This is what the Menendez brothers themselves think of their new Netflix series
It is the most watched Netflix series at the moment. ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’. Two brothers who murdered both their parents in 1989 and were sentenced to life in prison. The series also doesn't let me go. Of course, we must not forget that in a series not everything is 100% the truth, things are dramatized. The only ones who know how it really is, are the brothers themselves. And one of them is now speaking out.
In a statement shared by his wife Tammi Menendez on her X page, Erik shares what he thinks of the series. Not very surprisingly, he is not happy. According to him, creator Ryan Murphy has handled all the facts far too naively and inaccurately. He also believes that thanks to the series, a number of steps are being taken back in discovering what really happened. The brothers' trials took place at a time when abuse of boys was not really discussed. It doesn't happen, it was said. That argument was even used by the jury in court. According to Erik, other victims have fought hard to eliminate that idea from the world and Murphy ensures that this comes back to the surface. Erik ends his statement with the question: Is the truth not enough?
Tammi herself is also speaking out. On X, she calls the series a big mess. The events are portrayed far too exaggerated and inaccurately, the facts are completely missed according to her. A Facebook page in the name of Lyle, maintained by family, harshly criticizes the creators of the series. “They had an abundance of material to draw from, and this is what they chose to do? It’s ridiculous. It’s pathetic. And it’s victimizing again. It’s imaginary. It’s fiction.” The family is especially angry about the fact that the brothers are portrayed as lovers who shared an intimate relationship. Something that they claim is completely untrue. Journalist Robert Rand agrees. He has been following the case for years and wrote the book ‘The Menendez Murders’ in 2018. According to Rand, the rumors of a romantic relationship between the two originated from journalist Dominick Dunne, who appears in the series played by Nathan Lane. In various episodes, we see the brothers kissing and showering together, but that supposedly never happened. What Rand does confirm is that Erik was abused by Lyle just as their father did to them. This was, according to him, a reaction to trauma and certainly not a romantic relationship.
Ryan Murphy himself understands that it is not pleasant to see your own life portrayed like this. Still, he says that a large part of the series is precisely about the abuse and about what Erik and Lyle say happened, while that is not acknowledged in Erik's statement. But according to Murphy, there must also be attention for other perspectives, such as that of the parents and people like Dominick Dunn, to tell a complete story.
With the new series, the attention for the case is only growing. Kim Kardashian also seems to be getting involved now. She visited the prison where the brothers are held together with actor Cooper Koch, who plays Erik. There, she spoke with a group of inmates about how the prison system in the US could be improved. Kim has also been working for several years to rectify unfair sentences. So maybe she will now also advocate for Erik and Lyle.
Whatever the opinions about the series may be, it certainly brings a lot of attention. That, along with the new evidence that was supposedly found last year, could very well lead to the case being reopened.
