Monsters cast break silence on show's implication of 'incestuous' relationship between Lyle and Erik Menendez
Topics: Menendez Brothers, Netflix, Film and TV
Yasmeen Hamadeh
Featured Image Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic / Netflix
Topics: Menendez Brothers, Netflix, Film and TV
Ryan Murphy's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has claimed the top spot on Netflix's most-watched TV shows list since its release last week, and yet it has not come without significant controversy particularly in regards to a certain implication it makes on the brothers' relationship.
The miniseries dramatizes the lives of Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents, José and Mary Louis 'Kitty' Menendez, in 1996.
Throughout their trial, that catapulted the brothers into nationwide infamy in the early '90s, Erik and Lyle alleged that they'd suffered physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents. Meanwhile, prosecutors argued that they killed their parents in 1989 for financial benefit.
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After two criminal trials, the siblings were ultimately sentenced in 1996 to life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.
In Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Murphy dramatizes the events surrounding the Menendez brothers' trial and claims that he tried to paint a larger picture of all the different perspectives and theories linked to the case.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the director shared, "What the show is doing is presenting the points of view and theories from so many people who were involved in the case […] The show presents over 10 points of view of different events."
One perspective Murphy felt he had an 'obligation' to show was Vanity Fair journalist Dominick Dunne's, who famously covered the trials in the '90s, theory that the brothers had an intimate relationship.
"Dominick Dunne wrote several articles talking about that theory," Murphy claimed. "We are presenting his point of view. And we had an obligation to show all of that and we did."
There are several scenes in Monsters that insinuate that the brothers had an incestuous-leaning relationship, including one scene where their mother finds them showering together, that have sparked significant backlash from audiences.
The cast has since addressed the show's decision to imply that Lyle and Erik had an intimate relationship with Nicholas Chavez (who plays Lyle Menendez in the series) telling Variety, "It was something that we discussed quite a bit as part of this project, but ultimately this is a question that's honestly best reserved for Ryan and the creators of the show."
Meanwhile, Cooper Koch (who plays Erik Menendez) shared, "I knew that this was a very controversial story, and that people were going to be upset and affected by what they were seeing."
"I think though you do have to put it into context of the situation, and that we're sort of painting a picture based on what somebody else's perspective was," he added. "It's not necessarily the truth of what happened. That's just what Dominick Dunne thinks and there I think are other places in the story where it's sort of planted to give people all of these different perspectives and you know."
"I think the goal of the show is to put all those perspectives together and let the audience be the jury," he continued. "And at the end of the show, you just make your decision on what you believe. And I think it's a really interesting way of telling the story and just storytelling in general."
Koch then reiterated that he 'absolutely does not' believe that the brothers had an incestuous relationship saying, "I do not think that's true. And I don't think it was intended by the show to make or break that truth."
"I think that was just a theory that one person had and that got put into the show because that person was a character in the show," he added. "I stand with Erik and everything that he says in his testimony I believe to be his truth, and I believe him."