Cooper Koch had his boyfriend, Stuart McClave, for support while celebrating his first nomination at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards.
Koch, 28, and McClave, 37, made their red carpet debut while posing for photos at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 5. The actor’s Netflix series Monsters, which is centered around convicted killers Erik and Lyle Menéndez, is nominated for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series for Koch’s performance as Erik and Best Male Supporting Actor — Television for Javier Bardem’s performance as José Menendez.
Before McClave showed support for Koch at the Golden Globes, the couple were photographed at the LACMA Art+Film Gala in November 2024 but have largely kept their relationship out of the public eye. Koch catapulted into stardom after his role in Monsters and has made headlines for wearing a ring on his left hand.
Koch admitted that he has been wearing a wedding ring — but he isn’t engaged yet.
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“We were going to the Emmy Awards with my brother Payton who was nominated for editing for Only Murders in the Building. My twin and I were getting ready and I didn’t have any jewelry on,” he recalled on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in October 2024. “And I was with my boyfriend and we went into my room and I was looking through my jewelry and I had this ring that was my grandfather’s. I was like, ‘Oh, I should just wear this ring.’ Then we just put it on my ring finger and it just became this little romantic and protective mechanism.”
Koch quipped that he “wanted to trip people out,” adding, “[My boyfriend is] very much committed to me as much as I am to him. We have talked about that and we do need to get him a ring. But it’s really more of just a nice totem.”
In addition to his romance with McClave, Koch has been a topic of conversation for his critically-acclaimed performance in Monsters. Koch has since found himself supporting Erik, 53, and brother Lyle. 56, who were sentenced to life in prison for the 1989 murder of their parents. They have claimed they killed their mother and father in self-defense following 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.”
Koch revealed he was so interested in playing Erik that he auditioned for multiple projects related to the Menéndez brothers.
“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,” he said, referring to 2017’s Law & Order True Crime and Menendez: Blood Brothers.
Koch nearly landed the role both times. “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 recalled. “I got the audition [for Monsters] and I watched the trial videos for the first time.”
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