24 of the Menendez brothers’ relatives condemn 'grotesque' Netflix show for 'falsehoods'

Two dozen members of the Menendez family have come together to condemn Netflix’s new show, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” which revisits the murder case involving brothers Joseph "Lyle" Menendez and Erik Menendez.

Following the premiere of the series on Sept. 19, members of the Menendez family released a statement describing the show as “a phobic, gross, anachronistic, serial episodic nightmare.”

The statement was shared on the X account belonging to Tammi Menendez, who married Erik Menendez in 1999.

“This is the official response from Joan VanderMolen (Erik’s Aunt) and the Menendez Family to the Netflix Series’ ‘Monsters, the Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ and to Ryan Murphy,” she wrote in the tweet before sharing the statement. Ryan Murphy co-created and co-wrote the show, which is in its second season.

The family began in their statement with a show of support for the incarcerated brothers.

“We are virtually the entire extended family of Erik and Lyle Menéndez. We are 24 strong and today we want the world to know we support Erik and Lyle," the statement read.

Members of the Menendez family said they are praying for the release of Lyle Menendez, 56, and Erik Menendez, 53, who were convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1996 after two trials.

The brothers, who were 21 and 18 at the time of the crime in 1989, were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Lyle and Erik Menendez’s family members emphasize their closeness to the brothers.

“We know them, love them, and want them home with us,” the statement reads, before going on to characterize the show.

“Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monsters, the Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story’ is a phobic, gross, anachronistic, serial episodic nightmare that is not only riddled with mistruths and outright falsehoods but ignores the most recent exculpatory revelations. Our family has been victimized by this grotesque shockadrama,” the statement continued.

The family said that Murphy’s portrayal leaned on reporting from Dominick Dunne — the late writer, journalist and producer who covered the Menendez trial — rather than the family. Murphy "never spoke to" the family, the statement said.

“The character assassination of Erik and Lyle, who are our nephews and cousins, under the guise of a ‘story telling narrative’ is repulsive,” the family 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.”

The family said that some were "eyewitnesses" to the alleged abuse that the brothers suffered.

They concluded, “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.”

Their scathing reaction to the show follows Erik Menendez’s critical statement about how the story was told over the nine episodes.

Tammi Menendez previously uploaded a statement from him to X on Sept. 19.

“I believed we had 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,” he said, in part. “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.”

He added that the show was a “dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime.”

“Monster” is an anthology series. While the second season focuses on Lyle and Erik Menendez, the first season was centered on Jeffrey Dahmer and received backlash from his victims’ family.

After Season 2 was hit with more criticism, Murphy responded. He addressed Erik Menendez’s statement while speaking with E! News on the red carpet of his new show, “Grotesquerie.”

“I know he hasn’t watched the show. So I find that curious,” Murphy said.

He added, “I hope he does watch it. I think if he did watch it he would be incredibly proud of Cooper Koch who plays him.”

Murphy went on to say that the show depicts multiple perspectives and theories each episode, including Dunne's take.

“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. There were people who said it did happen,” he said.

He explained that the purpose of the show, which he labeled as a “whodunnit,” is to allow the audience to decide who is innocent or guilty.

Murphy also said that the series tackles the issue of male sexual abuse “responsibly.”

Summing up his thoughts on the backlash, he said, “I’m used to this. I write about provocative things and controversial things, and my motto is ‘Never complain and never explain.’”

More Menendez brothers

• <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/monsters-cooper-koch-met-erik-lyle-menendez-rcna172865" target="_blank">‘Monsters’ actor met Erik Menendez: ‘I got to tell him I believe him’ </a>

This article was originally published on TODAY.com