Monsters creator Ryan Murphy admits to never reaching out to the Menendez brothers and people are raging
Ryan Murphy has been criticized by fans of his Monsters series after he admitted to never reaching out to the real life Menendez brothers.
The second series of Murphy's Monsters - the first of which told the story of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer - follows the true story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who murdered their own mother and father at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Throughout their public trial in the 1990s, the brothers were thrust into the spotlight when they recounted years of alleged emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their wealthy parents, José and Mary Louis 'Kitty' Menendez.
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While this was argued in their defence, prosecutors claimed the pair carried out the brutal murders for financial benefit, and they were ultimately sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story tells the brothers' shocking stories, but since it dropped on Netflix just over a week ago, it has already faced criticism for the heavy dramatization upon the lives of Lyle and Erik - with some fans even slamming Murphy as 'vile' for an incestuous scene involving the brothers.
And Erik himself even went on to release a statement from prison to slam it as 'dishonest'.
Erik released the statement through his wife Tammi, who he married in the waiting room at Folsom State Prison in 1999.
It read in part: "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.
"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 is sad for me to know that Netflix's dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward."
So, it's clear Murphy has been no stranger to criticism in regards to the new series - and it's only gone and got worse after the American Horror Story co-creator revealed he has never reached out to the brothers in real life.
Speaking to Variety last week, Murphy addressed how Cooper Koch - the actor who portrays Erik in the series - met the brothers in person with Kim Kardashian before the series premiered.
But while he was happy for the actor to meet the brothers and speak to them in depth about the series, the director admitted he 'has no interest in talking to them'.
"It’s very good that Cooper has a relationship with them, and I’m very close, obviously, with Kim Kardashian, who has spoken to them," Murphy said.
"I love Kim, and I believe she does God’s work. I believe in prison reform. I believe in everything she believes in. I don’t know what I would say to them. What would I ask them? I know what their perspective is."
Fans aren't too happy with Murphy's perspective on the matter, with one penning on Twitter: "But willing to use their story and trauma for money and awards… distasteful."
And another said: "You don't get to have the privilege of making a TV show about their LIVES, then throw your hands in the air and say 'I didn‘t do anything!' when you get criticized… it would be common courtesy to at least reach out??"
This comes after it was announced the Menendez brothers will be sharing their own story in a Netflix documentary, which will drop on the streaming platform on October 7.
UNILAD has contacted Ryan Murphy's reps and Netflix for comment.
Topics: Netflix, Crime, True crime, Ryan Murphy
Emily Puckering