This week’s The White Lotus finale might’ve finally wrapped up its sibling soap opera, but leave it to Cooper Koch to reignite the brotherly flames with his own brand of homoerotic hilarity. If you were glued to your screen this season, you’ve undoubtedly been trying to figure out just how far Mike White would push the, uh, intimate moments between Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola)—the brotherly duo whose chemistry felt a little more “Mamma Mia” than “family dinner.” This culminated in a particular scene where Lochlan, in an arguably too-helpful gesture, lends his older sibling a hand—while also getting down with Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon). The handy elephant in the room was, of course, promptly shoved under the rug as the brothers agreed to never speak of it again. But let’s be real: The internet never forgets, and neither do we.
Naturally, this plot twist got tongues wagging, and the question on everyone’s lips became: Why are there so many gay sibling dynamics popping up on TV lately?
Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which raised eyebrows by implying that the infamous Menendez brothers (played by Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez) might’ve had a deeply unsettling reason for committing the crimes they did—thanks to a supposedly inappropriate relationship. Dark stuff, right?
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But the real kicker? It’s not just any actor making these waves—it’s Cooper Koch himself, the same guy who starred in that eyebrow-raising project. His response? A playful and, dare we say, very suggestive Instagram post with his own brothers that instantly made us all take a collective second look.
You see, Cooper, who’s famously absent from the social media scene, probably never thought his twin brother Walker would stir the pot quite this much. But just before the White Lotus finale aired on Sunday, Walker posted an Instagram story of himself and his twin brother Payton standing under Thailand-shaped art. The joke? He leaned in as if about to kiss Payton, tagging “@thewhitelotus” like it was no big deal. Classic Koch twin mischief, no?
The photo? Gone in a flash, but the memory? Oh, it’s burned into our collective pop-culture psyche. And while Walker didn’t drop any follow-up commentary, we can’t help but appreciate the playful kiss-off to a season that had us all side-eyeing family dynamics in ways we didn’t expect. (As a side note, how wild is it that the Koch brothers we’re talking about here have zero connection to the infamous political Koch family? These brothers have been too busy being stunning, talented, and… well, not conservative, thank goodness.)
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Unlike the White Lotus’s Ratliff brothers, who now have to deal with the psychological baggage of their trip to Thailand, the Koch twins are living their best out-and-proud lives. And they don’t shy away from turning the heat up with their sizzling photo ops.
After Cooper’s breakout role in Monsters, fans were thrilled to find out his equally handsome brother Payton was also gay (good genes in the family, huh?). From there, the internet was introduced to the Koch twins as Hollywood royalty—and not just because their grandfather, Hawk Koch, is a former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Cooper went on to pursue acting, and Payton got busy behind the scenes as a film editor. And speaking of Only Murders in the Building, Payton’s Emmy-nominated editing work just got even more impressive—he took Cooper along as his plus-one to the ceremony. Now, here’s hoping Cooper can return the favor when he (fingers crossed) earns his own first Emmy nomination!
So, what’s the takeaway here? The Koch twins are closer than close—but fortunately, not in the eyebrow-raising Ratliff brothers way. And as for their latest editorial feature in Behind The Blinds magazine? It’s, well, hot enough to melt your screen. Can we please just declare that this family is genetically gifted with more than just talent? They might want to stay away from Thailand for a while and maybe pass on those piña coladas—but other than that, we’re fully on board for whatever comes next.
In conclusion: The White Lotus may have closed one chapter, but it looks like the Koch brothers are only just getting started. Stay tuned for more sizzling takes, and pray they never find themselves on a real island getaway.