Cooper Koch, the guy who plays Erik Menendez in Netflix’s latest true crime series Monsters, just pulled off the ultimate fan encounter. But instead of meeting a celebrity at Comic-Con, he went full VIP by visiting the actual Erik Menendez. You know, casual prison visit, no biggie.
The 28-year-old actor recently spilled all the juicy details about what it was like to not just meet Erik, but to dive straight into an embrace-a-thon—yes, hugs were definitely involved. And it wasn’t just Erik getting in on the action; his brother Lyle scored a hug, too! Apparently, this visit was less “visitation room awkwardness” and more “let’s hug it out, bro.”
“We just looked at each other, like in one of those cheesy rom-com moments, and BAM—we hugged. Not like a quick side-hug, but a full-on, ‘I’ve known you since kindergarten’ kind of hug,” Cooper shared. “And Lyle? Yeah, he jumped in too. Triple hug situation. I’m pretty sure I left that prison with the Menendez stamp of approval.”
Turns out, the brothers are prison overachievers. “Erik teaches meditation and speech classes,” Cooper said, sounding like Erik’s personal publicist. “And get this—they’re doing a whole Greenspace project. I mean, who knew prison could have an HGTV-worthy backyard makeover moment?”
Cooper’s Inner Erik
After that epic group hug, Cooper had the chance to chat one-on-one with Erik. No, they didn’t gossip about the latest season of The Bachelor—but close. “I told him, ‘Bro, I totally believe you, and I went all method actor on this role. I poured my soul into playing you. Like, if I wasn’t Cooper, I’d be Erik,’” Cooper dramatically told Variety.
And apparently, the show nailed it (according to Cooper). “Yeah, I think the show does a great job of telling his side of the story,” he added. “It’s like, ‘Erik Menendez: The Reboot,’ but with more drama and better lighting.”
High School Reunion Vibes
Then, as if the whole thing wasn’t surreal enough, Cooper realized he and Erik had some mind-boggling high school overlaps. “Dude, I went to Calabasas High, and so did Erik when he moved to California. And my dad? Yeah, he graduated Beverly Hills High like a year before Erik showed up. We’re basically cosmic twins, connected through the universe of awkward high school memories,” Cooper mused.
Erik’s Review: Not Exactly a Five-Star Rating
Unsurprisingly, Erik wasn’t super jazzed about the whole “having your life turned into a Netflix show” thing. Cooper gets it, though. “I was like, ‘Erik, I feel you. Having the worst chapter of your life turned into a binge-worthy show for millions? I mean, that’s gotta be rough.’” Cooper was basically handing out empathy like free samples at Costco.
Kim Kardashian Enters the Chat
But here’s where things get wild: Cooper didn’t roll up to that prison solo. Nope, Kim Kardashian—yes, that Kim—was in on the whole operation. Cooper explained that this all started thanks to his stylist, Jamie Mizrahi, who is besties with Kim. Apparently, Kim was just chillin’ at lunch with Jamie when she decided to fan-girl over Cooper’s performance. Naturally, the next step after fangirling? A prison trip!
“I get this random text from Jamie, and it’s a video of Kim saying, ‘You’re amazing, love you in the show!’ And I’m like, ‘Wait…Kim K is talking about me?’” Cooper explained, as if he had just spotted a unicorn. “Next thing I know, she’s calling me asking a million questions about Erik and Lyle, and then boom—she invites me to join her on a little ‘prison trip adventure.’”
Cooper Koch is out here playing Erik Menendez on Netflix, hugging the real deal, and rolling up to prisons with Kim Kardashian. Honestly, this could be the plot of the next Netflix series.
