What Erik Really Thinks Of Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story
Folks of a certain age could never forget the Menendez brothers. The brothers left a double bloodbath in their wake: one from the 1989 murders of their parents and the other from the media frenzy surrounding their court case. Their first trial ended in a mistrial in 1994, and their second trial ended in 1996 when they were both convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. And now, nearly 30 years later, the two brothers have become the centerpiece of the new true crime Netflix drama, "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."
If the reader couldn't tell by the title, "Monsters" comes with a built-in, unflattering perspective on the Menendez brothers — right down to the ultra-creepy, blue-hued, bare-skinned poster featured twin psychotic stares. The show is the brainchild of Ryan Murphy, the man behind "Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story." In other words: Expectations are as high as the drama.
Erik Menendez, however — still alive and behind bars at the age of 53 — has spoken up about the show via his wife Tammi Menendez on X (formerly Twitter). He's called it a "dishonest portrayal" full of "horrible and blatant lies" told with "bad intent."
A tale of parricide and abuse
According to the Menendez brothers, their tale is one of abuse and molestation suffered at the hands of their father, José. Lyle, the older of the two, claimed that he'd been physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by José from the ages of 6 to 8, and Erik from 6 to 18. During their televised trial their stories came equipped with stomach-churning details, including corroboration from cousin Andres Cano about alleged "genital massages" enacted by José against his sons, per the Los Angeles Times in 1993.
The presence of these claims in the Menendez brothers' trial added to the case's sensationalism. The media's involvement was so intrusive that after the brother's first trial ended in a hung jury, Judge Stanley Weisberg banned TV cameras in the courtroom during the second trial. As for the claims themselves, the prosecution said that Lyle and Erik made it all up so they could get away with receiving a large inheritance. Judge Weisberg also disallowed the defense from using the abuse claims during the second trial.
"Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" takes these claims and dials them up to 11 by portraying the Menendez brothers as having had a sexual relationship. Erik isn't the only one to object to the show. As Today explains, members of the public have called this portrayal "disrespectful" and "disgusting." One X user called it "incestuous fanfic," while another on X said, "What kind of Pov is this??? We need empathy not sexualization."
Erik Menendez said Monsters 'undermines decades of progress in shedding light on childhood trauma'
At present, the Menendez brothers — Lyle at 56 years old and Erik at 53 years old — are serving their sentences in the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. Independent journalist Robert Rand told A&E True Crime that both brothers counsel other inmates regarding sexual abuse recovery.
The brothers each married in prison, and it's through Erik's spouse Tammi that we get Erik's perspective on "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story." She posted his reaction on X. According to Tammi, Erik said "Monsters" took viewers, "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. How demoralizing is it to know that one man with power can undermine decades of progress in shedding light on childhood trauma." The "one man" Erik speaks of is showrunner Ryan Murphy.
On her X account, Tammi also shared posts relating support for the Menendez brothers. Additionally, she posted audio of Erik in 2021 saying that he hopes social media discussion about he and his brother's case helps bring the case back to court.
The Menendez brothers have yet another media portrayal coming up on October 7, 2024, with the opportunely-timed documentary, "The Menendez Brothers." Per The Hollywood Reporter, director Alejandro Hartmann said the documentary will "offer new insight and a fresh perspective on a case that people only think they know."