Ryan Murphy has responded to the Menéndez brothers, the focus of his recent Netflix documentary, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, describing portions of the series as “dishonest.”In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, the producer stated:
“The Menendez brothers should be sending me flowers. They haven’t had so much attention in 30 years. And it’s gotten the attention of not only this country, but all over the world.”
Murphy’s remarks followed a question from the interviewer regarding the public backlash and whether he believed Monsters would achieve its intended goals. He maintained that the show successfully highlighted the case and achieved its objectives.
For those unfamiliar, Lyle and Erik Menendez infamously murdered their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. While police did not initially suspect them, the brothers were later arrested after Erik confessed his guilt to his psychotherapist’s mistress, who subsequently reported it to the authorities. They were convicted in 1996 and are currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Following Ryan Murphy’s viral interview, many internet users expressed their outrage. One user remarked:
Numerous users pointed out that the story of the Menéndez brothers had been discussed long before Murphy’s series aired. Here are some comments from X:
“Mind you, people on TikTok have talked about them long before his f**k ass show.. if anything they need to sue his delusional a** for even making that sh*t,”one stated.
“Why is he acting like everyone forgot about the Menendez brothers before this show came out? Because that’s definitely not the case, lol,”another noted.
“Can we all collectively agree to never watch this man’s stuff again? I haven’t for years and I don’t think anyone needs to keep him relevant anymore,”bubs!! remarked.
Others criticized Ryan Murphy for profiting from the trauma of Erik and Lyle.
“You should be sending them flowers seeing as you’re the one profiting off of their trauma, you sick freak,”another angry user commented.
“You exploited their trauma for a quick buck. They have every right to be angry, as do their family members on their behalf,”@AmberTheFantasy expressed.
“Profiting off their trauma and failing to depict the tragedy accurately… oh, you’re going to hell, Ryan Murphy,”one netizen added.
“I can only believe they were done on purpose”- Erik Menendez calls out Ryan Murphy about Monsters
During their trial, the Menéndez brothers claimed they killed their parents out of fear for their lives, alleging years of abuse from their father. However, prosecutors argued that they committed the crime in pursuit of their parents’ wealth.
After the release of Monsters, Erik’s wife, Tammi Menendez, publicly shared a statement on X on his behalf, where he criticized Ryan Murphy for his “inaccurate,””vile, and appalling”representation of him, his brother, and the realities of their lives. He stated:
“I can only believe they were done on purpose… I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.”
However, Murphy defended his work by asserting that the show brought attention to their case, elaborating:
“There is no world that we live in where the Menendez brothers or their wives or lawyers would say, ‘You know what, that was a wonderful, accurate depiction of our clients.’ That was never going to happen, and I wasn’t interested in that happening.”
The producer explained that his narrative was not solely about Erik and Lyle but also encompassed their parents and others involved in the story. He remarked that he had “an obligation to so many people,”condemning the brothers for playing the “victim card.”He stated:
Ryan Murphy emphasized that both assertions can coexist: that Erik and Lyle killed their parents and that they were victims of abuse. He noted, however, that no one truly knows the full reality. Murphy also addressed an upcoming Netflix documentary that aims to present the brothers’ perspective through their live audio interviews, stating:
“I’m not going to watch it because I’m not interested in anything else about the Menendez brothers. I don’t want to watch the documentary. I have no interest in meeting them. I have no interest in talking to their lawyers or their wives. I’ve just sort of done it because I was telling a bigger story, a cultural story. I wasn’t doing a biography of them. I was telling a story about a certain place and time.”
Ryan Murphy further mentioned his intention to raise awareness about male sexual abuse through the series. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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