“Ryan Murphy is the last person who should be covering true crime,” wrote one of many disappointed fans after watching Netflix’s latest series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and accusing its director of sexualizing its protagonists.

The show came under fire for its representation of the eponymous brothers in promotional material, which fans considered to be suggesting an incestuous relationship for marketing purposes.

Murphy, the series director who also helmed The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, tackled the controversy after the real-life Erik Menendez posted a statement condemning the show, calling it “dishonest” and accusing it of spreading “horrible and blatant lies” about him and his brother.

“He made that statement without watching the show,” the director said in an interview defending the production. “We were cautious in how we depicted their abuse.”

Monsters’ director Ryan Murphy responded to fan criticism, addressing a statement made by Erik Menendez accusing him of “glamorizing” his trauma and being “dishonest”

Image credits: John Nacion/Getty

Viewers, however, kept firm in their assessment that the director had handled the subject material poorly, pointing out the “homoerotic” nature of the series’ promotional material as evidence.

“I don’t think I will be watching this. The aesthetic of the promotional content has a sexy tone,” one viewer wrote. “The whole thing is sick and sad.”

“They’re supposed to be brothers. Why do we get a teaser with them shirtless cuddling each other?” another replied.

Image credits: Ronald L. Soble /Getty

Murphy addressed Erik’s claims during the premiere of his new FX series Grotesquerie on Monday (September 23) and went on to defend his series, stating that his intent was to carefully examine the abuse allegations made by the Menendez brothers during their trial. 

“If you watch Monsters, about 60 to 65 percent of the show focuses on their claims of abuse,” he stated, explaining that they intended to give the brothers a platform and acknowledged the emotional challenge the production meant to them.

Monsters’ second season comes at a time when the brothers are seeking a new hearing based on new evidence of their father’s criminal abuse, hoping it will lead to their freedom

Image credits: Netflix

Erik, on the other hand, accused the director of glamorizing and using his and his brother’s trauma with “bad intent” to tell a story based on what he called “horrible and blatant lies.”

“Our prosecution was built on a narrative that said that males could not be sexually abused and that [we] experience rape trauma differently than women,” Menendez explained, referring to the infamous quote that Pam Bozanich, Lyle’s prosecutor, said at their trial.

“Men cannot be raped since they lack the necessary equipment to actually be raped,” she argued at the time.

Image credits: Netflix

Lyle and Erik were convicted in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors argued the brothers were motivated by greed, hoping to inherit their father’s fortune.

The latest development in their case is the filing of new documents in May 2023 by them, seeking a new hearing based on newly discovered evidence of their father, José, molesting the then 14-year-old Roy Rosselló, at the time member of the Puerto Rican band Menudo.

Lyle and Erik’s attorneys hope to use the testimony as the basis for a petition seeking the brother’s freedom, with 24 other relatives also advocating for their release.

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