Ryan Murphy Defends 'Monsters' Incest Scenes Between Lyle and Erik Menendez

Ryan Murphy defended the new Netflix series 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' after the show was criticized by Erik Menendez.

Menendez recently described the series as a "dishonest portrayal" of events.

"I believe we have moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show," Menendez, 53, stated in his open letter on X on September 19. "I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent."

"It's hard for me to know that Netflix's dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime and have taken the painful truths several steps backwards — 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 others," he added. "Is the truth not enough? Let the truth stand as the truth. How demoralizing to know that one man with power can undermine decades of progress in shedding light on childhood trauma."

However, Murphy, 58, responded by expressing skepticism over the critique.

"I think that's interesting because I know he hasn't watched the show. So I find that curious. I hope he does watch it," Murphy said, according to E! News. "I think if he did, he would be incredibly proud of Cooper Koch who plays him."

Murphy highlighted the multifaceted nature of the Menendez case, which has fascinated the public for decades. He explained, "It's a 35, 30-year-old case. We show many, many, many perspectives. That's what the show does in every episode. You are given a new theory based on people who were either involved or covered the case."

One of the more controversial aspects of the show involves a subplot suggesting the brothers may have had an incestuous romantic relationship.

"Some of the controversy seems to be people thinking, for example, that the brothers are having an incestuous relationship. There are people who say that never happened," Murphy said. "There were people who said it did happen."

Murphy was clear about the show's aim, stating, "We know how it ended. We know two people were brutally shot. Our view and what we wanted to do was present you all the facts and have you do two things: make up your own mind about who's innocent, who's guilty, and who's the monster, and also have a conversation about something that's never talked about in our culture, which is male sexual abuse, which we do responsibly."

Murphy also revealed that a significant portion of the show is dedicated to exploring the abuse the Menendez brothers allegedly endured, with "60 to 65% [of the show] centering around Erik and Lyle Menendez talking about their abuse."

The show's official Netflix description notes that 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' revisits the infamous case that captivated the world and challenges viewers to reconsider who the real "monsters" are. The cast includes Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez, and Javier Bardem as José Menendez.

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Ryan murphy, Netflix