Ryan Murphy has dismissed Erik Menendez's criticism of his latest true crime series, Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez“I know he didn't watch the show,” Menendez said.
Murphy made the comments during a red carpet interview with E! News ahead of the premiere of his new horror show, strangenessOn Monday, September 23, Eric released a previous statement (through his wife, Tammy) saying, Monsters “He gave an untruthful description of the tragedies surrounding our crimes.”
Murphy described Menendez's claims as “interesting” and “bizarre,” adding, “I hope he watches it.” [the show]“I think if he saw the movie, he would be very proud of Cooper Koch, who plays him.”
Both Erik and Lyle were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murders of their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. The brothers have long claimed that their motives stemmed from a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents. In their criticism of the killings, they said they committed murder. MonstersEric noted that the show “took the painful truth several steps back…to an era where prosecutors built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually assaulted, and that males experienced the trauma of rape differently than women.”
Murphy flatly denied the claim. He said the show actively sought to address the issue of male sexual assault, saying that “60 to 65 percent” of the series revolves around the Menendez brothers talking about their abuse. He even highlighted a particular episode that consisted entirely of Coach, as Eric, talking about “what happened to him and why he did what he did.”
When it comes to other elements of Monsters Murphy said the show had sparked debate about whether Eric — or anyone else — might object to it, but added that the show “Rashomon Murphy took a different approach to the case, offering viewers “many points of view” and theories “based on people who were involved in the case or covered it.” Murphy admitted that one of the most controversial theories was that Eric and Lyle were in an incestuous relationship, a theory that had been put forward by several people, including journalist Dominic Dunne (played by Nathan Lane on the show).
“The show is a story like that,” Murphy continued. “We know how it ended, we know that two people were brutally shot. So I think people are a little confused about what we were trying to do. Our point, what we wanted to do, is give you all the facts and at the end of the day, you have to do two things: form your own opinion about who’s innocent, who’s guilty, who’s a monster; and also have a conversation about something that’s never been talked about in our culture, which is male sexual assault.”
