Before he was President Donald Trump’s lawyer, Roy Cohn was the chief counsel during Senator Joseph McCarthy’s hearings in the 1950s, responsible for prosecuting Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for espionage, and a top political fixer. This new documentary about him premieres Thursday, June 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
If you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch The Story of Roy Cohn on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV or other streaming device:
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Amazon Prime’s HBO Channel
If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber or you want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all live and on-demand HBO content via the HBO Amazon Channel, which comes with a seven-day free trial:
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the HBO channel, you can then watch The Story of Roy Cohn either live as it airs or on-demand anytime after.
For either option, you can watch on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
Watch HBO on Hulu
Whether you already have Hulu or you want to sign up for a new subscription, HBO is available as an add-on to either Hulu or Hulu with Live TV. If you’re a new subscriber, you can start a free 30-day trial of regular Hulu plus the HBO add-on:
Once signed up for Hulu and the HBO add-on, you can watch The Story of Roy Cohn live as it airs, or you can watch it on-demand anytime after.
You can watch on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 (on-demand only), Nintendo Switch, Echo Show or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
‘Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn’ Preview
This new documentary about Roy Cohn comes from filmmaker and speechwriter Ivy Meeropol, who is the granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. According to HBO’s press release, the film “takes an unflinching look at the life and death of infamous attorney Roy Cohn, who first gained prominence by prosecuting Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in what came to be known as the ‘atomic spies’ case.
“The documentary draws on extensive, newly unearthed archival material to present the most revealing examination of Roy Cohn to date. Director Ivy Meeropol brings a unique perspective as the granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg; having spent much of her life feeling both repelled and fascinated by the man who prosecuted her grandparents, obtained their convictions in federal court and then insisted on their executions.”
In a September 2019 interview with Women and Hollywood, Meeropol said of the film, “I want people to understand why Donald Trump’s relationship with Cohn is critically important, and help audiences to gain a deeper insight into how Cohn helped set Trump on a path that reverberates today. This film is my way of impressing upon audiences that the past is very much present, and we would be wise not to forget how we got here.”
The film chronicles Cohn’s life from McCarthy’s chief counsel to the height of his political power, when he became “a darling of the Reagan White House, a rabid anti-homosexuality activist and political mentor to Donald J. Trump before meeting his death from AIDS in 1986.”
The film features audiotapes of discussions between Cohn and journalist Peter Manso as it “follows key periods of Cohn’s life, including his time in Provincetown, MA, where he was considerably more open about his sexuality than in other settings, and where he shared a house with Manso and novelist, Norman Mailer.”
Other interviews include John Waters, Cindy Adams, Alan Dershowitz, Nathan Lane and Tony Kushner, whose 2018 Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning revival of Angels in America featured Lane as Cohn. Lane offers insight into how devastatingly dangerous the actual Roy Cohn was and how he wielded power through invective and innuendo.
“Roy Cohn made his name prosecuting and pushing for the execution of my grandparents Ethel and Julius Rosenberg,” said Meeropol in a statement. “Many years later he became Donald Trump’s lawyer, mentor and close friend. If there was ever a time to reflect on how we got here it is now. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share the film with HBO audiences.”
The Story of Roy Cohn premieres Thursday, June 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
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How to Watch Roy Cohn HBO Documentary Online Without Cable