Ryan Murphy Has “No Interest” In Speaking With Menendez Brothers

Ryan Murphy has said that he isn’t interested in speaking to the Menendez brothers following controversy from the recently released Netflix series about the two. 

Murphy has come under fire in recent weeks since the release of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, a true-crime miniseries based on the real life case of the two brothers who shot their parents dead in what their lawyers argued was self-defence after years of abuse. Despite that, the pair were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 and have been incarcerated ever since.

The show, which was released September 19 on Netflix, has been lambasted for its inaccuracy to the real-life case and for suggesting that the brothers had an incestuous relationship, prompting a response from Erik Menendez himself. 

Response from Ryan Murphy

Despite the response from Erik and the rest of the family, Murphy has vehemently pushed back against the accusations of ill intent in presenting their stories. Speaking to Variety, the showrunner said that he found the family’s response “predictable” and stated he had no interest in speaking with Lyle and Erik, despite the fact Cooper Koch reached out to Erik before portraying him in the series.” 

“I have no interest in talking to them,” he confirmed. “It’s very good that Cooper has a relationship with them, and I’m very close with Kim Kardashian, who has spoken to them. 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.”

Elsewhere in the interview, he said he believed that Monsters is “the best thing that has happened to the Menendez brothers in 30 years,” due to the worldwide reach of the show. Yet despite thinking that a new trial could happen for the brothers, Murphy won’t be out advocating for them.

“I believe in justice, but I don’t believe in being a part of that machine,” he said. “That’s not my job. My job as an artist was to tell a perspective in a particular story. I feel I’ve done that, but I wish them well.” 

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is available to stream on Netflix.