The Menendez brothers are once again in the limelight thanks to ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,’ the second installment in Netflix’s Monster anthology series. Lyle and Erik have been a public fascination for over three decades after the brutal 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez. With numerous documentaries, books, and now, a dramatized show, their popularity has only soared over the years and decades.
Netflix is almost synonymous with controversy, so it comes as no surprise that the latest Monster season is being called out for numerous reasons, one of them being the suggestion that the Menendez brothers may have been romantic lovers. Unsurprisingly, not everyone is a fan of this angle, which has sparked heated debate and raised questions about how ethical it is to portray real-life events in such a manner.
Did the Menendez Brothers Have an Incestuous Relationship With Each Other in Real Life?
In Monsters, Ryan Murphy comes up with a shocking and what many consider to be an absurd incestuous theory that claims the balding Lyle and Erik Menendez were more than just brothers, they had intimate encounters. To be fair, Murphy did not pull it out of his backside as rumors about their passionate involvements had indeed surfaced during their trials. The show, however, takes it up a notch and does not shy away in the slightest from bringing this idea to the forefront, showing scenes where the brothers display incest tendencies. One dramatic scene even has their mom, Kitty, catching them together in the shower, hinting that they had more than sibling love going on.
Sure, these dramatic moments are perfect for TV to create a compelling narrative that engages the audience, but they’re highly speculative without any form of proof. There’s never been any hard evidence to confirm the Menendez brothers had an incestuous relationship. It seems like this theory is just another way the media is obsessed with their story, flipping between showing them as victims and as ruthless killers.
Lyle and Erik defended themselves in court claiming they were the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of their father, José Menendez, while their mother ignored everything that unfolded and turned a blind eye to their traumatic experiences. The brothers argued that the murders were justified because they were the actual victims in their story, who were pushed over the edge to take drastic actions, merely out of fear and trauma. They claimed that José’s abuse started with Lyle and later affected Erik, and their family environment could be best described as controlling, terrifying, and violent.
This part of their story is already disturbing enough, and for many, taking the speculations of incest as gospel without substantiated evidence feels like exploitation. Critics of the Netflix series argue that putting the spotlight on their supposed incestuous relationship takes away from the real issue of parental abuse. Many are not fans of the way creator Ryan Murphy has sensationalized the trauma that Lyle and Erik went through.
Social Media Users Slam Monsters for Portraying the Menendez Brothers in Love With Each Other
The way Monsters has depicted incest has sparked major backlash online. Many viewers feel that Murphy and Netflix crossed a line by suggesting a physical relationship between the Menendez brothers, given their history of alleged sexual abuse. Social media responses have been mostly negative, with some calling the series “distasteful” and accusing it of turning a real and traumatic situation into “incest fan fiction.”
As we stated earlier, this specific theory was briefly mentioned during the original trial, but it was never a major enough focus that justified a huge amount of attention. Prosecutor Lester Kuriyama did suggest that the brothers’ awareness of sexual abuse might be tied to their hidden homosexuality, but most people saw that as a homophobic way to discredit their claims. The Netflix series brings this idea back but turns the unconfirmed gay and incest relationship as “canon” in the story, much to the dismay of the viewers.
Amidst the criticisms and controversies, it’s worth remembering that the dramatic twists in Monsters is a work of fiction, despite their claim that the show is based on true events. True crime shows like these are notorious for mixing up facts and drama, and Murphy’s work seems to be no exception. Theories about incest between the Menendez brothers might make the series more dramatic, but they’re still just speculation with zero hard proof to consider them as truth.
Moreover, both Lyle and Erik have always identified as straight, with relationships with women before and after they went to prison. As a matter of fact, both the brothers got married while serving life sentences. These significant details stand in stark contrast with the homosexual vibes shown in the Netflix series.
Adding incest themes to the Menendez brothers’ story brings up some big ethical questions, too, about how true crime is shown in the media. Should real people’s suffering be turned into sensationalized stories just for entertainment? For a lot of critics, Monsters crosses the line by throwing in an unproven and uncomfortable twist to an already tragic situation.
