"Monsters" Star Cooper Koch Wears a Wedding Ring Even Though He Isn't Married—Here's Why

After the second installment of the Monster anthology series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story, premiered on Netflix last month, Cooper Koch—who plays Erik Menéndez, one of the brothers (along with Lyle) who was convicted of murdering his parents in 1989—has risen to fame. Earlier this week, while appearing on an episode of Watch What Happens Live, Koch sparked his fans’ curiosity when they noticed he was wearing a wedding band—despite the fact that he's not married.

To clear up the confusion, Andy Cohen asked Koch about the accessory when the actor was a guest on his SiriusXM show, Andy Cohen Live, on October 16, 2024. Koch explained to Cohen that the ring has been secured on his left ring finger ever since he attended the 2024 Emmy Awards last month to support his twin brother, Payton Koch, who was nominated for his role in editing Only Murders in the Building. 

According to the interview, the ring was a last-minute addition to his award-show outfit. “We were getting ready, and I didn’t have any jewelry on,” he revealed. “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, and I was like, ‘Oh, I should just wear this ring.’ And then we just put it on my ring finger, and it just kind of became this little, like, I don’t know, romantic, protective mechanism.” He did appear to have an ulterior motive, though. “I just wanted to, like, trip people out a little bit and see what they would say,” he admitted. 

Because the ring has come to serve as a special memento for Koch, it doesn’t necessarily relate to his relationship status, he said. So, even though his boyfriend (whose name he has yet to disclose for privacy reasons) doesn’t sport a bauble, he’s still “very much committed” to Koch and vice versa. “We have talked about that, and we do need to get him a ring, but [mine is] really more of just, like, a nice totem,” he clarified.

Following its release, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story has become a huge hit on Netflix. While Koch has received a lot of praise for his performance, he’s also dealt with criticism—even from the real-life Menéndez brothers. Koch noted that he completely understands why Erik would be displeased with his on-screen portrayal. “I understand how difficult it would be to have the worst part of your life be televised for millions of people to see,” he said. “It’s so exposing. I understand how he feels, and I stand by him.”

Despite the backlash, Koch emphasized that he tried his best to accurately depict the Menéndez brother and the emotional journey he went on. “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,” Koch shared.