst Tara has stepped outside, he hopes that she has called an ambulance but is horrified to see Jax has arrived instead. Tara pulls Jax back out of the bedroom as Kohn continues to throw slurs at Tara from inside the bedroom. Jax marches back inside the bedroom and shoots Kohn in the head.
Season 2[]
Kohn is mentioned to have been declared MIA by the ATF, having failed to arrive in Chicago. Stahl, however, had private suspicions that SAMCRO murdered Kohn. These suspicions are confirmed when speaking with Jax during his time in San Jaoquin County Jail, Jax all-but-confessed to killing Kohn - he casually asks if Stahl ever heard from Kohn, remarking how dangerous it must be to be a federal agent. Stahl immediately realized Jax killed Kohn, yet she "thought (he) was too pretty to be a killer" and hinted that, once her investigation into the True IRA was over, she would look around Charming for Kohn's shallow grave.
Season Four[]
Josh Kohn's photo is seen on Lincoln Potter's wall of SAMCRO's presumed kills and deaths. He is listed as Missing.
Appearances[]
Season 1 appearances | ||||
"Pilot" | "Seeds" | "Fun Town" | "Patch Over" | "Giving Back" |
"AK-51" | "Old Bones" | "The Pull" | "Hell Followed" | "Better Half" |
"Capybara" | "The Sleep of Babies" | "The Revelator" |