No, in any case, there was no romantic relationship between the Menendez brothers.
A trailer for the series produced in August 2024 caused controversy on social networks by arbitrarily presenting Erik and Lyle very close to one another in a scene. These scenes are used to highlight one of the most talked about theories behind the true intention of murder.
Producer Ryan Murphy brings us the latest dramatization of a notorious crime with "Monsters 2: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story." The Netflix drama is about brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, who murdered their parents, José Menendez and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, using a shotgun in 1989 after being sexually abused by their parents for years.
Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch play the Menendez brothers.
The Menendez brothers being lovers theory
All nine episodes of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story dropped on Netflix on September 19, 2024. The series is the second of Netflix anthologies from the master of horror and dark drama, Ryan Murphy. This time he focuses on the crime perpetrated by the Menendez brothers. There is a particular reason why the Netflix series appears to give the impression that brothers Lyle and Erik were in a romantic relationship.
In real life trial, reporter Dominick Dunne proposed a theory where he stated that the Menendez brothers namely, Lyle and Erik committed parricide because they were afraid their father, José, might discover their romance.
The series, The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story evokes this idea through a scene that pictures the brothers being close at a party. Later on, Kitty inadvertently walks in on them sensually washing each other in the shower.
How did viewers react to the intimate scenes in Monsters 2: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?
The Menendez brothers were not romantically involved with one another. However, during the trial, Lyle confessed to having sexually abused Erik. This action was an effect or typical aftermath of emotional and physical abuse-thought-coerced by their controlling father.
The same conversation unfolded on Reddit, where fans of Monster 2: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and those familiar with the Menendez brothers case shared their thoughts. The viewers do not seem to be happy about how the director reportedly changed the sexual identity of the brothers to bring in more revenue to the show. One Reddit, user commented:
“Im watching the show right now & i’m also confused on why they made Erik look gay in the showers with the other guy”
While a second user, commented on the director taking up the fictional aspect of the show, writing:
“They absolutely were not, that’s so disrespectful. The show was fiction, let’s not forget.”
A third user pointed out the speculation theory:
“There was speculation that Eric was gay during the first trial.”
In an interview with Barbara Walters in 1996, Erik denied the question. Lyle was by the time dating a woman named Anna Eriksson. He eventually married her and divorced later. As of August 2024, both brothers are in prison.
The show is currently available to stream on Netflix.