A war of words has erupted between the Menendez brothers and the creators of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’. Erik Menendez, in a statement released through his wife Tammi Menendez’s X (formerly Twitter) account, condemned the series, claiming it presents a distorted and inaccurate portrayal of his life and that of his brother Lyle. He expressed disappointment, stating, “I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show. I can only believe they were done so on purpose.” He went on to express his belief that Murphy, the show’s creator, couldn’t be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of their lives without malicious intent.
Murphy, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, addressed Menendez’s criticism, questioning why he would issue a statement without having seen the show. He highlighted that the series dedicates a significant portion of its narrative to the abuse claims made by the brothers, saying, “The thing that I find interesting that he doesn’t mention in his quote is if you watch the show, I would say 60 to 65% of our show in the scripts center around the abuse and what they claim happened to them. And we do it very carefully, and we give them their day in court, and they talk openly about it.”
One of the most controversial aspects of ‘Monsters’ involves an alleged incestuous relationship between the brothers, a depiction that has sparked debate. A scene showing the brothers sharing an intimate moment in the shower has drawn particular attention. Murphy emphasizes that the series draws upon the viewpoints and theories of those involved in the case, including journalist Dominick Dunne, whose character in the show, portrayed by Nathan Lane, suggests that Menendez should see the series before making further pronouncements.
Cooper Koch, the actor portraying Erik in the series, expressed empathy for his real-life counterpart, acknowledging the challenging experience of watching the worst moments of your life play out on screen for millions to see. He shared his understanding of Erik’s feelings in a Variety interview, stating, “I sympathize with him; I empathize with him. I get it. I understand how difficult it would be to have the worst part of your life be televised for millions of people to see. It’s so exposing. I understand how he feels, and I stand by him. In terms of approaching him and approaching the part, I just really wanted to do as much research and dig really deep into myself to really portray him with integrity and just be as authentic as possible to support him and also to support his family and all the people who stand with him.”
‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ currently enjoys the top spot as the most popular show on Netflix, making the controversy surrounding its portrayal of the Menendez brothers’ story a hot topic of discussion.
