Menendez family blast Monster season 2 ‘incest’ scene as ‘pure evil’

Netflix has received backlash for airing ‘incestuous’ scenes in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Picture: Miles Crist/ Netflix)

Netflix has been slammed for releasing a series of ‘incestuous’ scenes between brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez.  

After the success of 2022’s Dahmer, the streaming service has now released its follow-up – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

The series focuses on the murder of Jose and Kitty Menendez by their two sons in 1989 and the intense interest in the case that followed in the years after.

The brothers, then aged 21 and 18, cited years of abuse as the reason for murdering their parents, however prosecutors argued that their motive was to get their hands on the family fortune.

They were both eventually convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996.

The series already received intense backlash even before it was released, however after the nine episodes came out on Thursday, both family members and viewers have expressed their shock at a claim suggested in the show.

The brothers, played by Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch, are shown kissing in one scene (Picture: Miles Crist/ Netflix)

In one scene the brothers, Kitty (played by Chloe Sevigny) walks in on Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch) in the shower together.

Another shows them kissing on the lips.

Relatives of the brothers, who run Lyle’s Facebook page, have shared several posts condemning the series, calling the ‘absurd notion’ the brothers were lovers ‘pure evil’.

‘So, these “writers/creators” got up in the morning, ate their cornflakes, and went to an office where they decided to lie about rape survivors who have suffered every single day of their life. The professionals did this for money. How ironic,’ they wrote.

‘Never forget: There was more evidence of abuse in the first trial than there is in most successful child abuse prosecutions.

‘They had a plethora of material to draw from, and this is what they chose to do?????  It’s laughable. It’s pathetic. And it is re-victimizing. It is imaginary. It is fiction.’

The pair are currently serving life sentences after murdering their parents in 1989 (Picture: Associated Press)

They continued: ‘And to put out into the world the absurd notion that the brothers were lovers is the height of pure evil. 

‘How convenient that the new evidence was never brought up! The truth is that I have no idea what I just watched because it bears no resemblance to reality or the human beings I know.’

The post concluded by saying that even if the show had been billed as fiction, it would ‘still be awful’.

In another post, they wrote: ‘Why don’t male sexual assault victims come forward? Because they are afraid to run into the likes of the people who created this trash.’

The family members later went on to share a statement from Erik in which he said that the series created a caricature of his brother ‘rooted in horrible and blatant lies’ and that they had both been portrayed in a ‘vile and appalling’ way.

Many viewers echoed these sentiments, with user zenselle posting on X: ‘Taking a story about two brothers who suffered from sexual abuse from their dad and turning it into an incestuous fantasy is horrid.’

‘There’s a fine line between art and insensitivity, and this seems to blur it,’ pinkmia commented.

‘It’s essential to handle such topics with respect and care, not sensationalism,’ R0sieVibe added.

Others called the incestuous portrayal of the brothers as ‘vile’, ‘diabolical’ and ‘disturbing’.

After two initial trials for the brothers resulted in deadlocked juries, they were retried together, where evidence of their allegations of sexual abuse was ruled as inadmissible.

Lyle Menendez testified his father molested him from age 6 to age 8, while Erik Menendez told jurors his father had started abusing him when he was 6 years old, and that the abuse continued until shortly before the shooting.

They claim they were abused by their father Jose (played by Javier Bardem) throughout their lives (Picture: Miles Crist/ Netflix)

Last year, Roy Roselló, who joined Puerto Rican boy band Menudo at age 13 in 1983, came forward and alleged he had been drugged and raped by Jose when he was a young boy.

Ahead of the release the series faced strong criticism, with one person saying there was ‘no reason for the show to exist’.

Another said that ‘not every story needs to be filmed and then told’.

Metro.co.uk has contacted Netflix for comment.

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