Why Lyle and Erik Menendez call it a “lie”

Thirty years after they were tried for the murder of their parents, Lyle and Erik Menendez are once again at the center of controversy.

The brothers, then aged 21 and 18, killed their mother, Kitty, and father, José Menendez, on August 20, 1989. The two were separated in 1993 and tried together in 1995 until they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996 for the murder of their parents.

Now Ryan Murphy is bringing her story back to the public with Netflix's Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendezwhich deals with the alleged sexual abuse by her parents and the reasons for their killing.

Murphy said the show reported on male sexual abuse “responsibly,” but the brothers disagreed. In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) by his wife, Tammi Menendez, Erik said he felt his and Lyle's story was not being portrayed fairly.

“I thought we had moved beyond the lies and devastating character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle based on horrific and obvious lies that were rampant on the show,” Erik said. “I can only believe this was done on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I must say that I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without malicious intent.”

Representatives for Murphy and Netflix did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

From what Erik said about the show's inaccuracies to Murphy and the cast's reactions, here's everything you need to know about the controversy surrounding Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez.

Why is there so much controversy surrounding the show?

Following the show's release, there was increasing controversy over its content, as many felt that the show did not accurately portray the trauma associated with sexual abuse and implied details that may not be true.

After Erik and Lyle confessed to killing their parents, they argued at their trial that they did so because of years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father and eventually physical abuse at the hands of their mother. However, in addition to portraying abuse, the show also implied that the two had an incestuous relationship.

In the series, Erik and Lyle kiss in episode 2 and their mother finds them showering together in episode 6. In real life, however, they stated that they never had a sexual relationship with each other.

One fan wrote on X: “Turning a story about two brothers who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of their father into an incestuous fantasy is horrific,” while another wrote: “Creating incest fanfiction about real brothers is INSANE.”

“Part of the controversy seems to stem from people thinking, for example, that the brothers had an incestuous relationship,” Murphy told E! News a few days after the show's release, addressing the controversy. “There are people who say that never happened. There were people who said it did happen.”

Is the incest story true?

In the seventh episode, journalist Dominick Dunne (Nathan Lane), who covered the trial in real life, suggested that the brothers had “an even darker secret” that had “nothing to do with José.” In real life, however, Dunne never suggested incest.

Robert Rand, an expert on the case who in 2018 The Menendez Murders Book, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter shortly after the show's premiere and said he did not believe Erik and Lyle had an incestuous relationship.

“I don't think Erik and Lyle Menendez were ever lovers,” he said. “I think that's a fantasy that Dominick Dunne had in his head.”

“During the trial, rumors circulated that there may have been a strange relationship between Erik and Lyle himself, but I believe that the only physical contact they may have had is what Lyle testified, which was that when he was 8 years old, he took Erik into the woods and played with him with a toothbrush – which [their father] José was done with him,” he continued.

He added: “I certainly wouldn't describe this as a sexual relationship of any kind. It's a reaction to trauma.”

What did the Menendez brothers say about Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez?

While Lyle has not yet commented on the series, Erik released a statement through his wife's ex, calling the show “blatant lies.”

“It saddens me to know that Netflix's dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime has pushed painful truths back several steps – back to an era when prosecutors built their narrative on a belief system that men were not sexually assaulted and that men experienced rape trauma differently than women,” he said.

Erik also accused Murphy of building “his horrible narrative” about himself and Lyle using “disheartening slanders.”

“Is the truth not enough? Then the truth must be the truth,” he added. “How demoralizing it is to know that one man with power can undo decades of progress in the investigation of childhood trauma.”

How did Ryan Murphy react to the criticism?

At the premiere of his show grotesqueFollowing Erik's comments, Murphy told E! News he wasn't sure if the brothers had seen the show themselves.

“I find that interesting because I know he hasn't seen the show, so I find that odd,” Murphy said. “I hope he watches it. I think if he did, he would be incredibly proud of Cooper Koch, who plays him.”

When asked how the show portrays her story, Murphy said that the show offers “many, many, many” perspectives and that in the end, the truth of the show – namely that two people were shot – comes to light.

“Our view and our goal was to present you with all the facts and get you to do two things: make up your own minds about who is innocent, who is guilty and who is the monster. And also to have a conversation about something that is never talked about in our culture, which is sexual abuse of men, and we do that responsibly,” he said.

As for criticism that the show did not properly address the alleged sexual abuse in the Menendez brothers’ story, Murphy said he felt Monster has done so appropriately.

“60 to 65% [of the show] “It's about Eric and Lyle Menendez talking about their abuse, about how they were victims, about what they went through emotionally. These two guys on our show get their moment in court,” he said. “In fact, we have a 30-minute episode that Cooper Koch does so brilliantly. Just Erik's words about what happened to him and why he did what he did.”

What did the cast say about the drama?

Nicholas Alexander Chavez, who plays Lyle, told PEOPLE that he did not speak to Lyle during filming or after the show's release, but added that he sympathizes with the Menendez brothers.

“I really feel for the brothers. This was the most traumatic moment of their lives and then to have it shown on television for the whole world to see. I can imagine that this is incredibly difficult for them,” he said.

He added that he was aware that reactions to the show had been “diverse, as it should be.”

“It's a sensitive issue and I imagine everyone has their own interpretation of what happened, the way we imagined and intended it,” Chavez told PEOPLE of the reaction.

Koch, who played Erik, has not yet commented on the controversy. His brother Payton Koch, a film editor who Only murders in the building, shared in an Instagram post on the day the show aired that he had “never been more proud” of his brother.

After people commented on the post with their concerns about the show – including one person who referenced Erik’s response – Payton responded that Koch was sensitive to the issues raised in Monster.

“I will not speak for Cooper, but I will say that he cares deeply about the boys and stands with them and all victims of abuse,” Payton wrote in a comment on September 20.

“He has gone above and beyond to make sure her stories of abuse are on screen and I think by episode 5 it's abundantly clear where he stands,” he continued. “Any portrayal of the true story will be difficult but please believe me when I say she and her story are important to him ❤️‍🩹.”

In the meantime, he has deactivated the comment function of the post.

The weekend after the show's release, a source told PEOPLE that Koch, along with Kim Kardashian, spent time in San Diego at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, where both Menendez brothers are incarcerated.