Erik Menendez is strongly criticizing Netflix’s new series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, calling it a “horrible, vile, and appalling” portrayal of the murders of his parents. In a statement released by his wife, Erik Menendez condemned the series for what he describes as a deeply dishonest and exploitative retelling of the tragic events that led to his and his brother Lyle’s conviction for the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez.
The Netflix series has sparked controversy by suggesting that Erik and Lyle Menendez, now serving life sentences for the brutal killings, were involved in an intimate relationship during their youth. This implication has infuriated Erik, who stated that the series not only misrepresents his and his brother’s relationship but also distorts the painful reality of the crime and its aftermath.
“It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime has taken the painful truths several steps backward,” Erik Menendez said in his statement. “This show feeds off the sensationalism that already surrounded the case and makes a mockery of what my brother and I have endured.”
The Menendez brothers were convicted of murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills home in a case that became a media sensation in the 1990s. They have long maintained that the killings were the result of years of abuse by their father, a claim that sparked debate and garnered widespread public attention. However, the Netflix series, which is part of a broader Monsters franchise that has previously covered infamous cases like that of Jeffrey Dahmer, appears to take a different angle, drawing the ire of Erik Menendez.
His wife, who released the statement on his behalf, echoed his frustration, emphasizing how damaging the series is to the Menendez brothers’ reputation and the mental health of their families. She noted that the series has taken creative liberties in a way that misleads viewers and disrespects those affected by the case.
Netflix has yet to respond to Erik Menendez’s remarks, but the controversy is likely to add fuel to ongoing debates about how true-crime stories are handled in popular media. Critics of such dramatizations argue that these series often blur the line between fact and fiction, turning real-life tragedies into entertainment at the expense of the victims and those involved.
Erik Menendez’s public condemnation highlights the broader issue of how streaming platforms and networks balance storytelling with ethical responsibility, particularly when covering high-profile criminal cases that have already been the subject of intense public scrutiny.
As the series continues to gain viewership, it is certain that both sides of the debate—those fascinated by true crime and those calling for more sensitivity in such portrayals—will have plenty to say about the Monsters adaptation of the Menendez brothers’ case.
