Rosie O’Donnell Blasts Ryan Murphy’s Menendez Brothers Show—’Inaccurate’

Comedian Rosie O’Donnell has spoken out in criticism of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, branding elements of the new Netflix show “inaccurate.”

Created by Ryan Murphy, Netflix unveiled the next chapter of its Monster anthology series in a dramatized retelling of the Menendez brothers’ killing of their parents.

Lyle Menendez, who was then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted to fatally shooting their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers later said that they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of their father’s alleged long-term sexual molestation of Erik Menendez.

Since its September 19 release, Monsters has faced a wave of criticism, including from Erik Menendez, who expressed sadness over the nine-episode show’s “dishonest portrayal” of the incidents surrounding the brothers’ convictions.

O’Donnell—who last year interviewed Lyle Menendez on her podcast—added her voice to the list of detractors over the weekend, when she shared a TikTok video in which she branded the show “wildly inaccurate.”

“It was disappointing, is all I can say, knowing what I know about the case and about them and what they’ve done for 34 years since they’ve been in jail, and what kind of prisoners they are,” O’Donnell said after sharing that she had watched Monsters.

“And, you know, I thought it was wildly inaccurate. But everyone’s going to have their own opinion. And, you know, I don’t know why we needed to make it if we’re just gonna continue to blame these children for the abuse they suffered and their reaction to it before their brains were fully formed. Don’t know, but that’s what it feels like to me.”

“It was disturbing,” she continued. “And I spoke to both of them last night, and Erik released a statement that I thought was very poignant and perfect.”

As she concluded her thoughts on the matter, O’Donnell said that she had just advice for the brothers with regards to the show.

“I just tell them that maybe they shouldn’t watch the whole thing. You know, if you lived it, I don’t know that you need to watch it,” she said.

The first Menendez brothers’ trials, which began in 1993, ended with two deadlocked juries, unable to agree on whether the brothers were guilty of murder or acted out of fear. This led to a mistrial and set the stage for a second trial in 1995.

Unlike the first trial, where claims of sexual abuse were central, the judge in the second trial significantly limited the defense’s use of the allegations.

The jury convicted both brothers of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Last week, Erik Menendez released a statement via his wife, Tammi Menendez, in which he criticized the portrayal of the series of events in Monsters.

“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 wrote. “I can only believe they were done 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.”

With the series suggesting there was an incestuous relationship between the brothers, Erik Menendez further slammed the show for taking everyone back to a time “when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women.”

In response to Erik Menendez’s criticism, Murphy defended his project. Murphy told Entertainment Tonight that while it must be especially challenging for the brothers to see elements of their lives portrayed onscreen, he found it interesting that Erik Menendez issued a statement without having seen the show at all.

“The thing that I find interesting that [Erik] doesn’t mention in his quote is, if you watch the show, I would say 60 to 65 percent of our show in the scripts, and in the film form, center around the abuse and what they claim happened to them,” Murphy said.

When directly questioned about the show’s suggestion of a sexual relationship between the brothers, Murphy replied: “If you watch the show, it presents the viewpoints and theories from many individuals involved in the case.

“[Late investigative journalist] Dominick Dunne wrote several articles discussing that theory, and we are sharing his perspective alongside [criminal defense attorney] Leslie Abramson’s. We felt it was essential to include all of that, and we did.”

Netflix is next month set to release a documentary from the Menendez brothers’ perspective.