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==