27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Who was Michelle Trachtenberg's boyfriend Jay Cohen? The talent agent had been dating the late Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer star since 2020 and is known for his pro-Israel stance
Michelle Trachtenberg, who appeared in 1990s hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar's titular character and both iterations of
Gossip Girl , died on February 26.
The 39-year-old, who had recently undergone a liver transplant and had worried netizens with her gaunt appearance in recent months, was found in her flat in Manhattan and declared 'unconscious and unresponsive' by the police, reports BBC. The death is not being treated as suspicious.
Actress Michelle Trachtenberg on Oscars night in 2020. Photo: TNS
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The former child star is survived by family members including her mother, as well as by her long-time boyfriend Jay Cohen, with whom she spent Valentine's Day earlier this month. 'Happy Valentine's Day to the man who sits still long enough for me to paint his face,' she wrote beside a photo of the pair in their Halloween costumes.
But, who is Jay Cohen? He is politically outspoken on his Instagram, openly denouncing pro-Palestinian comments with respect to the Israel–Hamas war, and once had a kidney transplant.
But what else do we know about him?
What does Jay Cohen do for work?
Jay Cohen is a Hollywood executive. Photo: @jaymcohen/Instagram
According to People, Cohen, 63, is a talent agent and producer. He joined the entertainment industry after a stint as an investment banker on Wall Street, and has worked with actors such as Goldie Hawn, her daughter Kate Hudson and partner Kurt Russell, as well as Dustin Hoffman. He is also the founder of Cosmic Entertainment, in partnership with Hudson, Hawn and Russell, per Hello! Magazine.
He is currently a partner and the head of film finance and distribution at the historic Gersh Agency, which represented Trachtenberg since 2014 and is known as one of Hollywood's premier agencies. He produced and funded 1994 Kevin Spacey movie Swimming With Sharks, and in 2022, executive produced its series adaptation of the same name starring Kiernan Shipka, Diane Kruger and
Donald Sutherland , per Page Six. He also worked on Bride Wars (2009), starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway.
His relationship with Michelle Trachtenberg
