Erik Menéndez critiques Ryan Murphy’s Monsters series as ‘horrible’ and misleading.
Erik Menéndez is voicing his concerns about a new series based on his life. On September 20, he posted a statement on his brother Lyle’s Facebook page, criticizing Ryan Murphy’s latest project, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story. Erik expressed strong dissatisfaction with the portrayals of both himself and Lyle, who claim they were abused by their parents and acted in self-defense when they killed them.
Erik, 53, reflected on the severe trauma and violence they endured during childhood.
He believes the series fails to accurately depict their experiences. “I thought we had moved past the damaging narratives about Lyle,” he stated. “Instead, the show creates a caricature of Lyle filled with horrible and blatant lies. I can only assume this was intentional.”
He continued by emphasizing how the series undermines their painful truth.
“It saddens me to see Netflix misrepresent the tragedies surrounding our crime. This portrayal takes us backward to a time when the prosecution disregarded the reality of male sexual abuse and trauma,” Erik explained. He further criticized Murphy, 58, for shaping the narrative with “vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and me.”
“Is the truth not sufficient? Let the truth stand as it is,” he urged. “It is disheartening to realize that one powerful individual can undermine decades of progress in understanding childhood trauma.”
Erik concluded his statement by expressing gratitude to those who have shown him support.
Representatives for Ryan Murphy and Netflix did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story focuses on the brothers and the 1989 murder of their parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez.
After the tragic events, Lyle called 911, crying and saying they had returned home to find their parents dead. The authorities arrested the brothers months later.
Eventually, a jury convicted both Erik and Lyle of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They received life sentences without parole and currently serve their time at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch portray Lyle and Erik in the series, with Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny playing their parents. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story is now available for streaming on Netflix.