A situation involving two members of the Cobra Kai cast made headlines just a week ago. Alicia Hannah-Kim accused co-star Martin Kove of biting her while they were both present at Summer Con in Puyallup, Washington. After that occurred, authorities arrived and Kove was asked to leave the premises. Since then, Kove has issued an apology for his actions. Now, Hannah-Kim is breaking her silence on the “serious incident” that transpired.
Just recently, Alicia Hannah-Kim took to social media to open up about her recent encounter with her former co-star from Coba Kai (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription). The actress shared a video to Instagram and included a caption that read, “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to send love and support.” In the video itself, Hannah-Kim discussed her enthusiasm over getting to mix it up with the fans on occasion, though she also denounced any kind of inappropriate behavior:
I was really enjoying my time at Summer Con. I love meeting you guys in real life. . . . But as you can see, this was a serious incident. No one wants to be attacked at work, or anywhere really. And I don’t think anybody would think this is normal or warranted or acceptable.
Variety, Martin Kove and Alicia Hannah-Kim were in the midst of a VIP Meet-and-Greet when the situation occurred. Hannah-Kim told authorities that after she tapped Kove on the shoulder in order to say hello, he grabbed her arm and bit it “so hard he nearly drew blood.” Kove the allegedly began to kiss the spot he bit into after his co-star cried out in pain. Both Hannah-Kim and her husband (who was present at the convention) later confronted Kove, who reportedly claimed he was being “funny” but also “exploded” at the couple before being asked to leave.
Alicia Hannah-Kim joined Cobra Kai as Kim Da-Eun during Season 5 and remained with the series until it ended after six seasons amid the 2025 TV schedule. Martin Kove returned as John Kreese, the character he originated in the OG Karate Kid film. Throughout the show’s run, the cast seemed quite close, bonding over fight scenes and behind-the-scenes hijinks. With that, Hannah-Kim also said in her video that the reported biting incident “does not represent [her] experience with the show at large.” Check out her video:
Martin Kove, for his part, released a statement that was shared with TMZ, through which he referred to Alicia Hannah-Kim as a “genuinely kind and wonderful person who didn’t deserve to be put in this position.” Kove also said he “was being playful in the moment but went too far and there is absolutely no excuse for my behavior.” Hannah-Kim didn’t specify in her video whether she’s had any further contact with Kove since the incident.