Why Aisha Robinson (Nichole Brown) Won’t Appear In Season 3
Cobra Kai season 3 will feature all of the regulars, however fan favorite Aisha Robinson will no longer be part of the Netflix series. Here's why.
Cobra Kai season 3 will feature all of the regular cast members, however fan favorite Aisha Robinson will no longer be part of the show. The news was confirmed by actress Nichole Brown, who played the Cobra Kai student during the first two installments of the series. Aisha is best known for being Johnny Lawrence's second recruit after Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña).
During Cobra Kai season 1, Johnny agrees to train Aisha for financial purposes because she's the daughter of a professional athlete. As the dojo's first female student, Aisha impresses peers with her commitment. She has a complicated friendship with Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) - the daughter of Miyagi-Do's Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) - and the two eventually clash due to their mutual connection to Cobra Kai's rebellious student Tory Nichols (Peyton List), who begins a romantic relationship with Miguel. In the Cobra Kai season 2 finale, Tory inadvertently starts a school brawl after confronting Samantha about drunkenly kissing her boyfriend. Aisha makes her last Cobra Kai appearance in the fight sequence.
In September 2019, Brown revealed on Instagram that she won't be part of Cobra Kai season 3. She acknowledged the news in her "stories" (via Reddit), and makes it clear that the decision wasn't voluntary. Brown states that she "needed" the acting role because her current financial situation is "not good," and she also expressed gratitude for the opportunity. Previously, in August 2018, Brown revealed on Twitter that she created a GoFundMe account to help cover medical bills. She currently maintains an active Instagram page but hasn't tweeted since August 2019. During the first two seasons of Cobra Kai, Brown appeared in 19 of the 20 episodes.
According to Brown, she was removed from the Cobra Kai storyline because the writers "couldn't find a place" for her in the scripts. Her departure could be addressed in season 3 through character dialogue, with a potential explanation being that Aisha decided to step away from Cobra Kai - now run by John Kreese (Martin Kove) - after the school brawl that left Miguel in a coma. In that case, Tory would have another reason to continue her beef with Samantha, if only because she thinks the Miyagi-Do student is partially responsible for the on-going conflict between dojos.
As of December 2020, it doesn't appear that Brown has been cast in any upcoming movies or TV series. On Cobra Kai, Aisha is one of the more relatable characters, as she's initially bullied but then finds a healthy way to deal with her anxiety. Incidentally, Brown's departure from the Netflix series is unfortunate because her character last appears during a high-stress situation, leaving audiences to wonder about what happens next. Maybe Cobra Kai fans will find out in season 4 if Aisha somehow returns to the storyline.
More: Cobra Kai: Every Character Daniel LaRusso Has Wronged (& How)
