Corey Cott
Corey Michael Cott is an American actor and singer. He is best known for playing Jack Kelly in the Broadway musical Newsies, replacing Jeremy Jordan, and for originating the role of Donny Novitski in the Broadway musical Bandstand. Since October 2025, Cott appears on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Detective Jake Griffin.
Early life and education
Cott was born in Columbus, Mississippi, the oldest of three children of Rick, an investment manager and former Air Force fighter pilot, and Lori Cott. The older brother of actor Casey Cott, he grew up in Spring Arbor, Michigan, and Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where he attended Chagrin Falls High School. After high school, he graduated from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Career
Cott began his professional acting career while attending Carnegie Mellon, booking shows with Pittsburgh's professional theater company Pittsburgh CLO. He had roles in their productions of Miss Saigon, Jekyll and Hyde, and Jesus Christ Superstar.Soon after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, Cott moved to New York City. Shortly thereafter, he booked the role of the Jack Kelly alternate in the Broadway musical Newsies. He took over that role permanently on September 5, 2012.
Cott appeared in the musical Bandstand, which opened on Broadway on April 26, 2017, as WWII veteran Donny Novitski. He had also starred in the musical's premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse in October 2015.
On February 25, 2019, Cott was announced as part of the cast of the Fox drama Filthy Rich, playing Eric Monreaux. Filthy Rich premiered on September 21, 2020. Following appearances on television, he returned to theater in 2024, starring in the original Broadway production The Heart of Rock and Roll, a jukebox musical comedy based on the music of Huey Lewis and the News.
In October 2025, Cott joined the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the role of Detective Jake Griffin. He previously guest starred as an unrelated character on a 2016 episode of the show.
Personal life
Cott married Meghan Woollard in January 2013. They met while singing in church in Pittsburgh. Their first child, a son, Elliott Michael, was born on May 1, 2017. In August 2019, they welcomed their second son, Nolan. On October 31, 2021, the couple welcomed their third son, Asher.Cott grew up with Ben Fankhauser, a fellow Newsies co-star. They performed together in several local youth theatre productions.
Stage credits
Adapted from About the Artists.| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
| 2012 | Newsies | Jack Kelly | Nederlander Theatre | Broadway |
| 2012–14 | Newsies | Jack Kelly | Nederlander Theatre | Broadway |
| 2015 | Gigi | Gaston Lachaille | Kennedy Center | Regional |
| 2015 | Gigi | Gaston Lachaille | Neil Simon Theatre | Broadway revival |
| 2015 | Bandstand | Donny Novitski | Paper Mill Playhouse | Regional premiere |
| 2017 | Bandstand | Donny Novitski | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre | Broadway |
| 2018 | West Side Story | Tony | Kennedy Center | Concert staging |
| 2019 | Last Days of Summer | Charlie Banks | Kansas City Repertory Theatre | Regional premiere |
| 2019 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Armand St. Just | Lincoln Center | Concert |
| 2019 | West Side Story | Tony | Lyric Opera of Chicago | Regional |
| 2024 | The Heart of Rock and Roll | Bobby | James Earl Jones Theatre | Broadway |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | Madam Secretary | Scott Welland | Episode: "Passage" |
| 2015 | Public Morals | Ryan | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Interestings | Jonah Dey | Television film |
| 2016 | Z: The Beginning of Everything | Townsend Martin | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ellis Griffin | Episode: "Rape Interrupted" |
| 2016 | My Mother and Other Strangers | Lieutenant Barnhill | Episode: "Golden Gloves" |
| 2017–2018 | The Good Fight | Tom C. Duncan | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | Filthy Rich | Eric Monreaux | Main role |
| 2021 | Evil | Officer Jim Turley | Episode: "C Is for Cop" |
| 2022 | Butlers in Love | Henry Walker | Hallmark Channel television film |
| 2022 | Law & Order | Niles Harper | Episode: "Benefit of the Doubt" |
| 2023 | The Equalizer | Roy Hughes/Eric Davies | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| 2023 | Chicago Med | Omar Thomas | Episode: "It Is What It Is, Until It Isn't" |
| 2023 | Making Waves | Will | Hallmark Channel television film |
| 2024 | Season's Greetings from Cherry Lane | Dr. Charlie Franklin | Hallmark Channel television film |
| 2025– present | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Detective Jake Griffin | Season 27 |
| 2025 | The Snow Must Go On | Isaiah Heyward | Hallmark Channel television film |