Recently released bodycam footage captures “Cobra Kai” actress Alicia Hannah Kim confronting her co-star Martin Kove after an incident at a fan convention, where he allegedly bit her. The interaction reveals a rather unusual defense from Kove, who is 78, claiming it was just playful behavior.
“You can’t bite people; that’s not okay,” Hannah Kim can be heard telling an officer as she reports the incident at a convention in Washington over the weekend. NBC News covered this story.
“It’s an attack!” she asserts, visibly frustrated.
When asked about the biting, Kove responded, somewhat surprised, saying, “I really apologize. We’re very playful together, I just got a bit carried away.” Hannah Kim, however, was clearly struck by his rationale.
“She has a mark on her,” replied the officer, emphasizing the severity.
Hannah Kim firmly told Kove that such playfulness was inappropriate, explaining how it left her “really angry.” She further remarked, “You left a mark on my body. I guess your ‘play’ comes from your 80-year-old brain,” addressing his age with some irony.
She also scolded Kove for raising his voice during their confrontation, saying, “You had boldness! What a dare, teacher.” In response, Kove admitted he had acted out of anger and acknowledged that biting her was not appropriate behavior.
The video cuts to Hannah Kim documenting the bite marks and expressing her desire for the incident to be formally noted. “I hope this gets on his record,” she tells the officers.
According to reports, Hannah Kim described how the biting occurred: when she went to say hello to Kove at their booth, he allegedly grabbed her arm and bit her, only to follow it up by kissing the spot he had bitten.
Hannah Kim, who appeared alongside Kove in seasons 5 and 6 of the Netflix series, mentioned that her husband, Sebastian Roche, witnessed the incident. At one point, Roche confronted Kove, who hastily insisted that he had done nothing wrong.
Afterward, Hannah Kim approached a police officer to report what happened, leading to Kove being escorted from the event.
In the wake of the incident, Kove publicly apologized, expressing deep regret for his actions. “I truly regret and apologize for what transpired with Alicia, a person I respect and admire,” he stated in an official statement.
He added, “I often viewed her as a professional colleague on ‘Cobra Kai’, but I crossed a line in the moment, and I recognize there’s no excuse.”
The actor gained fame for his role as John Kreese in the 1984 film “The Karate Kid,” reprising the role in the sequels. He has been part of “Cobra Kai” since its launch in 2018 but will not return after the upcoming sixth season.
