Cooper Koch opened about the “sweet” exchange he had with Lyle Menendez after securing his Emmy nomination.
In 2024, Koch achieved mainstream success with his portrayal of Erik Menendez in the second season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which also starred Nicolas Alexander Chavez as Lyle, Javier Bardem as José Menendez, and Chloë Sevigny as Kitty Menendez.
Although the crime drama was met with criticism from the Menendez brothers, particularly for the incestuous depiction of their relationship, Monsters was a massive hit for Netflix, reaching the number-one spot in various countries around the world.
Koch’s performance was singled out for praise, earning him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television.
On 15 July, the They/Them star continued to achieve success for his work in Monsters, when The Television Academy gave him his first-ever Emmy nomination for Best Actor – Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Since the news was announced, Koch has remained an open book about his recent accomplishment, including the support he received from Lyle.
During a recent interview on Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast, the 29-year-old talent revealed: “I spoke to Lyle today. He called to send his congrats and was very, very sweet. He was jealous that I was at Wimbledon this weekend. He was just so, so sweet… and they’re doing really well.”
Koch also opened up about the nerves he experienced while waiting for the nominations to be announced, describing it as a “terrible morning.”
“You’re so anxious, and you’re just playing that game with yourself of like, ‘You know what? It’s okay either way. It’s okay. I’m going to die one day, and no one’s going to remember or care if I had an Emmy nomination or not,” he continued.
“[The] best part about this whole thing was just getting the opportunity to be a part of this show and tell this story and just embody this person who I just care so deeply about.”
Toward the end of his The Awardist interview, the Swallowed star described his Emmy nomination as the end of an era, adding that “it was a great way to put the show and his time playing Erik to bed.
“Hopefully that will also go with the brothers getting released by the end of the summer,” he concluded.
Since appearing on Monsters, Koch has been a vocal supporter of the Menendez brothers, using his platform to advocate for their release and even visiting Erik in San Diego’s Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility with reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
After the pair released a statement denouncing the series, the Power Book: II star empathised with the controversial figures in an interview with Variety.
“It made me feel things. I sympathise with him. I empathise with him. I get it. I understand how difficult it would be to have the worst part of your life be televised for millions of people to see, “he explained.
“I understand how he feels, and I stand by him. In terms of approaching him and approaching the part, I just really wanted to do as much research and dig really deep into myself to really portray him with integrity and just be as authentic as possible to support him. And also to support his family and all the people who stand with him. “
The 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards are scheduled to air on CBS on 14 September.
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