Why the Menendez brothers are furious with Ryan Murphy over hit Netflix show 'Monsters'

Ryan Murphy receives backlash from convicted murderer, Erik Menendez, over latest Netflix series
UPDATED SEP 23, 2024
Ryan Murphy's latest crime series is based on the infamous Lyle and Erik Menendez case (YouTube/@courttv, Getty Images)
Ryan Murphy's latest crime series is based on the infamous Lyle and Erik Menendez case (YouTube/@courttv, Getty Images)

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’s discretion is advised

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ryan Murphy's latest true-crime series has disappointed the Menendez brothers, who are currently serving life imprisonment for killing their parents in 1989. Tammi Menendez, wife of Erik Menendez, shared his statement that he blasted Murphy for the alleged "dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime."

'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story', created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, premiered on Netflix on Friday, September 20. The nine-part series centers on the 1989 murders of José and Kitty Menéndez by their sons Lyle and Erik Menendez.

Erik Menendez slams Ryan Murphy for Netflix's 'Monsters' Season 2

Joseph Lyle and Erik Galen Menendez were booked in 1990 for murdering their parents (YouTube/@abc)
Joseph Lyle and Erik Galen Menendez were booked in 1990 for murdering their parents (YouTube/@abc)

Erik's statement shared by Tammi on X, on Friday, September 20, reads, “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. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without bad intent.”

He continued: “It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime has taken the painful truths several steps backward — back through time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women."

Erik further went on to say that "those awful lies" by Ryan "have been disrupted and exposed by countless brave victims over the last two decades who have broken through their shame and bravely spoken out." He accused Murphy of shaping "his horrible narrative through vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and me and disheartening slander."

He concluded by saying, "How demoralizing to know that one man with power can undermine decades of progress in shedding light on childhood trauma. He acknowledged that "violence is never an answer" but added that "violence against a child creates a hundred horrendous and silent crime scenes darkly shadowed behind glitter and glamour and rarely exposed until tragedy penetrates everyone involved."

Kim Kardashian meets the Menendez brothers in prison

Kim Kardashian reportedly paid a visit to Menendez brothers (Instagram/@kimkardashian)
Kim Kardashian reportedly paid a visit to the Menendez brothers (Instagram/@kimkardashian)

Shortly after Erik blasted at Murphy, Kim Kardashian along with her sister Khloe Kardashian and mom Kris Jenner met Menendez brothers at Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego. Interestingly, they were joined by actor Cooper Koch who played Erik in the Netflix series, as per TMZ.

The superstar visitors talked about the work they're doing on criminal justice reform. They discussed Greenspace, a reform strategy about beautifying prison yards to help inmates rehabilitate, the news outlet further reported. Kim's meeting with the Menendez brothers raises eyebrows as she shared a close bond with Murphy since they work together on the latest season of 'American Horror Story'.

'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' trailer



 

'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' is available to stream on Netflix.

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