Erik Menendez Reviews Ryan Murphy’s Netflix Series ‘Monsters’

Erik, the real-life brother of Lyle and Erik Menendez, has weighed in on Ryan Murphy’s portrayal of his past crimes in the new Netflix series, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”

In an online statement posted via his wife Tammi Menendez’s X account, Menendez, who was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder along with his brother Lyle for killing their parents, said the drama series perpetrated “ruinous character portrayals” of both of them. The statement also accused Murphy of having bad intentions due to the nature of the narrative the showrunner created.

“It is with a heavy heart that I say that I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without ill intent,” Menendez wrote in his statement.

Menendez, who is currently serving a life sentence with his brother Lyle at the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California, criticized the show for reviving “dishonest” stories about their lives, accusing the show of distorting the men’s trauma and sexual abuse. He also said he was saddened by what he saw as a step backward in understanding childhood trauma, condemning the show for perpetuating harmful lies and slander. He ended his statement by thanking those who supported him and calling for truth to prevail.

In the graphic miniseries, Javier Bardem plays the father, José Menendez, and Chloë Sevigny plays their mother, Kitty Menendez. Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch play their sons and murderers, Lyle and Erik Menendez.

Variety Chief TV critic Aramide Tinubu was highly critical of the series, writing that “the show attempts to unpack the circumstances that led to the crime while highlighting Erik and Lyle’s trauma. But in the end, the narrative feels futile and bizarre.” Read the full review here.

Below is Menendez’s full statement:

“I thought we had moved past the lies and disastrous portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in the horrific and blatant lies that run rampant throughout the show. I can only believe they were done that way on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say that I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without ill intent.

“I am saddened to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime has pushed painful truths back several steps — back in time, to a time when the prosecution constructed a narrative based on a belief system that men were not victims of sexual abuse and that men experienced the trauma of rape differently than women. These horrific lies have been challenged and exposed by countless courageous victims over the past two decades, who have overcome their personal shame and courageously spoken out. So now Murphy is shaping his horrific narrative through vile and appalling portrayals of Lyle and myself and disheartening smears.

“Isn’t the truth enough? Let the truth be known. It’s demoralizing to know that one man in power can undermine decades of progress in exposing childhood trauma. Violence is never an answer, never a solution, and it’s always tragic. That’s why I hope we never forget that violence against a child creates a hundred horrific, silent crime scenes, obscured by glitz and glamour, and rarely revealed until the tragedy sinks in for everyone involved. To everyone who reached out and supported me, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”