Lyle Menendez Called Cooper Koch from Prison to Congratulate Him on His Emmy Nomination for Monsters

Cooper Koch received an unexpected call after earning his first Emmy nomination — from the man whose brother he portrayed on screen.

Koch, 29, revealed that Lyle Menendez personally called him from prison to congratulate him on his nomination for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez, the Netflix drama that recounts the brothers’ shocking 1989 murders of their parents.

“I spoke to Lyle today,” Koch shared during Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast. “He called to send his congrats and was very, very sweet. He was also jealous that I was at Wimbledon this weekend. But truly, he was just so kind.”

Koch played Erik Menendez, while Nicholas Alexander Chavez portrayed Lyle, in the true-crime series that earned both Koch a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and the show itself a nod for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

In real life, Lyle, then 21, and Erik, 18, were convicted of murdering their wealthy parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion. The brothers claimed the killings came after years of alleged abuse by their father and emotional neglect by their mother. Prosecutors argued the motive was greed, pointing to the lavish lifestyle the pair embraced after the murders. They were ultimately sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.

The Netflix series revisits their story through a contemporary lens — and Koch says he was deeply invested in portraying Erik with nuance and compassion. “The best part of all of this was just getting to tell this story,” he said. “I care so deeply about the person I was portraying.”

Koch admitted the morning of the Emmy announcements was nerve-wracking. “It’s just such a weird mental game,” he said. “You try to tell yourself, ‘It’s okay either way, it doesn’t matter, we’re all going to die someday and no one’s going to remember this.’ But still — it mattered.”

His connection with the Menendez brothers didn’t begin with the nomination. Last year, after the show premiered, Koch and Kim Kardashian visited both Lyle and Erik at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego.

Speaking with Variety, Koch recalled that first meeting with Erik: “We just looked at each other and immediately embraced. He was so kind. Lyle, too — I got to hug both of them.”

Koch has also publicly supported the brothers’ efforts to receive a new trial, arguing that societal attitudes toward male-on-male abuse have shifted dramatically since the 1990s.

“They were just kids — 18 and 21 — and at the time, no one wanted to believe male victims of abuse, especially when it was a father-son dynamic,” Koch said. “The idea that they killed for money never made sense. But it was the easier narrative back then.”

“Now, 35 years later, we know so much more about trauma, abuse, and how it affects young people,” he added. “I think they deserve a second chance — at least to have their story fully heard.”