Current:Home > ScamsMenendez brothers' family slam 'grotesque' Netflix show 'Monsters' for 'outright falsehoods'-LoTradeCoin
Menendez brothers' family slam 'grotesque' Netflix show 'Monsters' for 'outright falsehoods'
View Date:2024-12-23 23:48:53
The Menéndez family is speaking out against Ryan Murphy and Netflix.
Tammi Menendez, wife of Erik Menéndez, has shared a statement on social media attributed to "virtually the entire extended family" of Erik and Lyle Menéndez slamming Murphy's Netflix series "Monsters."
The group of family members, which the statement said consists of 24 people, criticized the show as a "phobic, gross, anachronistic, serial episodic nightmare that is not only riddled with mistruths and outright falsehoods but ignores the most recent exculpatory revelations."
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Netflix and Murphy for comment.
"Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story" centers around the Menéndez brothers, who were convicted of killing their parents in 1996. The brothers argued they acted in self-defense following years of abuse by their father, José Menéndez.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
In a previous statement, Erik Menéndez blasted the Netflix show for its "caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies" and its "dishonest portrayal" of their story.
The extended family said in their own statement that they have been "victimized" by the "grotesque shockadrama" and that Murphy "never spoke to us" before making the show.
Erik Menendezslams Ryan Murphy, Netflix for 'dishonest portrayal' of his parent's murders
"The character assassination of Erik and Lyle, who are our nephews and cousins, under the guise of a 'story telling narrative' is repulsive," they said.
"We know these men. We grew up with them since they were boys. We love them and to this very day we are close to them. We also know what went on in their home and the unimaginably turbulent lives they have endured. Several of us were eyewitnesses to many atrocities one should never have to bear witness to.
"It is sad that Ryan Murphy, Netflix, and all others involved in this series, do not have an understanding of the impact of years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Perhaps, after all, 'Monsters' is all about Ryan Murphy."
'Monsters' star Nicholas Alexander Chaveresponds after Erik Menendez slams Netflix series
One of the series' most controversial elements is its suggestion that Erik and Lyle Menéndez may have been in an incestuous relationship. They kiss on the lips in one episode, while in another, their mom walks in on them showering together. The latter scene is presented as a theory of journalist Dominick Dunne, played by Nathan Lane, who hypothesizes the brothers might have killed their parents to cover up their relationship.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Murphy defended the show by saying his intent was to include multiple perspectives on what happened.
"What the show is doing is presenting the points of view and theories from so many people who were involved in the case," Murphy said. "Dominick Dunne wrote several articles talking about that theory. We are presenting his point of view, just as we present (Menéndez attorney) Leslie Abramson's point of view. We had an obligation to show all of that, and we did."
In their statement, the family described Dunne, who died in 2009, as a "pro-prosecution hack."
Murphy also told ET it's "interesting" that Erik Menéndez issued a statement "without having seen the show," adding, "I would say 60-65% of our show, in the scripts and in the film form, center around the abuse and what they claim happened to them, and we do it very carefully and we give them their day in court."
Nicholas Alexander Chavez, who played Lyle Menéndez, also responded to Erik Menéndez's previous statement by telling USA TODAY he has "sympathy and empathy" for him "in that I can only imagine how difficult it is to have the most traumatic moment of your life put up there on the screen for everyone to see."
veryGood! (14)
Related
- Shel Talmy, produced hits by The Who, The Kinks and other 1960s British bands, dead at 87
- New reality show 'The Summit' premieres: What climber was the first to be eliminated?
- Jimmy Carter and hometown of Plains celebrate the 39th president’s 100th birthday
- Madelyn Cline Briefly Addresses Relationships With Pete Davidson and Chase Stokes
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul VIP fight package costs a whopping $2M. Here's who bought it.
- Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 5
- How to get your share of Oracle's $115 million class-action settlement; deadline is coming
- 2024 NBA Media Day: Live updates, highlights and how to watch
- South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
- Did 'SNL' mock Chappell Roan for harassment concerns? Controversial sketch sparks debate
Ranking
- What is ‘Doge’? Explaining the meme and cryptocurrency after Elon Musk's appointment to D.O.G.E.
- NHTSA: Cruise to pay $1.5M penalty after failing to fully report crash involving pedestrian
- The US is sending a few thousand more troops to the Middle East to boost security
- Dikembe Mutombo, a Hall of Fame player and tireless advocate, dies at 58 from brain cancer
- Lions QB Jared Goff, despite 5 interceptions, dared to become cold-blooded
- Water samples tested after Maine firefighting foam spill, below guidelines for dangerous chemicals
- Pregnant Brittany Mahomes Shares Why She’s “Always Proud” of Patrick Mahomes
- Jeep urges 194,000 plug-in hybrid SUV owners to stop charging and park outdoors due to fire risk
Recommendation
-
Horoscopes Today, November 9, 2024
-
Golden State Valkyries expansion draft: WNBA sets date, rules for newest team
-
'It's time for him to pay': Families of Texas serial killer's victims welcome execution
-
Many Verizon customers across the US hit by service outage
-
Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
-
Buffalo’s longest-serving mayor is leaving City Hall for a betting agency
-
California expands access to in vitro fertilization with new law requiring insurers to cover it
-
NHTSA: Cruise to pay $1.5M penalty after failing to fully report crash involving pedestrian