Out actor Cooper Koch, known for his dark turn in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, is now soaking wet and stealing hearts in Calvin Klein’s latest campaign—one that’s making gay Twitter combust in real time.
The smoldering series, dropped Tuesday, captures Koch oiled up, half-dressed, and wholly iconic. In one shot, he lounges in brand-stamped briefs and a chain necklace like it’s 1996 and gay dreams still came from Abercrombie catalogs. In another, he’s dripping wet, draped in denim and sin, making a case for Calvin as the patron saint of pride-month thirst traps.
“I had a trainer there who had me lifting weights and doing push-ups the entire day,” Koch said about the shoot. “It was exhausting, but honestly, so fun.” Yes, darling, the gays thank you for your service.
He credits Madonna’s music for keeping him pumped during the shoot—because of course he does. What else fuels a Calvin shoot if not a dance remix of “Hung Up” and the collective prayers of the LGBTQ community? “At a certain point, there was water that came into play, so all of a sudden I was soaking wet,” he said, casually setting off alarms in every gay group chat from West Hollywood to Berlin.
The shoot’s photographer, fashion legend Mert Alas, kept things collaborative and energetic. Koch was allowed to peek at the photos mid-shoot—like an artist surveying a canvas, or a gay icon making sure the lighting hit just right. The result? A campaign that’s not just hot, but radiates confidence, freedom, and unapologetic queerness.
Fans went off in the comments, naturally. “MY HEART STOPPED,” one wrote in all-caps desperation. “This man is so fine,” another gasped, while someone else declared the obvious: “God blessed us today.” We don’t know if it was divine intervention, but Calvin Klein sure knows how to find his angels.
Why It Matters
Beyond the thirst and fashion, Koch’s presence in this campaign is a celebration of visibility. An openly gay actor taking up space in one of fashion’s most iconic underwear lines matters—especially when representation in major ad campaigns has historically been so straight, so sterile, so beige.
With queer models, actors, and public figures increasingly at the center of fashion’s biggest moments, brands like Calvin Klein aren’t just selling clothes—they’re co-signing liberation. For young queer folks still figuring themselves out, images like these—confident, proud, sexy—can be life-affirming.
So, whether you’re in it for the fashion or the fantasy, Koch’s shoot is a reminder that queerness belongs in every spotlight. Especially the ones with perfect lighting, tight briefs, and a little splash of water.