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Cooper Koch recently received a congratulatory phone call from incarcerated Lyle Menendez.
On Tuesday, the actor, 29, earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series for his performance as Erik Menendez in Netflix’s “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
After the news hit, Koch’s phone rang.
“I spoke to Lyle today. He called to send his congrats and was very, very sweet,” the star shared on Entertainment Weekly’s “The Awardist” podcast on Tuesday. “He was jealous that I was at Wimbledon this weekend. He was just so, so sweet …. and they’re doing really well.”
Koch also confessed that he was “so nervous” about the nominations.
“It’s just a terrible morning,” he admitted. “You’re so anxious and you’re just playing that game with yourself, ‘You know what? It’s OK either way. It’s OK. I’m going to die one day and no one’s going to remember or care if I had an Emmy nomination or not.’”
Despite the jitters, Koch is just grateful to have been a part of the series, which also starred Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle.
“[But 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,” Koch explained.
Javier Bardem was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and Chloe Sevigny earned a nod for Supporting Actress for taking on the boys’ parents, José and Kitty Menendez.
Ryan Murphy’s “Monsters” received a nod for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
The series premiered on Netflix in September 2024. The show told the story of Lyle and Erik, who murdered their parents in 1989.
The brothers have said that they killed their mom and dad in self-defense. Erik and Lyle claimed they suffered years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
“I was so moved and I believed them immediately. It was then that I found all the similarities and I became quite obsessed with the case and with their story,” Koch told GQ Australia in December 2024. “I was taping and taping, auditioning and auditioning, for seven years. Then finally you get the one that is supposed to happen.”
This wasn’t the first time the actor tried to take on the part of Erik.
“The reason why he’s been with me for so long is because I auditioned to play him seven years ago for the ‘Law & Order’ series and for the Lifetime movie,” Koch recalled.
“I got to the final rounds in both and I ultimately didn’t get it. But I felt like I had to play this part,” he shared. “I got the audition [for Monsters] and I watched the trial videos for the first time.”
The Menendez brothers’ case has taken quite a turn since they were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to life without parole.
In May, the judge reduced their sentence to 50 years to life. Now, Erik and Lyle are eligible for parole. Koch supported the brothers at their resentencing hearing.
“I’m so grateful that that happened,” he told Variety at the time. “And so is Erik, I spoke to him yesterday and he is so excited.”
Koch detailed “the most inspiring” thing he heard Erik say after the re-sentencing.
“He is going to be an advocate for other people who have L.W.O.P, which is life without parole,” Koch explained, adding that the Beverly Hills native hopes to make “a lot of change” in the prison system. “His life is going to surround making change in the prison system, and I just think that is so beautiful.”
In June, true crime expert Ana Garcia weighed in on whether “Monsters” played a part in the brothers’ new prison sentence.
“I do believe that the show had an impact,” the journalist told The Post. “I also believe the documentary did. I also believe that Kim Kardashian writing her essay about why she believed that we should judge them based on how we all now view the kind of sexual abuse they say that they experienced. I think there has been a groundswell of support to have their case re-examined based on how we now understand victims of crime. Meaning they were victims here.”
Although the “True Crime News” podcast host isn’t sure the resentencing is deserved.
“But as I’ve said before to you, if every child who was abused killed their parents, we’d have a lot of dead parents. What I ask myself over and over again – this was clearly premeditated. They had so many opportunities not to kill their parents. Yet they went through with this plan, and then it was the cover-up afterwards.”
Along with a strong support system from around the country, Lyle and Erik also have their family members standing by them. Joan VanderMolen, Kitty’s sister, has fought for their freedom along with Terry Baralt, José’s only living sister.
“I hear the Menendez family speaking loudly and clearly to every judge who will listen to them, every prosecutor who will listen to them,” Garcia shared, “that they believe Lyle and Erik have already served enough time. Is that enough for a murder? For some cases, it is.”
Although the siblings have served over 30 years behind bars, Garcia posed the question weighing on the public’s mind: “Have they served enough time for their murders?”
Lyle and Erik’s parole board hearing was originally scheduled for June 13 but was pushed back to August 21 and August 22.
“One of the brothers actually said on Facebook that they thought it was a good idea,” Garcia added, “because it gives them more time to prepare, more time for the defense, their attorneys to present because a lot is going to happen at this parole hearing.”
English (US)