Shannon Keene

Shannon Keene
Personal Information
Relatives	Johnny Lawrence (ex-husband) Laura Lawrence (mother-in-law; deceased) Robby Keene (son)
Friends	Amanda LaRusso Daniel LaRusso Johnny Lawrence
Enemies	Johnny Lawrence (formerly) Rick
Love Interest(s)	Johnny Lawrence (ex-husband) Rick (ex-boyfriend)
Series Information
First Appearance	Cobra Kai Never Dies
Last Appearance	Nature Vs. Nurture
Portrayed By	Diora Baird

"I know that I haven't been there for you and I... God, it's been hard for me. I want to make things right."

―Shannon Keene to Robby Keene

Shannon Michelle Keene is the unstable and neglectful mother of Robby Keene and the ex-wife of Johnny Lawrence. She is a secondary character in Seasons 1 and 2 of Cobra Kai. She appears in Season 3 as well.

She is played by Diora Baird.

Personality and Biography

Pre Cobra Kai

Much of Shannon's early life is unknown but it's more than obvious her own problems started long before she ever met Johnny. Shannon and Johnny got together at some point but it's unknown if they ever actually married given their animosity towards each other and the fact Robby goes by his mother's last name, but this could be because Robby refuses to acknowledge the father who failed him. However, their relationship was dysfunctional. Johnny ended up getting Shannon pregnant. Shannon gave birth to their son and only child, Robby on February 4, 2002. At some point, Shannon and Johnny split up. Shannon however had to raise Robby throughout the latter's childhood by herself. Shannon didn't care that it was caused by the depression of Johnny losing his mother.

Season 1

Shannon is a social alcoholic due to her near-constant presence at bars and taking various men home with her. She is also possibly unemployed as she mentions that she was at one of these bars to get a job application. When the bartender actually procures an employment form for her, she then declines. Shannon spends far more time bar-hopping and seducing men to get free meals from them, neglecting Robby not only directly, but also by failure to set any positive example. Even when Robby sets aside time to try and bond with her, Shannon leaves to go to happy hour anyway, blatantly stating her fear of being alone.  

Despite her many flaws, however, she did choose to raise Robby, unlike Johnny. However, Shannon appears to be at her wit's end with Robby, letting him do whatever he wants, claiming that there are no do-overs in life, and that it was too late for Johnny to try and mend his relationship with his son. She also viewed Johnny's attempts at getting back into his son's life as superficial, surmising that his offer to mend fences with Robby and her as an effort to keep the law off his back about child support.  

Season 2

Shannon gets a little more development, despite having much less screen time. She abandons Robby for several weeks to travel with a man named Rick to Mexico and Robby starts living with Daniel instead due to the poor housing conditions. When Shannon was away with Rick, her flat that her and Robby Keene live in has been taken away by the Sheriff Police Department when Johnny tried to see Robby as the notice was seen, Shannon eventually returns in the season's penultimate episode, explaining how her decision to travel out of the country and leave Robby behind was a terrible mistake that she greatly regrets. Shannon claims that she is going to start going to rehab for her drinking and pill popping, and tells Robby that his father does care about him and that she was wrong to let her own problems with Johnny get in the way of how Robby views his father.

Season 3

In Season 3, it is revealed that Shannon is in rehab. She is present when Daniel and Johnny go looking for Robby. She is also witness to when Robby gets arrested.

Personality

Shannon tends to spend more time hanging out in bars and seducing men rather than spending time with Robby. However, she does love Robby and did spent most of Robby's childhood raising him due to Johnny neglecting him. Shannon's relationship with Johnny is strained, due to the latter not being there for Robby and basically forcing her to raise him. When Johnny begins to express a desire to mend his relationship with Robby, Shannon doesn't think he is being genuine. Despite her own large flaws Shannon is more than willing to point his faults and failings and views him as someone who ruined her life.

At the start of season 2, she leaves Robby to travel with some man called Rick to Mexico. However, when she returns, she admits to Robby that she made a mistake leaving him and that she is going to rehab to fix her drinking problem. Despite her anger with Johnny, she encourages Robby to have a relationship with him, as she knows that he truly does loves Robbie.

Appearances

Season 1

• Cobra Kai Never Dies
• Counterbalance

Season 2

• Back in Black
• Pulpo

Season 3

• Nature vs. Nurture

Trivia

• This is the second time Diora Baird and William Zabka played a couple. The first was in the 2010 film Hot Tub Time Machine.
• Shannon is a fan of Patrick Swayze, who she named Robby after.